DIFFERENCES IN WORK, LEVELS OF INVOLVEMENT, AND ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE BETWEEN RESIDENTIAL AND COMMUTER STUDENTS

ALFANO, HALLEY J., and NINA B. EDULJEE. "Differences In Work, Levels Of
Involvement, And Academic Performance Between Residential And Commuter
Students." College Student Journal 47.2 (2013): 334-342. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 4 Feb. 2015.
In this study, 180 undergraduate students at a private college in the Northeast were
surveyed. The results indicated no significant relationship between number of hours
worked and GPA (r = 0.03, p > 0.05). (334)
Many studies have been conducted examining the relationship between working in
college and academic performance. Research indicates that "70 to 80 percent of students
work while they are enrolled" (ACE Center for Policy Analysis, 2006 1). [ACTUALLY
LOOK UP]
The results indicated that 51% of commuter students reported working over 21 hours a
week, while only 37% of residential students reported the same. Commuters were
significantly less active in on-campus activities and that "there were no significant
differences between commuters and non-commuters when it came to whether or not they
were working. Roughly, 80% - 85% of noncommuters and commuters, respectively,
report working while going to school" (p. 148) (335)
Elkins, Forrester, and Nol-Elkins (2011) examined the degree to which involvement in
campus recreational sports programs is associated with students' perceived sense of
campus community with 330 undergraduate students (males = 98, females = 232; 42%
lived on campus, 48% lived off campus) at a mid-sized postsecondary institution in the
Midwest. They used an online questionnaire to collect data, asking questions about
participation in organized sports, intramural sports, clubs, and other extracurricular
activities. Their results suggested that participation in campus recreational sports
significantly predicted a sense of community. Students who participated in sports
perceived a greater sense of campus community based on the residential experience
factor when compared with students who did not participate. Additionally, "students who
participated in campus recreational sports occasionally, often, or very often perceived a
greater sense of campus community based on the residential experience factor when
compared with those students who did not participate." (p. 32). (336)
In other research, Kuh, Gonyea and Palmer (2001) examined whether commuter
students were less engaged than students who lived on campus of an institution. Their
sample consisted of 105,000 first year and senior students at 470 different four-year
colleges and universities in the United States using student responses from the National
Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) survey in 2000 and 2001. The results indicated

that "residential students were more engaged in effective educational practices and - in all
likelihood - were most likely benefitting more from their college experience" (p. 6).
"...driving commuters really do have less contact with their teachers (especially seniors)
and do not take advantage of such opportunities as co-curricular activities, community
service, study abroad, internships and so forth" (p. 8). "It appears that further away a
student lives from campus (walking distance, driving distance), the less likely a student is
to take advantage of the educational resources of the school." (p. 9). (336)
Likins (1991) examined levels of involvement with commuter students at a large public
research university. Students were asked to respond to questions about participating in
activities on campus and the extent to which they feel like they are part of the university
community. The results indicated that 34% of students participated in
intramural/intercollegiate sports, 9% participated in the honor society, 1% participated in
student government, 16% participated in a departmental club, 14% participated in a
fraternity or sorority, and 10% participated in social/service clubs. With regard to feeling
connected to the university, "Two-thirds reported feeling low or medium levels of
connectedness with the university community. In contrast, 65% of commuter students
indicated a desire to feel more a part of the university community." (p. 71) (336)
Levels of Involvement in School Sponsored Activities
Differences between residential and commuter students in school sponsored
activities which include number of sports played, number of clubs participated in, number
of school sponsored activities, number of school sponsored clubs, and number of school
sponsored intramural athletics are presented below.
Extent of Feeling like a Part of the College Community
Cross-tabulations were conducted between the extent to which students feel a part
of the college community for residential and commuter students. For the four statements,
more residential students agreed or strongly agreed with the statements than did
residential students. However, for the statement, "/ would like to interact more with my
peers/friends", 75.8% residential students and 78.5% commuter students agreed or
strongly agreed with the statement. (338)
Steven: Stress levels were also greater.
Over 66% of commuter students and 21% of residential students engaged in
no school sponsored student activities during the Fall 2011 semester. 3. Around 78%
of residential students and 43% of commuter students "agree" to feeling like a part
of the college community, while 68% of residential students and 50% of commuter
students still also "agree" that they desire to participate more in school-sponsored
activities. (339)

If having a job has an impact on academic performance, then schools should find
a way to acknowledge this and help students cope with the demands of school and a job.
(340) Despite the perception of significant involvement, both residential and commuter
students reported a desire to participate more in school-sponsored activities. (341)
Lastly, commuter students indicate experiencing higher levels of stress at their
place of employment than residential students. Student life departments on campus may
also consider developing stress management classes or activities in order to reduce the
stress levels of all students, including those who reported moderate to high stress levels at
their places of employment. (341)
Works Cited in this Source (Verify) Other sources still in pdf
ACE Center for Policy Analysis (2006). Working their way through college:
Student employment and its impact on the college experience. American Council on
Education, www.acenet.edu.
Elkins, D.J., Forrester, S.A., & Nol-Elkins, A.V. (2011). The contribution of
campus recreational sports participation to perceived sense of campus community.
Recreational Sports Journal, 35(1), 24-34