The freshmen adjustment process: commuter life versus residence life

Thesis (M.A., Education (Higher Education Leadership)) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2010.The review of literature for this study explores the differences in the adjustment process of freshmen who commute to college in contrast to freshmen who live in on campus housing while attending college. The literature that was reviewed for this study consists of how living environments impact a college freshman???s adjustment process as well as other factors that impact a freshman???s adjustment process. In the review of the literature several key themes were addressed such as transition, involvement, sense of belonging, and social adjustment. \ud Statement of Problem\ud This thesis is a quantitative study exploring the differences in the adjustment process of freshmen college students who commute in contrast to the adjustment process of college freshmen who live in the residence halls at a small, private university. This study explores the effects of adjustment and living environments on retention. This study was completed at Jones University located in the Sacramento Valley of California. The study consisted of two surveys which were distributed at Jones University to freshmen. \ud Sources of Data\ud The literature which was reviewed for this study looks at major factors affecting the adjustment process for college freshmen. Those factors consist of transition, involvement, social adjustment, sense of belonging, and living environments. The literature review also explores how these factors mentioned above affect not only college freshmen as a whole, but also college freshmen who commute to campus and college freshmen who live in the residence halls. \ud Conclusions Reached\ud This study concluded that the factors that affect the freshman adjustment process which were researched in the literature such as transition, involvement, social adjustment, sense of belonging and living environments all play a large role in the adjustment of both commuter students and residential students. Differences were seen in their overall involvement in campus activities as well as how often commuter students and residential students interacted with faculty. The conclusion was also drawn that there was not a significant difference in the overall adjustment of the freshmen who commuted to campus at Jones University and the freshman who lived in on- campus housing.Education (Higher Education Leadership