The college experience of commuter students and the concepts of place and space

The demographics of the college student population, the dearth of research on commuter students, and the pervasive negative stereotypes of commuters indicate that an appreciation of the commuter student experience is important for the future of higher education (Dugan et al., 2008; Jacoby, 1989; Krause, 2007). The Digest of Education Statistics 2011 reports that in academic years 2003-04 and 2007-08 85.8% of all students enrolled at postsecondary institutions did not live in on-campus housing (Snyder & Dillow, 2012). Despite their status as the numerical majority, commuter students are still considered nontraditional (Orgren, 2003). Due to the variations in commuter student populations, it is important for each institution to study its commuters, and to use that information to guide policy and programs, instead of basing decisions on data collected nationwide or at a particular institution (Dugan et al., 2008; Jacoby, 1989). As the vast majority of State College undergraduate students commute (Office of Institutional Research and Planning, 2012), it is necessary to have an understanding of the phenomenon of commuting. To gain this understanding, the theoretical frames of critical theory, campus ecology, and phenomenology were used to guide the exploration of two research questions: 1. How do commuter students make meaning of their college experience? 2. How do commuter students describe the role of campus space and place in their college experience? For this study I interviewed ten participants, asked them to collect photos that represented their college lives, interviewed them about their photos (participant-driven photo elicitation), and conducted gallery walk focus groups in which the participants’ photos were displayed and they had an opportunity to discuss the themes present in the photos. Through general inductive thematic analysis, as well as the trustworthiness measures of member checking, peer debriefing, and triangulation, three overarching themes emerged: commuter students and dorm people, “How difficult it is for commuters” (Victoria), but we’re used to it, and finding a “second home” (Lindsay). These themes, along with a review of the findings through the lenses of the theoretical frameworks, were used to develop recommendations for both practice and research related to commuter students. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my Major Professor, Annemarie Vaccaro, for all of her encouragement, feedback, and guidance throughout the dissertation process. She helped me to see that my original idea of looking at event security practices at three different institutions would be a bit overwhelming for a dissertation (three IRB approval processes – yikes! ) and could be a more appropriate project for future research. As she and many others in the PhD program remarked, the dissertation is not your life’s work; it is the beginning of your research career. Annemarie gave me the autonomy to take ownership of my research and encouraged me to follow my own path and to trust my instincts. She said numerous times during the process, “you are on the right track! ” The members of my dissertation committee have been very helpful as well. Thanks to Julie for her expertise in Photovoice and visual research methodology. Thanks to Sue for her investment in student success and her ability to look at systems from a different perspective in order to effectively challenge and support students. Thanks to Pete for his encouragement of my efforts to sit with students in their cars to understand this specific aspect of commuter culture. It is from this pilot study that the idea for the dissertation research emerged. And thanks to Rebecca for agreeing to figure out how to sign the electronic signature forms (no easy feat! ) and join us as the outside committee member. I could not have done this study without my wonderful participants who were willing to share a piece of themselves, reflect on their experiences, and take the time to capture their college lives in photos. In addition to informing this research and shedding light on the commuter student experience, they helped me to reflect on my