MANAGING DUAL DEMANDS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF WORK–LIFE BALANCE AND PERCEIVED ACADEMIC EMERGENCY RESPONSE EFFICIENCY AMONG INTERNATIONAL PART-TIME MASTER’S STUDENTS FROM CHINA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.1162093Keywords:
Employment Type, Part-Time Master’s Students, Perceived Academic Emergency Response Efficiency, Role Strain Theory, Time Management, Work-Life BalanceAbstract
This study aimed to investigate how work-life balance, employment type, and time management skills affect perceived academic emergency response efficiency (PERE) among international Chinese students who are enrolled in a part-time master’s degree at a private university in Malaysia. Interviews with ten participants indicated that flexible working hours and careful planning help students to effectively respond when unexpected academic demands surface. In contrast, strict work schedules, sudden demands, and issues maintaining work-life balance potentially lowered their confidence in responding to such situations. Based on the role strain theory, the findings indicate that many students experience parallel pressures from their professional roles, academic responsibilities, and family commitments. Organised time management, flexible arrangements at the workplace, and supportive academic environments are among the practices that appear to help students cope and respond to academic challenges more effectively. Although the study is conducted in Malaysia, the issues highlighted reflect challenges commonly faced by working international postgraduate students in many countries and offer useful insights for institutions that support this group. The findings contribute to understanding how structural and individual factors interact in shaping students’ academic responsiveness in higher education contexts.
Downloads
References
Antoniadou, M., & Antoniadis, R. (2024). A systemic model for resilience and time management in healthcare academia: Application in a dental university setting. Applied Sciences, 14(11), 4918. doi:10.3390/app14114918
Bailey, C., & Suddaby, R. (2023). When time falls apart: Re-centring human time in organisations through the lived experience of waiting. Organization Studies, 44(7), 1033–1053. doi:10.1177/01708406231166807
Beech, S. E. (2015). International student mobility: The role of social networks. Social & Cultural Geography, 16(3), 332–350. doi:10.1080/14649365.2014.983961
Boamah, S. A., Hamadi, H. Y., Havaei, F., Smith, H., & Webb, F. (2022). Striking a balance between work–life interference and burnout on faculty turnover intentions and career satisfaction. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2), 809. doi:10.3390/ijerph19020809
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2024). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Education Malaysia Global Services. (2023). Guidelines for international student pass applications. Retrieved from https://educationmalaysia.gov.my/
Fetters, M. D., Curry, L. A., & Creswell, J. W. (2013). Achieving integration in mixed methods designs—Principles and practices. Health Services Research, 48(6 Pt 2), 2134–2156. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.12117
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. doi:10.1177/1525822X05279903
Isnainy, U. C. A. S., & Zainaro, M. A. (2024). Lecturer resilience as a key factor in enhancing academic performance: The influence of personal factors, work environment, and institutional support on lecturer productivity in higher education institutions. Jurnal Aisyah: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan, 9(1). doi:10.30604/jika.v9i1.2229
Joseph Jeyaraj, J. (2023). Drawing on students’ lived experiences in emergency remote teaching (ERT): Reflections from a critical pedagogy inspired writing class. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 43(2), 450–462. doi:10.1080/02188791.2021.1941756
Juarez, J. C., Martinez, S. J., Pajantoy, C. J., Pamintuan, N. M., Perido, J., Requina, D. O., et al. (2024). The lived experiences of working architecture students in coping with academic stress as regards plate making. International Journal of Education, Curriculum and Applied, 7(2), 235–245. doi:10.31764/ijeca.v7i2.25299
Karatsareas, P. (2022). Semi-structured interviews. In R. Kircher & L. Zipp (Eds.), Research methods in language attitudes (pp. 99–113). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108867788.010
Kulik, L. (2025). Role conflict, enrichment, sense of balance, and well-being among working students who are parents. Journal of Family Social Work, 28(2), 86–107. doi:10.1080/10522158.2025.2468264
Mazzarol, T., & Soutar, G. (2002). Push–pull factors influencing international students’ destination choice. International Journal of Educational Management, 16(2), 82–90. doi:10.1108/09513540210418403
Morse, J. M. (2000). Determining sample size. Qualitative Health Research, 10(1), 3–5. doi:10.1177/104973200129118183
Nyimbili, F., & Nyimbili, L. (2024). Types of purposive sampling techniques with their examples and application in qualitative research studies. British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies, 5(1), 90–99. doi:10.37745/bjmas.2022.0419
Opdenakker, R. (2006). Advantages and disadvantages of four interview techniques in qualitative research. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 7(4), Article 11. doi:10.17169/fqs-7.4.175
Pearlin, L. I. (1983). Role strain and personal stress. In H. B. Kaplan (Ed.), Psychosocial stress: Trends in theory and research (pp. 3–32). New York, NY: Academic Press.
Pineda, P. (2024). Double the degree, double the identity? Identification and experiences of students studying two simultaneous degrees. International Journal of Educational Research, 125, 102346. doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102346
Prager, F., Rhoads, M., & Martínez, J. N. (2022). The COVID-19 economic shutdown and the future of flexible workplace practices in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. Transport Policy, 125, 241–255. doi:10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.06.004
Ross, P. M., Scanes, E., & Locke, W. (2024). Stress adaptation and resilience of academics in higher education. Asia Pacific Education Review, 25(4), 829–849. doi:10.1007/s12564-023-09829-1
Tofighi, M., Tirgari, B., Ghomian, Z., Safari, M., Bazyar, J., Mohammadi, E., et al. (2022). Time management behaviours and emotional intelligence in head nurses in emergency and intensive care units. Creative Nursing, 28(1), 29–35. doi:10.1891/CRNR-D-20-00087
Trotter, H., Huang, C. W., & Czerniewicz, L. (2022). Seeking equity, agility, and sustainability in the provision of emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: A centre for teaching and learning takes an expanded role. Higher Learning Research Communications, 12, Article 1. doi:10.18870/hlrc.v12i0.1280
Tulaskar, R., & Turunen, M. (2022). What students want? Experiences, challenges, and engagement during emergency remote learning amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Education and Information Technologies, 27(1), 551–587. doi:10.1007/s10639-021-10747-1
Valente, S., Dominguez-Lara, S., & Lourenço, A. (2024). Planning time management in school activities and relation to procrastination: A study for educational sustainability. Sustainability, 16(16), 6883. doi:10.3390/su16166883
Yusuf, J. E. W., Saitgalina, M., & Chapman, D. W. (2020). Work–life balance and well-being of graduate students. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 26(4), 458–483. doi:10.1080/15236803.2020.1771990
