Marginality of Transfer Commuter Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the construct of marginality in transfer commuter students, and (2) to discover possible demographic (e.g., race, gender) and situational (e.g., on-campus support, employment) characteristics that might contribute to this sense of marginality. In the first analysis, no significant differences were found between transfer and native commuter students on marginality. However, results showed that these students have few sources of on-campus support, and that this lack of support contributed to feelings of marginality. Also, women and Asian American participants experienced higher levels of marginality. Finally, different variables were contributors to marginality for transfer students as compared with an overall sample of commuter students.