Abstract
This study was designed to identify the issues for UEL students in managing their time and balancing their studies with their private lives. Data were collected from the University of East London (UEL) through the use of questionnaires and interviews. A total of 20 respondents were selected for the questionnaire survey while the interviews were conducted on 10 participants.
There was 100 percent response rate given the small number of participants. The results indicate that many students have a challenge in managing their time effectively. The study recommended students to be using various strategies for time management.
Introduction
There is no doubt that time management is a critical aspect in the lives of students at the university. Most students are faced with circumstances where they are required to balance between their private lives and their studies. This is a common experience among students in UEL and in other institutions of learning across the globe. However, time management is not easily achieved as many students find it very challenging and difficult.
Some of the issues identified in research to be contributing to poor time management among people in general include ineffective relationships, poor attitude, fatigue and the weather (König and Kleinmann, 2007). For students, leading issues that prevent them from managing their personal lives and studies effectively include interruptions such as television, guests, meetings, or crisis.
Procrastination and indecision has also been identified by researchers to be a major contributor of time waste among university students and people in general (Dom, et al., 2006). Cell phones and computer devices are good innovations in communication technology, but they can also become a huge time waste for students.
The devices have very attractive application which students can spend a bulk of their time using at the expense of other important activities (Jex and Elacqua, 1999).
Study objectives
This seeks to identify the issues for UEL students in managing their time and balancing their studies with their private lives.
Relevance of study
Most students face difficulty in managing their time. They face challenges when it comes to balancing their academic work and their private lives (Eerde, 2003).
Some get engaged into relationships which end up taking much of their time thereby making it difficult for them to concentrate on academic work (Margol and Kleiner, 1989). However, it is possible to balance between personal lives and studies. The issues identified in this study and the recommendations provided will be of paramount help to the students.
Methodology
Statistical methods were used for analysing and summarising the data collected. The primary data collected during the research were both qualitative and quantitative nature. The approach to be adopted for data analysis is mixed method approach because it allows for a parallel analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data (Groves, et al., 2011).
The quantitative measure focuses on subjecting the data into categories which can be counted. The process of analysing the data required testing for data integrity, descriptive analysis, making comparison, testing for reliability, and making predictions based on the relationship of the data (Groves, et al., 2011).
Testing for data integrity involved checking the questions from the survey instrument to ensure that the responses are within normal range and are reasonable (Adèr and Mellenbergh, 2008). Descriptive statistics will seek to measure the central tendency for each question in the survey too that collects quantified data.
Statistical methods to be used for making comparison include t-test and one way ANOVA whereas the method for finding relationship between various variables and making prediction is the correlation test (Groves, et al., 2011). Analysis of qualitative data involved a process that begins by coding themes or responses that recur. The researcher first had to read through the responses and take note of recurring themes.
The themes identified were categorised and then codes assigned to each category. The categories were compared for relevant statistical analysis before the researcher draws theoretical conclusion from the analysis (Mitchell and Jolley, 2012).
Sampling is important for finding the data to be analysed and using a correct data for a research. A purposeful sampling is one that has nothing to with probability. It is used to target a particular group of people. Purposive sampling is used whenever the population of the study is just too difficult to find.
This can be due to the nature of the study. At the same time, recruiting the population may take a long time so that the research may go on in good faith. This type of sampling may force one to have to recruit a population.
Whenever this is done, the credential of the research is lost as sometime the recruited (Adèr and Mellenbergh, 2008) population may act totally different from the actual population that would have been interviewed instead.
Assuming that this method of sampling was to be used in the study, I would be required to look for the appropriate population but of which in this case is very easy to find the population. This research is broad and the population is very much available.
Quantitative research design uses probability sampling to come up with a representative sample of the entire population (Mitchell and Jolley, 2012). The population of this research is composed of the female students at the university. The population of this research is composed of the university students at from the University of East London. A total of 20 students were chosen for the survey.
The students ranged from first year to senior level students. The selection process relied on random sampling in order to avoid biasness and to have a representative sample of the whole population. The age of the participants ranged from 20 to 25 years. The respondents were also selected from different cultural and ethnic background including.
It is also important that the survey tools be tested for both reliability and validity (Groves, et al., 2011). Determination of reliability will be done through conduction of piloting program where a small section of the sample population will be issued with the survey tools in order to identify any sections of the tool where there are errors.
After the piloting program, the reliability of the survey will be further tested to ensure that it remains consistent. Consistency test here entails rating of the items over time. This is done to determine whether the one specific item in the tool can yield the same response when administered at different times. Through the use of Pearson Correlation Coefficient, the result of this reliability test can be determined.
Reliability tests can also involve determining whether a single respondent can provide same information when subjected to different circumstances. For instance, the target population in this study is the aged population above 50 years old.
This demography is faced with a lot of psychological issues and sometimes circumstances can determine their response towards issues. The process of coding during data analysis depends on the subject and hence it is important that the consistency tests be done for reliability of the tool.
Results and Data analysis
Graph 1: Percentage of respondents
Discussion
From the data analysis, the study was able to confirm the findings of similar studies. Students at the university generally find it challenging to manage the time effectively. The researcher had already identified major issues preventing students from effectively managing their time from the review of secondary data. The issues identified included friends, club meetings and demands, dating, family, and computer devices.
These issues were also identified as a key time wasters for many students at the university. With a response rate of 100 percent, the results indicated that majority of the respondent had a lot of daily engagements. They were required to balance between their studies and private lives. Some of the respondents were into relationships while others were into student leadership positions in various clubs and societies within the university.
The respondents who were in leadership positions admitted to show some sense of effective time management. This was mainly due to the fact that they are required to be effective in their work and to lead by example. These students fill in their diaries on daily basis just to ensure that they manage their activities effectively.
Out of those interviewed, there were 11 female respondents and 19 male respondents. Graph1 shows that the two major issues affecting students are friends and extracurricular commitments. Majority of the participants reported that friends take much of their time and are a major impediment towards time management.
Conclusion
The study sought to identify the major issues in time management faced by students at the university. A total of 20 respondents were selected for the questionnaire survey while the interviews were conducted on 10 participants. There was 100 percent response rate given the small number of participants. The results indicate that many students have a challenge in managing their time effectively.
References
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Eerde WV 2003, Procrastination at work and time management training, The Journal of Psychology, vol. 137 no. 5, pp. 421-434.
Groves R et al 2011, Survey methodology, John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Jex SM & Elacqua TC 1999, Time management as a moderator of relations between stressors and employee strain, Work and Stress, vol. 13 no. 2, pp. 182-191.
König CJ & Kleinmann M 2007, Time Management Problems and Discounted Utility, The Journal of Psychology, vol. 141 no. 3, pp. 321-334.
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