Student Employment and Academic Behaviour, a Study of Selected Students in University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

Student employment has of recent become a global phenomenon. It is a situation in which students work while in school. In Nigeria, there is a conception that students cannot work and at the same time keep up with their academic routines. In line with this, the study sought to investigate the relationship between student employment and academic behaviour. The concept of student employment was further grasped using the student involvement theory. A two stage sampling technique was used to select 165 respondents, with the questionnaire employed as the method of data collection. The retrieved data was analyzed with the use of spearman rank correlation. The analyzed data revealed that the more self-employed a student-worker is, the higher the rate of class attendance. The study also revealed that the longer a student is employed, assignment submission becomes more frequent. Based on these, the study recommends that student employment be encouraged in schools as it is advantageous to students. Through employment, students gain invaluable work experience, learning how the real world operates.