Workload, social support, and work-school conflict among Nigerian nontraditional students

As a result of the increasing number of nontraditional students in Nigerian universities and the consequences associated with combining multiple roles, this study is designed to examine the relationship among nontraditional students with respect to workload, social support, and work-school conflict. Using a cross-sectional survey, data are collected from 126 nontraditional students. Results of the correlational analysis reveals that work-school conflict has a significant positive relationship with perceived workload and a significant inverse relationship with social support. Furthermore, results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis show that perceived workload, supervisor, and coworker support are found to be significant predictors of work-school conflict after controlling for the possible influence of sociodemographic variables. The discussion of these findings is anchored on multiple roles and social support models. The practical implications for workplace and university flexibility to enhance the educational advancement of nontraditional students are also emphasized.