Balancing work, family, and professional growth: Coping strategies of adult learners in Zimbabwe
Florence Sebele & Phumuzani Mpofu
Abstract
Adult learners in Zimbabwean Design and Technology programmes often struggle to balance work, family, and academic responsibilities, resulting in tensions that affect their emotional, social, and professional development. Hence, this study examined the challenges experienced by adult learners and the coping strategies they adopt to sustain resilience, holistic well-being, and academic success. Framed within an interpretivist paradigm, the study adopted a qualitative phenomenological approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine part-time students and two focus group discussions. Purposive sampling ensured diversity in age, gender, professional roles, and family responsibilities. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis framework. Trustworthiness was strengthened through triangulation, member checking, and the use of audit trails. Five themes emerged from the study: balancing competing responsibilities; coping strategies and routines; impact on family and social life; institutional support and limitations; and financial pressures. The findings indicate that personal coping strategies, social support, and institutional facilitation satisfy learners’ psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, enabling resilience, engagement, and academic achievement. Institutional constraints and financial stressors intensified challenges, while structured routines, effective time management, and external support networks were central coping mechanisms. The study was limited to a small sample of part-time adult learners within a specific disciplinary context, which may restrict generalisability. Nevertheless, the findings offer practical implications for curriculum development, institutional support systems, and adult education policy. Flexible programme design, blended learning modalities, financial support, and wellness-oriented policies are critical for enabling adult learners to succeed in resource-constrained contexts while safeguarding their holistic well-being and professional growth.
Keywords
adult education, Design and Technology education, work–family–school balance, academic success
Author information & Contribution
Florence Sebele. Corresponding author. PhD in Education with Curriculum Studies. Senior Lecturer, National University of Science and Technology. Email: florence.sebele@nust.ac.zw
Phumuzani Mpofu. PhD in Education with Educational Psychology. PostDoc, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa.
"All authors contributed equally to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and manuscript writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
This study was granted ethical clearance by the National University of Science and Technology with Approval No: NUST/IRB/2025/142.
Data and Materials Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
AI Declaration
The authors acknowledge the use of the AI tool, particularly ChatGPT, for language refinement and editing.
Notes
Acknowledgement
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Cite this article:
Sebele, F. & Mpofu, P. (2026). Balancing work, family, and professional growth: Coping strategies of adult learners in Zimbabwe. International Journal of Educational Management and Development Studies, 7(1), 157-177. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijemds.353329
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