issues of Work life balance and online learning

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Cover Page

The balancing act: combining higher level study with work and family

life

Helen Goodall and Alison Keyworth

Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, University of St Mark & St John, Derriford

Road, Plymouth, PL6 8BH, UK. Tel: 01752 636700 ext 6502

[email protected] and [email protected]

2

The balancing act: combining higher level study with work and family

life.

Abstract

This research investigates the strategies employed by part-time postgraduate students to

overcome the challenges associated with undertaking study alongside full-time teaching

careers and busy family lives. Using purposeful sampling, qualitative data was collected

via telephone interviews with participants on two masters’ programmes in the UK, both

primarily aimed at school teachers. The findings strongly suggest that students were

able to overcome the perceived challenge of balancing the demands placed on their time

and energy to achieve a work-life-study balance by developing specific time-

management, personal organisation and self-reward strategies. Similarly, a range of

support mechanisms, both formal and informal, were utilised or constructed with

particular value placed by the study’s participants on the collaborative networks and

discussions that they were able to have with fellow students. These collaborative

encounters are represented as communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991;

Wenger, 1998) in this paper. The strategies and mechanisms identified through this

research are offered as a heuristic to other students who are invited to consider them as

possibilities in navigating their own way through similar, challenging terrain. There are

also implications for educators supporting part-time postgraduate learners which, again,

are offered for heuristic consideration.

Keywords: work-life-study balance; part-time masters’, CPD, learners’

motivation

(Abstract word count 199)

Introduction

The disparity between students in respect of the ease with which they negotiate their

studies is not peculiar to part-time masters’ programmes, as is evident in the work of

others such as Klenowski et al (2011) and Bowyer (2012). Balancing study with part or

full-time work and, for some, family life, is likely to present a challenge for anyone

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trying to undertake all three and engage in any other activities simultaneously

(Dowswell et al, 1998). Such challenges are well documented in the literature but, as

lecturers and programme leaders involved in part-time postgraduate provision we, the

authors, observed significant differences in the ‘felt’ difficulty that learners experienced

in respect of juggling the competing demands on their time and energy. Whilst some

seem to manage without trying very hard to do so, others protest that they do not have

the time to complete the course work and require substantial assistance to navigate their

way through their masters’ degrees. As Kember (1999) notes, students begin their

studies with varying degrees of competing demands on their time from work, family

and social sources, yet the extent of these demands on individual learners is not

necessarily mirrored in their levels of ‘felt’ difficulty. Neither does it appear to be

reflected in their capacity to achieve a work-life-study balance which enables them to

complete their course of study successfully.

‘Work-life-study’ balance

Since the launch of a major government campaign in 2000 (Changing Patterns in a

Changing World, DfEE, 2000), ‘work-life’ balance has been widely discussed. It is

based on the notion that paid work and personal life should be seen as complementary

and equally important rather than as in competition with each other (Manfredit and

Holliday, 2004). In reality though, this involves constant juggling (Bell et al, 2012) and

whilst ‘work-life’ balance may have received a considerable amount of attention in

academic publications, there is a paucity of literature that brings studying into the

equation. If balancing the demands of the workplace and personal life is a difficult task

(Hill et al, 2001), it seems safe to assume that introducing the additional dimension of

study will render such balancing even more of a challenge. The potential magnitude of

such a challenge therefore begs the questions ‘what motivates people to undertake part-

time postgraduate degrees and how is that motivation sustained?’

Motivation to study

In the context of this study, motivation is understood to be influenced by an individual’s

beliefs and values, and constructed through their prior experiences. The motivation or

intention to learn is taken to mean ‘a person’s tendency to find learning activities

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meaningful and to benefit from them’ (Wlodkowski, 1999: 4), although the learner may

not be aware of their own intent (Segers and van der Haar, 2011). Also accepted by the

authors is the idea that ‘individual people are microcosms of their social environments’

(Fook and Gardner, 2007:15). It follows therefore that what motivates individuals to

learn will be driven by what is generally perceived to be important or desirable within

their specific socio-cultural context. If activities associated with professional

development are valued, people are likely to be motivated to participate in them. Ediger

(2011) argues that both newly qualified and experienced teachers should be ‘well-

educated to provide for all pupils in the school setting’ (2011: 850) and recommends

participation in masters’ degrees for the enhancement of school-place teaching. This

view echoes that of the last and previous Labour governments whose initiatives to

encourage teachers to undertake masters’ degrees included the provision of funding for

both of the programmes completed by participants in this study (Department for

Children, Schools and Families, 2007).

The current government also emphasises the importance of professional learning for

teachers (Department for Education, 2010 and 2011) but makes explicit their

expectation that teachers should take responsibility for their own continuing

professional development (Burn et al, 2010). As Opfer et al observe...

Professional development is largely considered an individual teacher’s

decision ... the effectiveness of professional development activities is

therefore dependent on teachers’ perceptions of professional learning

activities (2012: 4).

Although teachers may depend upon the support that they receive from supervisors,

tutors, family, friends and colleagues during their studies (Haggis, 2002), it is ultimately

their own responsibility-taking that enables them to complete their masters’ degrees.

Their motivation to begin and to continue postgraduate study is also associated with its

perceived value as a form of professional development. It is therefore interesting to note

Anderson et al’s (2008) conclusion that individuals’ motivations to complete their

courses of study are largely intrinsic, rather than being rooted in the more extrinsic goal

of career advancement.

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A further influence on student motivation is investigated by Jamieson et al’s (2009)

research into the benefits of part-time higher education study. The central focus of this

work is the significance that is placed on the perceived increases in three areas of

capital - human capital, identity capital and social capital. Jamieson et al conclude that

identity capital in particular is greatly improved through the achievement of academic

qualifications. Although such achievement may also enhance human capital by

increasing employment opportunities, this is not perceived to be as important to students

as the impact that their achievements have on their sense of self or growth in self-

esteem (Anderson et al, 2008).

It appears, then, that a number of motivating factors are likely to be at play when a

teacher enrols on a part-time master’s degree programme, many of which will remain

influential throughout the course of study. What is less clear in the literature is the

impact of motivating factors on individuals’ perceptions of their ‘work-life-study’

balance.

Balancing strategies

Opfer et al suggest that ....

The choice to participate in any professional learning activity occurs at the

intersection of individual orientation to learning and school orientation to learning

(2011:20).

In other words, a teacher is able to commit to a course of study if they are confident that

they will be supported in their endeavours by the school and by their colleagues. As

already inferred, other important sources of support are family, friends, peers and the

academic staff attached to the chosen programme of study (Haggis, 2002). Support

might take the form of encouragement, mentoring, supervision or the provision of a

‘sounding board’. In other instances, support might mean that others take on some of

the student’s tasks and responsibilities, either at home or elsewhere. Kember (1999)

identifies this as a renegotiation of social status or position that enables study time and

space to be created. Kember also notes the need for the student and others, such as their

families, to make some sacrifices during the period of study. He concludes that those

who do not adopt coping mechanisms are less likely to complete their course of study,

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but he does not consider how the learning environment or programme staff might

contribute to or assist with the development of such mechanisms or strategies.

In our work with teachers engaged in part-time postgraduate study, it became evident

that contact time with others who were further forward with their studies and happy to

share their experiences was greatly valued by those students in the early stages of their

programmes. Undertaking research is frequently a solitary activity and, in this respect, it

contrasts significantly with the more interpersonal nature of teaching (Cordingley,

2008). Given the research focus of the two programmes at the centre of this

investigation and the extent of independent study involved, this contrast may explain

something of the value placed on such contact time. Further, Cowan (2012) argues that

communities of practice are highly effective in maintaining participants’ engagement

and achieving high levels of completion of masters’ programmes. The opportunities

afforded to students that enable them to spend time with other, more experienced

programme participants mirrors the peripheral participation of newcomers that is

generally to be found in communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991). In time and

as their competence and confidence develops, the newer students move from peripheral

to full participation and find themselves sharing their own experiences with others in the

early stages of their respective learning journeys.

The rationale for this research

Anecdotal accounts and more formal evaluations from our own students indicated that

what they found particularly valuable was hearing how others had approached the

challenges associated with undertaking part-time study whilst working and attempting

to maintain something of a personal life. It was with this work-life-study balancing act

in mind that this research was undertaken: we wanted to understand better how we

could help to facilitate both local and wider sharing of experience and balancing

strategies. This study therefore brings together accounts from past students who have all

managed to complete a part-time postgraduate programme successfully whilst working

and maintaining a family life. The intention is to develop a better understanding of how

students manage to achieve a ‘work-life-study’ balance and to offer some ideas which

others, both students and educators, might find useful. Specifically, we focus on:

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 The challenges students experience when combining study with work and family

life

 How students are able to sustain their motivation throughout their period of

study

 The strategies and mechanisms that students employ and utilise to overcome the

challenges they face

 The implications for educators working with students in similar situations

Unlike similar studies, this investigation acknowledges the situated and complex nature

of learning and the unique and individual experiences of learners (Anderson et al, 2008)

whilst adopting a pragmatic approach that aims to offer a heuristic to other part-time

learners and their educators. Any such offerings are given cautiously and there is no

intention to establish universal truths: instead, our conclusions are presented for each

learner and educator to consider and adapt.

The research context

This study was conducted in an education faculty and brings together the views and

experiences of participants from two masters’ level programmes: the Masters in

Education (MEd) and the Masters in Teaching & Learning (MTL) programmes.

Participants in the study were full-time teachers who had all successfully completed

their respective masters’ programmes at the same university within the previous two

years.

Given the apparent significant differences in the felt difficulties that learners

experienced in respect of achieving a work-life-study balance, it seemed clear that

gathering data from past students who had all managed to successfully negotiate a part-

time master’s programme whilst working and maintaining a family life, would provide

some useful insights for current and future students, both on our own and other part-

time postgraduate programmes.

The participants

Ten former postgraduate students were purposively selected (Cohen et al, 2011) to

engage with this study based on the following criteria:

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 They had successfully completed their masters’ studies

 They worked full-time during their studies

 They had families (with either shared or sole responsibility for their children)

Clearly, there are limitations associated with purposive sampling and with using such a

small sample: it could certainly be argued that the views collated here can only make a

modest contribution to this area of research. Nevertheless, as researchers we align

ourselves with Holst’s (2009) position that those engaged in research should avoid

philosophical ignorance: we have had lengthy conversations about what does or does

not constitute a truth and accept that an individual’s reality is just that. By adopting a

pragmatic approach and focusing on usefulness (Giacobbi et al, 2005; Baert, 2005;

Bernstein, 2010), we believe that the qualitative data collected during this investigation

enables some helpful conclusions to be drawn. It is important to note that this study

does not lay claim to offering fool-proof techniques for maintaining a work-life-study

balance. Instead, it offers some helpful possibilities for better balancing and a heuristic

for consideration by those wishing to benefit from the experience of others.

Method and data analysis

Qualitative data were collated via telephone interviews using a pre-constructed set of

questions. The semi-structured interview questions were open-ended enough to allow

participants to express their perspectives freely whilst still allowing for the generation

of comparable data (Savin-Baden and Howell Major, 2013). The interviews sought to

elicit participants’ views and feelings regarding their higher-level study, in so far as

what they found challenging, what motivated them to continue studying and what

strategies they employed that enabled them see their studies through to a successful

conclusion. Participants were also provided with an opportunity to speak freely about

their experiences and raise any additional points which had not been addressed through

the pre-set questions.

Data generated from the interviews were thematically coded and analysed using the first

three areas of focus identified earlier: the challenges experienced by students when

combining study with work and family life, the motivating factors that persisted

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throughout their course of study, and the enablers, strategies and mechanisms utilised to

complete it.

Findings

Theme 1: Challenges

The dominant factor cited by all respondents when asked what they found most

challenging about undertaking part-time study was time management and having to

juggle the competing demands on their time. This is illustrated in comments from

different participants ...

The most challenging aspect for me was juggling time. The stress of balancing

home and work life and introducing study time into this as well (Participant C).

Time management was a real challenge, as I had only just started as an NQT

[newly qualified teacher] and was busy trying to get my head around the

teaching job’ (Participant D).

The act of juggling the competing demands on time was clearly experienced as

stressful. This echoes findings from Arthur et al’s study (2006) which identified that a

lack of time, caused by having too many other personal and professional commitments,

hindered postgraduate students in completing their assessment tasks. As will become

apparent, students participating in this study were able to formulate strategies to manage

this issue and their own associated feelings of being under stress.

A further challenge noted by more than half of the participants was their anxiety at

completing academic work at masters’ level. Some held concerns over specific aspects

of writing at this level and/or not being sure of what would be expected of them. Others

had been out of academia for some time and were anxious that they had forgotten how

to approach academic work. The following extracts from interviewees’ responses

highlight these points:

I was concerned that there seemed to be a big jump from undergraduate work to

postgraduate (Participant A).

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Reading around the subject for the literature review part of the dissertation and

understanding ethical principles associated within educational research was

challenging (Participant E).

I found it challenging initially to get back into higher level study after a break

from academia. To begin with, it was tricky to know what was expected of me

(Participant G).

In addition to the challenges associated with time management then, the other most

frequently cited challenge lay in the students’ own perceptions of their levels of

academic competence.

Theme 2: Motivating factors

(i) Support from others

One of the recurrent themes that emerged from participants’ views on what had helped

to maintain their motivation during their studies was the instrumental role of the tutor in

this. All respondents made reference to the level of support received by their allocated

university tutor and the significant extent to which this had helped them to remain on

track and complete their studies. This is demonstrated in the following contributions

from interviewees:

Regular tutorials with my tutor were a motivating factor as I always came away

with a new focus to work towards (Participant B).

Face to face tutorials were invaluable as they helped me not to feel isolated as a

distance learner (Participant D).

I found the goal setting element of tutorials helpful, as I came away feeling

accountable and the fact that I had to commit to producing something by a

particular date was certainly motivational (Participant H).

Having email contact with my tutor at key points was useful as it kept me going

in the right direction and prevented me from just ‘floating out on my own’

(Participant J).

However, it was not just tutor support that featured highly on participants’ lists of

motivational factors. The majority of respondents (eight out of ten) acknowledged how

important the support received from others had been in helping them to stay focused

and on track. Participants mentioned a range of support networks that they had drawn

upon whilst completing their masters’ level studies, with the most common being family

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members, friends and work colleagues. One respondent, for example, noted how it was

hugely beneficial to know that another teacher at their school was also working on a

masters’ qualification, enabling them to empathise and ‘bounce ideas off each other’.

There are parallels here with the findings of Anderson et al (2008) and Haggis (2002)

who also identify the benefits of support networks in helping postgraduate students to

complete their studies.

Support from family members was also highlighted by most respondents. As one

participant commented, the on-going encouragement and support that he received from

his wife and mother were significant motivational factors in helping him to see his

studies through to completion.

Feeling supported by or receiving support from others appears to be an overwhelmingly

significant motivational factor for participants in this study. All respondents made

reference to this and most cited the support network available to them through the

University as being particularly beneficial in sustaining their focus and drive:

The Masters’ Practitioner Days were a life-line. The chance to connect with

others and be in an environment that was mutually supportive was very

motivational (Participant B).

The support days at the University helped to keep me on track. It showed me

that the masters was possible and manageable to do as others had gone through

it and survived (Participant F).

Some of the presenters at the Practitioner Days who had completed their

dissertations and shared their experiences were really helpful. A real motivator

was those who explained how they had tackled their work. I went away thinking

‘I can actually do this!’(Participant H).

As these comments demonstrate, having opportunities to discuss research ideas with

other students (former and current) was perceived as extremely motivational. This

corroborates Tobbell and Donnell’s findings, highlighting that ...

The necessity for wider relationships in the new community was emphasised by

nearly all participants; they discussed the need to spend time with fellow

students and seek their experience and advice (2013:132).

Both Tobbell and Donnell’s research and this study support Cowan’s (2012) assertion

that communities of practice are highly effective in maintaining participants’

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engagement in and completion of masters’ programmes. The Practitioner Days referred

to above are semi-facilitated weekend sessions that bring together students at varying

stages of their studies: they create a forum for peripheral and full participation in a

community of practice. The data from this study emphasise the value that the

participating part-time students place on face-to-face contact with peers. Although all of

the participants in this research had access to a virtual learning community, none

explicitly mentioned this as helpful in maintaining their motivation to complete their

studies: only face-to-face conversations and networking are identified as valuable. It

seems evident then that educators who are leading such part-time programmes consider

how best to enable and support students to engage in ‘actual’ collaborative

conversations and communities of practice. However, it is also worth noting the

absence of reference by participants in the study to virtual or digital learning

communities. Our students might be ‘digital natives’ or ‘digital immigrants’ and there is

clearly a need for us, as educators in universities, to familiarise ourselves with the

complexities associated with scholarly virtual network participation (Berman and

Hassell, 2014). As Smith (2012) points out, sufficient research is still not in place to

enable us to fully understand how technology can best address the range of students’

needs and this is particularly evident in respect of scholarly, virtual communities of

practice.

(ii) Having something ‘to prove’

Seven out of ten participants in this research mentioned that their desire to prove

something to themselves or to someone else was critical in helping them to maintain

their motivation to complete their course of study. The following example of one

participant’s determination to succeed is representative of a number of similar

responses:

What motivated me was the fact that I’d started so I told myself that I would

finish. I had reached a point where I had invested so much time that I didn’t

want to give in (Participant C).

Other participants described how they were driven by their determination to prove

something to others, as well as themselves:

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When I was at school in 1983 my form tutor told me ‘university isn’t for the

likes of you’. I wanted to prove this person wrong! (Participant F).

I messed up at school and university. I wanted to show that I could apply myself

and achieve academically. I wanted to get a ‘monkey off my back’ (Participant

I),

These articulations of the personal significance of demonstrating academic capability

and the associated implications for increasing self-worth and self-esteem support

Jamieson et al’s (2009) ‘identity capital’ theory of what motivates students to learn.

Participants who had previously seen themselves or been labelled as academically

deficient were driven to prove to themselves or others that this was not the case by

successfully completing their masters’ degrees.

(iii) Professional development

Less frequently commented upon but still worth mentioning here is that four of the ten

participants in this research experienced studying something that they perceived as

highly relevant to their own practice as very motivational. One person stated that...

The direct impact of my studies in my own classroom was very motivational. I

could see that what I was studying and applying was making a difference to the

children, parents and colleagues (Participant B).

This view is also echoed in the following response:

Studying for my masters had such an immediate impact on me as a teacher and

my own self-confidence grew out of this. I was able to choose a research focus

that was directly relevant to my own practice (Participant C).

The emphasis placed on practical application and professional development in

comments such as these does not specifically challenge Anderson et al’s (2008)

conclusion that career advancement in itself is not a significant motivator for students.

However, it is evident that relevance to practice and a corresponding growth in

confidence in the classroom were perceived as motivational by some participants. It

could therefore be assumed that such professional development will, in turn, have

implications for the future career advancement of the individuals in question, should

their increased confidence levels lead them to seek such advancement.

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Further, if practical relevance is seen as significant in maintaining motivation to

complete masters’ studies, it seems evident that students should give careful

consideration to the focus of their research during their studies. Where there is freedom

of choice in research focus, as there is likely to be for most masters’ programmes to a

greater or lesser extent, students (and their tutors) might question both the extent to

which practical relevance is important to them and how it is likely to be facilitated by

their research focus.

Theme 3: Enablers and strategies employed by students

Participants in this research were asked about the strategies that they had employed to

manage the different demands on their time whilst they were studying and, by

implication, minimise the potential detrimental impact that these competing demands

might have on their motivation. In response, all participants made reference to the

importance of organising their own time, citing a range of strategies which included

blocking out time to study, setting time limits for study and breaking work down into

’manageable chunks’.

Most participants explained how they had used the strategy of ‘blocking out time to

study’ to enable them to make progress and, ultimately, complete their dissertations. For

example, one person explained how she tried to make every minute count by getting up

early, before her children and husband were awake, and making a concentrated effort

with her studies for a couple of hours at the beginning of the day. A number of

participants mentioned using school holidays to write as their work demands were

reduced during these periods.

Kember suggests that ‘negotiating sanctuaries of time or space for study’ (1999: 109) is

a useful mechanism in helping part-time students to successfully integrate study with

work and family life. This was highlighted by several of the participants in this research

who felt that setting aside specific periods of time for studying and/or identifying a

study ‘space’ helped them to differentiate study from family life and work

commitments. One person talked about the importance of ‘booking days in the diary for

study work and sticking to them’ and others mentioned their ‘study table’ or their ‘quiet

room’ in the house or making use of the university library.

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Strategies to avoid feeling overly daunted by the work associated with their masters’

degrees were employed by most participants in this research. For example, some people

described how they had found it helpful to break the work down into chunks. It enabled

them to feel like they could accomplish the work and went some way towards

reassuring them that the final dissertation was ‘feasible’ and ‘manageable’.

Other aspects of personal organisation were also identified as helpful in maintaining

motivation and momentum. For example, two participants made particular reference to

the usefulness of devising and using a Gantt chart (see Portz, 2014) to enable visual

monitoring of their own progress:

I found using a Gantt chart very helpful. Tasks did move and needed to be

revised but the chart gave me a focus. I also found it motivating when I could

change a task from ‘red’ (still to do) to ‘green’ (completed)’ (Participant D).

I devised a Gantt chart and really stuck to it. I found having clear deadlines

helped to provide me with short quick wins and kept me focused (Participant B).

A further strategy for maintaining momentum that was mentioned by almost half of the

participants was their use of rewards as a means of helping them to complete their

studies:

I organised quick wins for myself and little treats e.g. coffee with a friend when

I had written x number of words (Participant B).

I rewarded myself with family time on Friday and Saturday evenings

(Participant D).

I created landmarks/milestones e.g. 1000 words written and then I rewarded

myself by going out for ice-cream, for example! (Participant F).

Finally, the support provided by family, friends, colleagues and university tutors has

already been discussed as a key motivating factor. What is also worth highlighting is

that all of the participants in this study took advantage of the support offered by others

and actively sought support when they required it.

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Conclusion

This investigation utilised purposive sampling with ten participants in a particular context to

determine the challenges that these students experienced when combining study with

work and family life. It also explored how they were able to sustain their motivation

throughout their period of study and the strategies and mechanisms that they employed

to overcome the challenges they faced in order to achieve a work-life-study balance.

The implications of our findings, both for ourselves and for other educators working

with students in similar situations, are also touched upon.

The limited sample size and contextualised nature of the research dictate that the findings

cannot be offered as representative of all part-time postgraduate degree students. Nevertheless,

and notwithstanding the study’s methodological limitations, we believe that the reflections

and perceptions of the participants shared through this research present some helpful

insights for consideration by other students entering into postgraduate study faced with

a work-life-study balance to negotiate. These insights are offered as a heuristic: they are

possibilities to be considered that might assist part-time students in achieving such a

balance. Each student is invited to consider which strategies will particularly suit them

and how they can best utilise the support that is available to them. Participants in this

study identified that such support might be accessed through university provision, both

in the form of their tutors and through entering into communities of practice with fellow

students or colleagues who have previously undertaken similar courses of study.

Additionally, other practical support offered by work colleagues, family and friends was

also found to be helpful in maintaining motivation. Strategies for personal organisation

that have been identified here and can be considered by others include carving out time

and space, breaking work down into ’manageable chunks’ and making use of tools such

as Gantt charts. Personal determination to succeed is also identified as a critical

contributor to motivation levels for many students, as is the use of self-reward.

Participants in this study particularly valued the time spent with fellow students in

communities of practice where collaborative discussion, networking and shared

reflection had taken place: both students and educators alike might question the

adequacy of current provision in this respect. For students, investigating what is on offer

and making best use of it is likely to prove fruitful. Similarly, educators might question

17

the extent to which entry into comparable communities of practice is facilitated,

encouraged or provided for in connection with their respective programmes. What is

also apparent from this research is that virtual learning communities were not

particularly valued by the participants as a source of support to help maintain their

motivation levels. This tentative conclusion, together with the dearth of relevant

literature (Smith, 2012), points to a need for further research to investigate what, if

anything, might increase the efficacy of virtual communities of practice in the provision

of motivational support to and for students.

Word count: 4934 (not including abstract)

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