Working Part-Time during Studies: The Role of Flow in Students’ Well-Being and Academic Achievement / Povremeni rad tijekom studija: Uloga zanesenosti u dobrobiti i akademskom uspjehu studenata

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that only flow in the activity that one finds important contributes to well-being. This study was done in order to further investigate the role of flow in different activities and its impact on well-being in two types of students, i.e. nonworking students (NWS) and part-time working students (PWS). The sample comprised first and second year university students (85% female) at the University of Zagreb, 113 NWS and 110 PWS. Several questionnaires were administered in order to assess flow in different activities, well-being, and burnout. Also, students reported their grade point average (GPA). The results showed that in both groups flow in academic activities was the only stable positive predictor of well-being and academic achievement, and a negative predictor of burnout, in line with the finding that both groups of students assessed academic activities as the most important and most useful. Additionally, there were no differences between NWS and PWS in well-being, burnout, and GPA, suggesting that this PWS group was not yet experiencing any negative consequences of parttime working. The importance of introducing flow inducing activities in academic assignments is suggested as crucial for students' well-being.

Zanesenost u akademskim aktivnostima i dobrobit studenata

“…Pretpostavka da je zanesenost u akademskom području važnija za dobrobit studenata od zanesenosti u aktivnostima u slobodnom vremenu, jer su akademske aktivnosti važnije i korisnije za njihove buduće ciljeve, potvrđena je u drugom istraživanju (Rijavec, Ljubin Golub, Jurčec i Olčar, 2017). Studenti su procjenjivali koliko su često doživjeli zanesenost u raznim područjima na skali od 1 (nikad) do 5 (uvijek), a uz to su procjenjivali koliko su im navedena područja važna i koliko su korisna za njihove buduće ciljeve.…”

Personality Traits As Predictors Of Domain Specific Flow Proneness

“…General flow proneness was also calculated as the mean of all items. The SFPQ has already been used on a sample of Croatian university students and has shown adequate reliability (Rijavec et al, 2017). The coefficients of internal consistency (Cronbach's α) for this study vary from .74 for the studying subscale to .79 for the leisure subscale, and .84 for the average of all subscales.…”

“…It can even be said that a flow state makes life worth living (Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 2006). It is positively related to indicators of well-being, such as life satisfaction (Asakawa, 2010;Olčar, Rijavec, & Ljubin-Golub, 2019;Rijavec, Ljubin Golub, & Olčar, 2016), the greater satisfaction of basic psychological needs (Olčar, 2015), and psychological well-being (Asakawa, 2010;Rijavec, Ljubin Golub, Jurčec, & Olčar, 2017;Rijavec, Ljubin Golub, & Olčar, 2016). On the other hand, experiencing flow more often is negatively related to indicators of ill-being, such as anxiety (Asakawa, 2010), depressive symptoms (Mosing, Butković, & Ullen, 2018), and burnout (Mosing et al, 2018;Olčar, 2015;Rijavec et al, 2017).…”

The Relationship between Flow Experience and Burnout Symptoms: A Systematic Review

“…Flow can be characterized by the following three core components: absorption, perceived demands-skill balance, and enjoyment during task performance [ 24 ]. It is associated with several positive outcomes, such as improved performance [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ], well-being [ 28 , 29 , 30 ], positive affect [ 31 ], creativity [ 32 ], and physical health [ 33 ]. Research shows that it can counteract mental illness symptoms [ 34 ].…”