Students from low-income families consistently trail behind their peers in retention and degree attainment. Research on college student experiences suggests that low-income students experience "cultural mismatch" at college--they feel that their backgrounds are at odds with the middle-class values dominant on campus (Armstrong &…

Over the past five decades, numerous theories about college student attrition have attempted to explain student departure. Conclusions drawn by the literature broadly acknowledge that students are less likely to depart if they are academically engaged and socially integrated with the campus. Further, students who reside in a campus residence hall…

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of traditional age, nonresidential students in higher education who, in contrast with their residential peers, are rarely studied in higher education research. As the population of nonresidential students expands, it becomes important to examine nonresidential students' experiences in…

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are web-based systems allowing instructors and/or students to share materials and interact online. This study compared differences in LMS use between instructors and students at a large residential campus with students at a smaller commuter campus. Responses to an online survey about LMS activities and tools were…

Research is beginning to demonstrate that sophomores are unique in their academic and developmental needs, yet little is known about how college sophomores' satisfaction with their collegiate experience influences their persistence decisions. This study utilized logistic regression to predict college sophomores' persistence based on student…

The purpose of this study was to examine what effect the Freshmen Interest Group (FIG) program, a variation of a non-residential learning community had on academic achievement scores and institutional rates of persistence. Study variables included: gender; race; pre-collegiate academic achievement (GPA scores); educational preferences (major…

This study examined Hocking College female students who were enrolled engineering majors from 2001-2007, and comparatively examined female students who were enrolled in different programs within other majors. Specifically examined were student persistence two quarters postengineering studies, student persistence to graduation, student persistence…

Examined differences in alcohol use between one university's commuting students (n=99) who lived at home with their parents and residential students (n=212). Found that resident students exhibited greater frequencies of alcohol use and abuse than did commuters as a function of both precollege factors and involvement in traditional college life.…

Proposed a causal model to examine the impact of resident living on student development. Tested the model with 4,191 college students. Secondary analysis indicated that the influence of on-campus living on intellectual and social self-concept is indirect and mediated through interactions with faculty and peers. (Author/BH)

A study regarding student attitudes at a residential campus was partially replicated at a commuter campus. The hypothesis tested was that student attitudes would be unrelated to commuter or residential status. Commuter students typically had a more positive response to their educational experience than did residential students. (Author)

To determine whether the scholastic averages of resident students at York College, Pennsylvania are significantly different from those of commuting students, 200 resident students were compared with 200 commuting students. The groups were randomly selected and matched in terms of sex, college class, marital status, and intelligence. Scholastic…

AN EXPLORATORY SURVEY INVESTIGATED THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCES AMONG COMMUTING STUDENTS, ATTENDING THREE TYPES OF INSTITUTIONS TO COMPARE COLLEGE EXPERIENCES BETWEEN COMMUTING AND RESIDENT STUDENTS. STUDENTS SELECTED FOR STUDY WERE (1) 100 COMMUTERS FROM A LARGE, PRIMARILY RESIDENT UNIVERSITY, (2) 100 COMMUTERS FROM A COMMUNITY COLLEGE WITH NO…

This study compared the perceptions of commuting and residential students about pressures, sources of help, and psychological services on a college campus. The two populations differed in their responses to questions about all three areas of investigation. (Author)

Using 10 distinct samples, analyses were conducted to determine whether empirical support could be garnered for the proposition that working adults selecting a college for part-time studies tend to consider the proximity of the school to their home to be more important than the school's proximity to where they work. On a hypothetical task (first 5…

Based on a previous report comparing commuter and resident freshmen at the University of Maryland, College Park, the analysis of the similarities and differences of commuter and resident students is extended in the students' third year of college. Dependent commuters (defined as living at home or with other relatives) were compared to students…