How do working students fare? A person-centric approach to understanding patterns of work–school conflict and facilitation

Student workers are largely understudied in organizational research, yet they represent an important part of the workforce. Their numbers are expected to rise as tuition continues to increase, and many adult workers are returning to school. The current study utilizes a person-centric approach to investigate latent patterns of work–school conflict (WSC) and work–school facilitation (WSF) as well as the antecedent (i.e., supervisor work–school support) and outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction, well-being, and school outcomes) tied to these latent patterns across school weeks. In a pilot study (n = 178 student workers), we first confirmed whether classes of WSC and WSF could be identified using latent profile analysis. Then, using 347 weekly WSC and WSF experiences, multilevel latent profile analysis identified four distinct profiles of WSC and WSF at the week level. Also, this modeling demonstrated that individuals tend to fluctuate between at least two profiles across weeks. Supervisor work–school support was found to predict weekly profile membership. Furthermore, the week-level profiles exhibited distinct relations with weekly outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction, well-being, and school preparedness). The results provide important theoretical and practical insights into the joint experience of interrole conflict and facilitation among student workers.