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Part-time masters, full-time life: the emotional well-being of employed postgraduate students.

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Title: Part-time masters, full-time life: the emotional well-being of employed postgraduate students.
Authors: Geertshuis, Susan1 (AUTHOR) s.geertshuis@auckland.ac.nz, Liu, Qian2 (AUTHOR)
Source: International Journal of Lifelong Education. May/Jun2026, Vol. 45 Issue 3, p302-319. 18p.
Subject Terms: *Part-time students, *Work-life balance, *Adult students, *Mental depression, *Anxiety, *Graduate students, Thematic analysis, Psychological well-being
Abstract: Mature postgraduate students who combine full-time work with part-time study have circumstances, aspirations and responsibilities that traditional-age university students may not share. This paper explores the perceived impact on role performance of combining work with study and its influence on emotional well-being among these students. We conducted an online survey (N = 208) using a validated instrument to assess self-reported emotional well-being. Additionally, participants provided ratings and qualitative responses to open-ended questions about the impact of combining work and study. Regression analyses revealed associations between the perceived impact of combining work with study and emotional well-being as assessed by anxiety, contentment, depression and enthusiasm. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses provided further insight into the impact of studying on work, personal lives and emotional well-being. The study offers a theoretical understanding of the interplay between the consequences of combining work and study, and the associations these have with emotional well-being. It has practical implications for the design of programmes and support regimes targeting mature students who are in full-time employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of International Journal of Lifelong Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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DbLabel: Education Research Complete
An: 193835232
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: Part-time masters, full-time life: the emotional well-being of employed postgraduate students.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Geertshuis%2C+Susan%22">Geertshuis, Susan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> s.geertshuis@auckland.ac.nz</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Liu%2C+Qian%22">Liu, Qian</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Journal+of+Lifelong+Education%22">International Journal of Lifelong Education</searchLink>. May/Jun2026, Vol. 45 Issue 3, p302-319. 18p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Part-time+students%22">Part-time students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Work-life+balance%22">Work-life balance</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adult+students%22">Adult students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+depression%22">Mental depression</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety%22">Anxiety</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Graduate+students%22">Graduate students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thematic+analysis%22">Thematic analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+well-being%22">Psychological well-being</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Mature postgraduate students who combine full-time work with part-time study have circumstances, aspirations and responsibilities that traditional-age university students may not share. This paper explores the perceived impact on role performance of combining work with study and its influence on emotional well-being among these students. We conducted an online survey (N = 208) using a validated instrument to assess self-reported emotional well-being. Additionally, participants provided ratings and qualitative responses to open-ended questions about the impact of combining work and study. Regression analyses revealed associations between the perceived impact of combining work with study and emotional well-being as assessed by anxiety, contentment, depression and enthusiasm. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses provided further insight into the impact of studying on work, personal lives and emotional well-being. The study offers a theoretical understanding of the interplay between the consequences of combining work and study, and the associations these have with emotional well-being. It has practical implications for the design of programmes and support regimes targeting mature students who are in full-time employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of International Journal of Lifelong Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=193835232
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/02601370.2025.2533409
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 18
        StartPage: 302
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Part-time students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Work-life balance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Adult students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental depression
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anxiety
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Graduate students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Thematic analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological well-being
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Part-time masters, full-time life: the emotional well-being of employed postgraduate students.
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            NameFull: Geertshuis, Susan
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            NameFull: Liu, Qian
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            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May/Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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            – TitleFull: International Journal of Lifelong Education
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