Abstract

This study investigated how employment intensity affects two critical factors for academic success: a student’s sense of belonging and their metacognitive awareness (the ability to monitor and manage their own learning). Using a mixed-methods approach at the Rochester Institute of Technology, we analyzed survey data through multi-level modeling and conducted qualitative interviews to capture the personal experiences of employed students. Results reveal that students working off-campus for more than eleven hours a week showed significantly lower sense of belonging and metacognitive awareness scores than unemployed students. However, on-campus employment did not show the same effect. Both quantitative and qualitative results suggest that the Rochester Institute of Technology must consider how financial obligations reshape a student’s academic identity and provide more targeted support for those balancing employment.

Publication Date

5-13-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Applied and Computational Mathematics (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Mathematical Sciences, School of

College

College of Science

Advisor

Tony Wong

Advisor/Committee Member

Nonhle Channon Mdziniso

Advisor/Committee Member

Mary Lynn Reed

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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