More than a job: An exploration of student employee and professional staff perceptions of the relationship between on-campus employment and student development
The purpose of this sequential exploratory mixed methods study is to explore the relationship between on-campus employment and student development through examining student employees\u27 and professional staffs\u27 perceptions. While certain impacts (i.e., retention and grade point average) of on-campus employment have been researched, the impact this experience has on student development is understudied. Furthermore, the formation of a dueling narrative (the inclusion of both student and professional perceptions) is even less present in research. By analyzing the perceptions held by both populations, these findings compare what student employees are truly gaining from their employment experience versus what professional staff believe student employees are gaining. Findings from the quantitative and qualitative data suggest student employees and professional staff share similar perceptions in many domains, such as transferable skill acquisition and the role professionals play in student development. However, findings also imply there are domains student employees and professional staff do not hold similar perceptions, such as leadership development and the inclusion of student voices in the planning and facilitation of student development opportunities
