Academic engagement amongst commuter students: a comparative analysis.
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| Title: | Academic engagement amongst commuter students: a comparative analysis. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Turner, Rebecca1 (AUTHOR) rebecca.turner@plymouth.ac.uk, Webb, Oliver1 (AUTHOR) oliver.webb@plymouth.ac.uk, Pritchard, Christie1 (AUTHOR) christie.pritchard@plymouth.ac.uk |
| Source: | Higher Education (00181560). Sep2025, Vol. 90 Issue 3, p761-775. 15p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Student engagement, *Academic support programs, *Higher education, *Online education, *First year experience programs, Commuters |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom |
| Abstract: | As the profile of students entering higher education (HE) has diversified, so too has their residential status. Where students live partly reflects the agenda for widening access but is also a response to rising costs associated with university participation. In the UK, more students are commuting, despite associated challenges and reports of lower academic outcomes. We used survey data (N > 500) to compare engagement between first years who either relocated to attended university or commuted. Overall, commuter students appeared more engaged, demonstrating positive study behaviours and readiness to work alongside course mates. Results indicated that online learning facilitates continuity and engagement when away from campus. According to sub-analyses, time-on-campus had little association with engagement amongst commuter students. Conversely, for relocated peers, less time-on-campus was associated with lower engagement. Commuter students appear to be highly engaged, challenging some traditional perceptions. We draw on the concept of mattering to interpret these data. We conclude that HE providers should review support structures and policies affecting commuter students to clearly signal that they are valued. Consequently, the positive first-year engagement behaviours reported here might be sustained throughout time at university, optimising commuters' chances of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Higher Education (00181560) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 188452297 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=188452297 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s10734-024-01349-0 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 15 StartPage: 761 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Student engagement Type: general – SubjectFull: Academic support programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Higher education Type: general – SubjectFull: Online education Type: general – SubjectFull: First year experience programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Commuters Type: general – SubjectFull: United Kingdom Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Academic engagement amongst commuter students: a comparative analysis. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Turner, Rebecca – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Webb, Oliver – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Pritchard, Christie IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 09 Text: Sep2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00181560 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 90 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: Higher Education (00181560) Type: main |
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