RELATIONSHIPS AMONG COLLEGE SUCCESS AND STUDENT WORKING STATUS

Abstract

The current thesis posited that increased hours worked while attending Middle Tennessee State University would negatively relate to measures of college success including grade point average (GPA) and 1-year attrition. Other variables predicted to be negatively correlated with hours worked were self-reported hours preparing for class, credit hour efficiency (credit hours earned divided by number of hours attempted), and receiving financial aid assistance. Only a single hypothesis found significant results. For Hypothesis 3, I found a significant inverse correlation between off-campus hours worked and credit hour efficiency. Surprisingly, on-campus work was positively related to credit hour efficiency. Thus, for one hypothesis on-campus vs. off-campus work determined whether there was a positive or negative relationship with an important measure of college success. The remaining hypotheses looked at relationships between hours worked and grade point averages, hours spent preparing for class, receiving financial aid, student attrition, class level (freshman/senior) and gender. All of these relationships were insignificant.