Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
12-2025
Document Type
Manuscript
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Tara Hornor
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Dean Campbell
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Andrew Lumpe
Abstract
The study explored the experiences and service needs of TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) commuter students at a public regional university in northern Louisiana. The literature review showed that while TRiO SSS programs have a demonstrated history of promoting academic success and retention for first-generation students, low-income students, and students with disabilities, little institutional research has been conducted to better understand how student residential status impacts learning outcomes and utilization of campus resources. Drawing on Astin’s theory of involvement, this study described the lived experiences of TRiO SSS commuter participants and the impact of commuting on their engagement, programmatic use, and academic success. Semistructured Zoom interviews were conducted with a sample of five TRiO SSS commuter students who attended the university. Open, axial, and color-coding techniques were used to identify themes in the participants’ shared experiences and narratives. The findings resulted in four primary themes: (a) commuting-related barriers to campus engagement; (b) limited access to and awareness of TRiO SSS services and supports; (c) time constraints and work/family–life balance; and (d) expressed need for flexible, commuter-centered programming. The participants identified time and transportation challenges, as well as a lack of connectedness with their peers and faculty, as barriers to their success. The TRiO SSS offerings, including individualized advising, tutoring, and mentoring, were described as vital to their persistence and success. The study showed that commuter students experience unique challenges to academic success and belonging that may be at odds with those of their noncommuting peers and should be considered by TRiO SSS programs and campus leaders when designing strategies and resources to increase their success and graduation rates. The data from the interviews provided recommendations for TRiO SSS programs to enhance program delivery to commuter students by vi developing robust communication and outreach strategies, expanding program hours, and creating hybrid/virtual options that better accommodate the unique schedules and time constraints of the commuter population. The study contributes to the current literature on commuter student engagement and offers recommendations for TRiO SSS programs to enhance support for the success, retention, and degree attainment of disadvantaged commuter students.
Keywords: TRiO, student support services, commuter students, student involvement, academic success, qualitative case study
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Batiste, Travis J. EdD, "Exploring Commuter TRIO Students' Student Support Services at a Public University" (2025). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 969.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/969