Differences in Work, Levels of Involvement, and Academic Performance between Residential and Commuter Students.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between work, levels of involvement and academic performance between residential and commuter students. One hundred and eight undergraduate students at a private college in the Northeast were surveyed. Surveys aimed at examining work and levels of involvement were administered to the participants. The results indicated no significant relationship between number of hours worked and GPA (r = .03, p > .05). There was an overall lack of involvement in school-sponsored activities, sports, and clubs among residential and commuter students. While residential and commuter students claimed they did feel like a part of the college community, they also reported a desire to participate more in school-sponsored activities. Implications of the results are discussed. Introduction Numerous studies have examined differences between students who live on campus and those that commute to college, with some studies suggesting that students who live on campus tend to have advantages over those who commute to campus (Peterson, 1975). Some of these differences include involvement in student activities on campus and greater levels of stress as a result of working and commuting. Peterson (1975) suggests that "residence hall dwellers are better off financially, educationally, and in other ways to begin with. Then, largely because of their greater involvement in various educational and developmental activities, they make significantly greater gains, particularly in nonacademic personal development" (p. 2). "Understanding group differences between the commuters and noncommuters is critical, as the commuter population nationwide continues to increase and universities are forced to compete for the patronage of these commuter students" (Newbold, Mehta, & Forbus, 2011, p. 142). This study investigates differences in working while in college, levels of involvement, and academic performance between students who live on campus and students who commute to campus. Literature Review Working in College and Academic Performance 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; p. 1). Perna (2010) indicates that the trends in employment for full-time employed college students between the ages 16-24 increased from approximately 34% in 1970 to 49% in 2005, while the trend for part-time employed college students ages 16-24 has indicated a marginal increase of 3% from 1970 to 2005. However, research examining differences between residential and commuter students and working in college is scant. Newbold, Mehta, and Forbus (2011) examined demographic differences between 108 commuter students and 345 residential students at a mid-sized Southwestern state university in order to determine student attitudes, opinions, and reasons for being in a university, their level of involvement and participation in various studies, attitudes toward work, social life and relationships, time management strategies, attitudes toward stress and how they cope with it. 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). The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment at Bridgewater State College (2009) using the 2008 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) conducted a survey with 190 commuter students and 190 residential students at a public, mid-sized, liberal arts college in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. …