research project

Research Project : Work-Life Balance

Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………... page 3

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………. page 3

1. Aim

1. Literature Review

Method………………………………………………………………………………………… page 4

1. Participants

1. Procedure

Results………………………………………………………………………………………. page 4

Discussion……………………………………………………………………………….... page 10

1. Strengths

1. Limitations

1. Modification

1. Conclusion

References…………………………………………………………………………………… page 11

Appendices……………………………………….……………………………………… page 13

1. Appendix 1 - consent form

1. Appendix 2 - survey question

1. Appendix 3 - survey results

Abstract :

This short study displays and highlights how well are international students managing their Work-Life balance after moving to a new country (the UK specifically), and are they able to adapt to this whole new lifestyle in which they have to almost fully rely on themselves. The results were carried out as an online questionnaire with a small sample of 50 ONCAMPUS students in which with consent they were asked questions related to the study. After receiving answers from people that came to the UK from all around the world, and despite the background diversity, we were able to conclude that most students either maintained the same Work-Life balance, or witnessed a development.

Aim:

To investigate ONCAMPUS students ability to manage their Work-Life Balance, and how did this lifestyle change affected their lives.

Literature Review

Having a Work-Life balance is an increasingly important issue among everyone, Therefore it is important to study the work-life balance of foreign students and the issues they face with it; however, there are certain things to consider before starting the study, For instance, Work-Life balance is likely to be different depending on one's age and maturity level, a mature individual is more likely to have an effective Work-Life management than an immature individual. The authors of a study published in November 2016 attempted to answer whether a person's age affects their assessment of work-life balance, And Based on the study findings, those representing older age groups are more likely to maintain a healthy Work-Life balance (Kaźmierska/ Katarzyna,2016). Another key factor that can be of great importance, is the pressure put on the students by his family and relatives, while some people do have the ability to manage that said pressure, most people, especially young individuals, often find themselves put under too much pressure, that makes them feel like no matter how much effort and time they put in in their studies, it is still not nearly enough, which ultimately leads to a gigantic amount of stress and anxiety, that displays an obvious imbalance in their Work-Life Balance. Only a few research have looked at major factors of work-life balance and conflict. Some research have hypothesised negative correlations between work-life balance and job stress, but these hypotheses have not been statistically tested . Stress appears to have an essential impact in the few research that have looked at correlational predictors of work-life balance and work-life conflict. Workplace stress has been connected to a decline in work-life balance and an increase in work-life conflict in a variety of industries (Wallace, 2005; Wong & Lin, 2007).[footnoteRef:1] [1: Gillespie, N. A., Walsh, M., Winefield, A. H., Dua, J., &Stough, C. (2001). Occupational stress in universities: staff perceptions of the causes, consequences and moderators of stress. Work & Stress, 15(1), 53 - 72]

Method:

1. Participants:

The survey received 45 replies, with all respondents being ONCAMPUS students. The questionnaire in question was answered by students regardless of their age or their nationality or gender. And all the respondents were asked to respond sincerely, as all responses stayed anonymous.

1. Procedure:

1. The questionnaire was designed in order to pinpoint precisely the areas that will help reach the aim of the study. Respondents were given 15 accurate questions to answer.

2. A set amount of time of 5-10 minutes must be given, and consent must be asked

3. The forum was distributed to ONCAMPUS students ONLY , this was done through sending links through social media or even through face to face meeting

4. Students should aim to answer as many questions as they can and were urged not to rush

1. Result analysis:

Question 1)

UFP students studying in ONCAMPUS represent more than 84% of the people that answered the questionnaire. We can make the assumption that most of people that answered this forum just moved to the UK, and are still adapting to their new lifestyle.

Question 2)

The diversity of the people that answered this forum represents one of its strengths as no country covers more than 15% of the answers.

Question 3)

38/45 are under the age of 21, so 84% of the respondents can be placed under the name of “young adults”

Question 4)

The respondents are mostly males as they represent 62%, but females do not cover a tiny substratum of the respondents, as they represent 29% of all respondents.

Question 5)

As expected, most respondents are familiar with the term in question, Yet the point of this question is to explain the term in case the person answering isn’t familiar with it.

Question 6)

The average answer to this question as written on the above is around 3.24, we can then presume that most students that answered this questionnaire have a good Work-Life balance.

Question 7)

Considering that worrying about work during leisure time isn’t healthy, 25% of respondents do in fact have this bad habit, while 62% of them do not have it as a habit, yet they sometimes do it, which is not unhealthy perhaps not healthy.

Question 8)

The majority of students spend a reasonable amount of time working independently, as 89% of them spend less than 12 hours doing so, which, considering that the average independent work that a student should do is 7 hours per week, very healthy. But working 13 hours independently every week can be unhealthy.

Question 9)

More than 48% of students prefer studying in the morning, which has been proven multiple times to be the perfect time to study. But studying in the afternoon or evening is okey too.

Question 10)

Giving up sleep to focus is one of the worst habits to adopt, and it is the biggest indicator of procrastination, we can make a conclusion that most of students answering this forum either always or often procrastinate.

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