CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation

This chapter of the research study presents, analyzes, and interprets the data
gathered from respondents. Using narrative descriptions, thematic analysis, and
respondent voices, researchers explore the phenomenon under study comprehensively.

The research findings are drawn from data analysis. Four themes emerged:
Motivations for Working, Challenges of Balancing Work and Education, Impact on
Academic Performance and Well-being, and Time Management Strategies (see Fig. 2).
Interpretation focuses on these themes, derived from analyzing key statements in
interviews with (5) grade 12 working students of Malandag Institute Inc.

Presentation of Themes

Figure 2. This figure shows the generated themes based on the report of the respondents.
 Many of the students opt to work either part-time or full-time. They may be

working out to become financially independent, to save for tertiary education, to gain

practical work experience, or just to have some extra money for their personal needs. It is

important to note these different motivations for working students to help them. As stated

earlier, the work and school balance is very challenging for most. Students are required to

figure out how to balance their time between class, assignments, and homework with

their job. Failure to manage this well can be stressful and lead to burnout. The stress of

balancing work and school can be overwhelming and affect the students’ overall

wellbeing, mental health, and academic performance. The researchers identified the

themes as (a) Motivations for Working, (b) Challenges of Balancing Work and Education,

(c) Impact on Academic Performance and Well-being, and (d) Time Management

Strategies.

A. Motivations for Working

Figure 3. Illustration of Motivation of Working as the theme for the code: Provision of

Own Needs, Helping the Family, and Navigating Independence/Sole Dependency.

 The chart depicts that working students have three distinct motivations for

working: being independent, being responsible in their stand as students who work, and

helping their families to provide for their finances. The findings of the current study show

that the informants fully understood the concept of working while studying and

considered it as a financial necessity and self-improvement. These three codes describe

many underlying motives and objectives that can spur people to seek employment.

Understanding these drives would perhaps help one better understand the variety of

influences that mold a person’s work style and decision-making process. According to

Thuy Thi Diem Vo et al. (2022), work motivation plays a vital role in the development of

the organization, as it increases employee productivity and effectiveness. To expand

insights into an individual’s work motivation, the authors investigated the influence of

individual competence, autonomy, and social relatedness on their work motivation.

Provision of Own Needs

The provision of own needs among working students is complex. It includes the

capacity of students to self-sufficiency in meeting their personal, professional, financial,

and temporal demands alongside their pursuit of academics and career goals. Working

students can gain practical experience, a strong feeling of self-reliance, time management

skills, and personal growth, and all of these will serve them with the instruments needed

for success in their academic and professional pursuits. This code shows that working

students can provide for their own needs without relying on their parents. According to

the findings of the study by Darolia (2014), where understudies take fewer attributes in

school because of work duties. As a result, the students lost confidence to enroll and

dropped out and started to find stable jobs.

This will support the statements:

 "Para matustusan ang mga pangangailangan ko, mabili ko ang gusto kung bilhin

sa sarili. (To provide for my needs, buy what I want for myself.)" - Participant 1

"Ahmm... Naging working student ako dahil kailangan kong tugunan ang mga

pangangailangan ko. (I became a working Student because I needed to meet my needs)" -

Participant 2

"Kaya ako naging isang working students dahil sa financial problem. (I became a

working student because of financial problem.)" – Participant 4

"Para ma tustusan ko ang aking mga pangangailangan. (To provide for my

needs.)" - Participant 4

"Dahil habang nag-aaral ka hindi mo na po-problemahin ang iyong mga gastusi.

(Because while you are studying, you would not have to worry about your expenses.)"-

Participant 4

Helping the Family

This code describes that some of the working students often take on the

responsibility of helping their families financially and practically. They support their

families by contributing to household bills and expenses and looking after their siblings.

According to Phillips et al.(2023) Many times, education leaders leave preparation

programs without content related to opportunities around working successfully with

multilingual students. This qualitative case study is focused on the implementation of

online learning modules designed to engage multilingual students and families in

embedded advanced leadership preparation coursework.

Some of the participants stated that:

"Para matulungan ko din ang magulang ko sa pagpapatapos ng pag-aaral namin. (To

help my parents in funding our education.)" - Participant 2

"Kay... akung ante gi ingnan ko niya mag working ko kay tungod pigado mi nila mama.

(My aunt told me to be a working student because we are poor.)" - Participant 5

Navigating Independence/Sole Dependency

Navigating the balance between independence and sole dependency is a delicate

and complex challenge. It’s something that involves finding one’s sense of independence

and personal agency while knowing how to be interdependent with other people in one’s

life and knowing how to communicate and collaborate with them. According to Mariotti

et al. (2024) The results show that grasping logical dependency involves time; rather, they

show that students expect non-hierarchical dependencies in DGE, and that low achievers

describe the behavior of constructions when dragging by referring to their global look

rather than geometrical properties. This suggests that specific task design cues may help

to focus students on particular building parts, and that explicit questioning of students to

explain some surprising observation seems to require active reflection.

Some of the participants stated that:

"Naging working student ako kasi gusto ko lang subukan ang mag trabaho at

para matuto ako mag trabaho at magsikap sa sarili ko (I became a working student

because I just wanted to try working and to learn how to work and strive on my own.)" -

Participant 1

"Ako ay naging working student kasi gusto kong magka... magkaroon ng sarili

kong pera at maging independent sa sarili ko. (I became a working student because I

wanted to have my own money and become independent.)" - Participant 3

 "Ahmm...siguro bilang isang ano, estudyante ahh... naging working student ako

kasi I want to be independent in myself kasi wala na akong mga magulang kaya pinurso

ko yong sarili ko na mav working student nalang talaga. (I guess, I became a working

student because I wanted to be independent and because I do not have parents anymore. I

do not have much choice but to pursue being a working student.)" - Participant 3

B. Challenges of Balancing Work and Education

 Figure 4. Illustration of Motivation of Working as the theme for the code: Difficulty of
Balancing responsibilities/ absence of time management/ Strategies, Physical Demands
of Work, Challenges of Budgeting, and Challenges of Sole Dependence

This chart depicts that working students have four distinct challenges of balancing

work and education: being a working student you need to balance your work and

education. Good time control for students who work involves many things. They need to

choose what is most important for school and work, make a timetable that gives them

time for study, work, and taking care of themselves, avoid things that waste time, use

methods that help them work better like the Pomodoro method, set goals and deadlines

that they can meet, and learn good study habits. Using these ideas can help students who

work be more efficient, less stressed, and do well in school and at work while also taking

care of themselves. According to Journal of Education and Work (2023). Despite the large

number of working-class students having to work while attending schools, their work

experience and the potential of class solidarity have been largely unaddressed. By
bringing in a social psychological perspective, this article revives the sociological debates

of working-class solidarity and challenges the defeatist view of solidarity since the

neoliberal turn of the global economy.

Difficulty of Balancing Responsibilities/Absence of Time Management/Strategies

It is quite challenging to juggle a lot of things, such as work, family, personal

commitments, and other responsibilities. Without effective time management techniques,

people often find it hard to divide their time and energy between these competing

demands. Due to the apparent shortage of time to get everything done, the inadequacy of

time management skills can cause a constant feeling of being overwhelmed. The problem

becomes even worse if no effective ways of prioritizing, reducing distractions, and

streamlining workflow are in place.

According to Klein-collins et al. (2023) An increasing percentage of students

entering postsecondary institutions are working at least part-time and balancing multiple

identities, responsibilities, and demands on their time and resources. As student

demographics change, postsecondary institutions must rise to meet these students where

they are. Two effective ways to do that include Competency-based Education (CBE) and

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), methods by which students are able to leverage what

they have already learned outside of a traditional classroom.

This will support the statements:

 "Mahirap maging isang working student dahil kailangan mong mag trabaho at

the same time mag aral, kung baga magkakaroon ka ng hatian sa oras na imbis sa pag-

aaral nakatuon ang oras mo ay hindi mo magawa dahil may trabaho ka. (It is difficult to

be a workingstudent because you need to work and study at the same time. Essentially,

your time gets divided, and instead of focusing on studying, you have to work.)" -

Participant 1

"Ahmm, ah… I don’t have any strategy in myself to do my homework and I ano as

a working student, kasi may time talaga na sabay-sabay yong trabaho ko and studies

ganon lang. (I do not have any strategy within myself to do my homework as a working

student because there are times when my work and studies clash/conflict.) - Participant 3

"Ahmm, well as I said earlier, I don’t have any strategic, siguro para ma manage

yong time ko kasi minsan talaga hindi maiwasan na sabay-sabay rin talaga yong mga

trabaho ko sa bahay and sa school. Yun lang. (Well as I said earlier, I do not have any

strategic plan. Maybe I was able to manage my time because…There are really times that

it is inevitable that work at home and school clashes.) - Participant 3

Physical Demands of Work

The actual physical demands of many jobs, such as heavy lifting, standing, or

working in harsh conditions, can be very hard on the body. This can lead to problems

with muscle fatigue, joint pain, and higher rates of injury. Chronic health problems can

even result from these physical stresses over time. This can make it very difficult for

workers to keep up with the job's requirements and lead to decreased productivity, more

time off, and long-term health problems. Addressing these physical demands through

things such as better equipment, more breaks, and improved safety measures can help

keep the worker healthy, and performing their job more effectively. According to Donna
Bryce (2023). Knowing what one knows and accurately monitoring one’s own capacities

and performance on a moment-to-moment basis are important determinants of task

success. Individual differences in such metacognitive monitoring are well documented,

but what determines an individual’s monitoring accuracy in a particular context is yet to

be fully understood. One candidate contributor to monitoring accuracy is working

memory. In this study, we investigated whether and how working memory contributes to

the accuracy of monitoring processes. Most evidence for a positive relationship between

working memory and monitoring accuracy has been provided by correlational studies.

One of the participants stated that:

“Medyo mahirap din dahil nag bubuhat ka nang mabinigat na sako-sako na

bigas pero nasanay narin po aku kinalaunan. (It is somewhat difficult too because you

are lifting heavy sacks of rice, but I got used to it eventually.) - Participant 2

Challenges on Budgeting

Budgeting is a tough deal because it's very hard to balance many different

financial priorities and obligations. In the span of a few months, a person must pay the

bills, save for the future, get out of debt, and still make ends meet for day-to-day

spending and discretionary [Link] to Phung, Trang M.T. (2023). This study

aims to provide evidence on the importance of parental financial heads in the family in

promoting students’ financial literacy levels and budgeting habits.

One of the participants stated that:

"Mahirap siya kase ikaw mismo nag ba-budget ng gastusin mo tulad ng pag

bilin ng para needed mo sa school tsaka baon kase para maka tulong ka din sa family
mo. (It is hard because you yourself budget your expenses, like buying what you need

for school and your allowance to also help your family.) - Participant 5

Challenges of Sole Dependence

Developing a strong support network and prioritizing self-care can also be crucial

in overcoming the challenges of sole dependence. Such heavy dependence on work may

create many complex problems, ranging far beyond the academic performance of the

working student. In this way, heavy dependence on work tends to cause imbalances in the

student's life, making it difficult for him to balance his educational obligations, personal

life, and long-term career goals. According to Mariotti et al.(2024) How achievers

describe the behavior of constructs during dragging in terms of their global appearance,

rather than in terms of geometrical qualities; predictions of relationships are

nonhierarchical in DGE. The findings suggest that specification of certain task design

cues prompts the students to attend to specific building parts and explicit questioning of

students to clarify any surprising observation seems to be needed for active reflection to

take place.

One of the participants Stated that:

"Marami kang haharapin na problema dahil sarili mo lang ang inyong

inaasahan. (You will face many problems because youonly rely on yourself.) -

Participant 4
 C. Impact on Academic Performance and Well-being

Figure 5. Illustration of impact on academic performance and well-being as theme for

the code: Stressful and optimism/ positive effect

This chart depicts the impact of working on academic performance and well-

being is complex and varies depending on individual circumstances. The impact of

working while studying can be both positive and negative on the academic performance

and general well-being of students. On one hand, working grants the students new life

experience, independence, and a sense of responsibility, and hence this can positively

increase time management skills and discipline. On the other hand, the pressure of

juggling work and studies leads to increased stress, fatigue, and less time in pursuit of

studies, which impacts grades, mental health, and college experience adversely. The best

essence for the students would be to achieve a balance between work and academics, with

help from the institution and mental well-being. According to Cogent Education (2023).

This online survey study of 141 university students examined the impact of a sense of

belonging, resilience, time management skills, and academic performance on their

psychological well-being.
 Stressful

Working as a student is probably the most stressful thing one can do; one has to

balance the demands of study and the job, usually at the cost of failing to allocate time for

rest, relaxation, and personal activities. The mix of academic responsibilities—for

example attending classes, completing assignments, and studying for exams—plus

financial obligations and work commitments—all come to present a substantial amount of

pressure and strain on the physical and mental well-being of a student. This will lead to

feelings of burnout, anxiety, and difficulty in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

According to Suhaib khalid et al. (2023) Stressful situations encountered throughout

adolescence distress health throughout a person’s life.

This will support the statement:

"Minsan nakaka stress pero nasanay na rin naman ako. (Sometimes it is stressful,

but I have gotten used to it)" - Participant 1

Optimism/Positive Effect

There are also positive effects of being a working student just like financial independence

and Time management skills. Having working students with an optimistic approach is

highly desirable. When students approach their studies and work with a positive, hopeful

outlook, it can have a significant impact on their overall experience and outcome. An

optimistic attitude ensures the working student is motivated and engaged in hard times or
when faced with any setbacks. The belief in success and overcoming one’s obstacles

motivates them to work hard and put forth effort to achieve the goals. This results in

better academic performance, as they will be in the mood to put in hard work, which is

required. According to Journal of American College Health (2023). Students maintained

a positive outlook in life. Hopeful, optimistic, and grateful students experienced positive

emotion, were more engaged in their daily activities, had more supportive relationships,

had a better sense of direction in life, and more often accomplished their goals.

Interpretations and future directions are discussed.

This will support the statement:

"Lagi lang akong nag iisip ng positive kaya ‘di po sya nakakaapekto sa aking

emosyon man o wellbeing. "(I always keep thinking positively so it does not affect my

emotions or wellbeing.)"- Participant 2

"Hindi naman sya nakakaapekto kasi naging independent na ako simula nung

nag working student ako. (It does not really affect me because I have become

independent ever since I started working as a student.)" - Participants 3

"Ang apekto na naidulot ng bilang isang working student ay ang pagiging strong

at independent. (The effect of being a working student is becoming strong and

independent.)"- Participants 4
 [Link] Management Strategies

Figure 6. Illustration of time management strategies as them for the codes: Prioritizing

Task/Focus, Scheduling/Arrangements on Free Time, and Balancing Responsibilities.

Effective time management for working students involves prioritizing tasks,

creating a detailed schedule, minimizing distractions, utilizing downtime, delegating or

outsourcing tasks, and maintaining self-care practices. Good time management for

students who work involves a few things. First is to put academic and work stuff. Make a

schedule that gives time for study, work, and self-care. Try to cut out things that waste

time and distract you. Use methods like the Pomodoro technique to be more productive.

Set goals that you can reach and stick to deadlines. Build good study habits. With these

steps, students who work can do things better, feel less stress, and balance work and life

well. According to Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2020), this paper aims to

explore time management strategies followed by students in a flipped classroom through

the analysis of trace data.

 Prioritizing Task/Focus

It’s not easy when you are a working student, to manage your time and your

studies to succeed in your academic life and your life. Define your priorities and the tasks

that are of high importance to you; sometimes these are attending classes, completing an

assignment, and performing responsibilities at work. Set aside some time and energy for

those tasks that will affect your academic and professional objectives the most. Control

distractions, create a more orderly study atmosphere, and find ways to maintain

concentration and productivity during the day. With the right prioritizing of tasks and

focus, your time and resources can be used most efficiently, leading to better academics

and life balance. According to Journal of Experimental Psychology (2022), Working

memory (WM) has a limited capacity; however, this limitation can be mitigated by

selecting individual items from the set currently held in WM for prioritization.

This will support the statement:

"Minsan nakaka stress pero nasanay na rin naman ako. (Sometimes it is stressful,

but I have gotten used to it.)"- Participant1

"Pinaprioritise ko ang aking oras sa pagtukoy ng mahalagang Gawain at maayos

na paggamit ng oras…hmm. (I prioritize my time in determining the important task and

proper use of time.) - Participant 2

“Dapat bilisan mo ang iyong mga gawain para habang nagpapahinga ka ay

ginagawa mo na… habang nagpapahinga ka ginagawa mo… ginagawa mo… (laughing)

again, again, dapat bilisan mo ang mga gawain para habang nagpapahinga ka ay

gina…ginagawa mo ang dapat gawin sa paaralan. (You should hasten your tasks so that

while you rest [from working], you are doing what needs to be done for school.)" -

Participant 4
 “Ang strategy nako kay weekend lang ko mag trabaho para dili nako ma… ma-

ma di… ma disturbo ang akong class. (My strategy is to work only on weekends so that

neither I nor my classes are disturbed.)" - Participant 5

Scheduling/Arrangements on Free Time

Free time offered by working students can be put to very efficient use under good

time management and scheduling of work. This is the effectiveness of balancing

academic assignments, work obligations, and personal activities as a basis for a healthy

work-life balance. Such may involve prioritizing the tasks, meeting realistic goals, and a

structured routine to ensure adequate rest, leisure, and self-care. This therefore allows for

effective maximization of productivity, reduction of stress, and fulfillment in life with

their academic and professional goals. According to Levenson, et. al (2023) A school's

schedule can be as important to education outcomes as its budget or strategic plan. The

secret to making the schedule a tool for school improvement is to approach schedule

design not as a technical task, centered on making everything fit like Tetris blocks, but as

a strategic one.

This will support the statement:

"Kapag wala akong ginagawa o halimbawa tulog pa yong alaga ko nong buhay

pa sya ginagawa ko na kaagad ang mga assignment ko, di kaya habang nagbabantay ako

ginagawa ko nga ang mga gawain ko dito sa school. (When I am not doing anything, for

example, the child I am taking care of is still asleep, when he is alive, I do my

assignments right away or while I am watching out for the child, I do my work here at

school.)" - Participant 1

"Dapat maghahanap ka ng free time para gawin ang iyong mga trabaho. (You

should find free time to do your work.)" - Participant 4

"Gina manage nako akong time in way nga… mag trabaho lang kog weekend

mag… ay Saturday to Sunday para inig lunes, mag school… hangtod biyernes (I manage

my time in a way that I will only work on weekends, Saturday to Sunday, so that when

Monday comes, I will go to school until Friday.)"- Participant 5

Balancing Responsibilities

As a working student, it is crucial to strike a delicate balance between academic

responsibilities and professional obligations, ensuring that neither one compromises the

other, and maintaining a healthy and productive lifestyle. Equivalent balancing of

responsibilities for working students involves the effective use of time and resources for

academic excellence while at the same time ensuring financial obligations are met

through employment. This requires a student to place good emphasis on their studies,

develop good study habits, and have effective communication with their employers such

that their work schedules do not conflict with their academic commitments. In doing this,

the working student can maximize his or her chances of academic success, thereby also

gaining some relevant work experience and financial independence. According to Mills,

Lindsey (2020). Recent data reveal that nearly half of all full-time undergraduate students

in the U.S. are employed, which means balancing competing responsibilities related to

work, school, family, and social lives.

 This will support the statement:

"Pinagsasabay ko ito kahit na medyo mahirap para sa akin dahil hindi naman

istrikto amo ko. (I keep up with it even though it is a bit difficult. This is because my

employer is not strict.)" - Participant 1

"Ahmm… para sa akin mahalaga ang pagtatakda ng mga priority at tamang

paggamit ng oras para sa pagaral at trabaho. (For me, setting priorities and using time

wisely for studying and work are important.)" - Participant 2

"Ahmm… siguro para sa akin naaayos ko naman sya kasi ahmm may time

management naman ako para sa studies at may time management din ako para gawin

yong mga trabaho ko sa bahay para hindi sya like puro nalang focus sa isa ganon, focus

nalang sa trabaho sa bahay kailangan pantay din. (I guess for me, I manage it well

because. I have time management for my studies and I also have time management to do

my household chores so it is not like I am all focused on one thing, like just focusing on

work at home, it needs to be balanced.)" - Participant 3

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