WHOSE UNIVERSITY IS IT? – STUDENTS AT WORK - CHANGING VALUE PREFERENCES AMONG

Abstract

One of the dilemmas in higher education research is the issue of paid employment of full-time students during their studies and its related characteristics. The controversy arises from a perspective that has been prevalent since the 1960s, according to which the university years are intended for study and obtaining a degree, whereas work has a subsequent role in young people's lives. Another, also widespread, argument is that student employment has a number of negative effects. Until the 1990s, this was the predominant approach (Szőcs 2024). In this article, I start out by attempting to break down this segment of youth research into sections, and then, through a pilot analysis of the data from a survey among students (N=1,043) of a Central European university, I examine their work-related attitudes and the underlying variables that influence these. I do so because, according to my previous research (Szőcs - Birinyi 2013; Szőcs – Hamvas 2015, Szőcs 2021, 2024), I found no significant differences between the work attitudes of students who regularly participate in employment during their studies and of those who do not. Thus, we can assume that there may be some other reason behind paid employment in addition to studies, which goes beyond its function of generating income, building social capital and providing a meaningful use of leisure time.