Local Students at University: Narrative Descriptions of Lived Experiences

Lisa Johnson,Nila Wiese

doi:10.5204/ssj.2000

Abstract

‘Local students’ attend college or university in the same city where they attended high school. Local students’ self-narratives suggest that their ‘identity or sense of self’ and ‘sense of belonging or connection with others’ may hinder their academic success. This study gathered data from focus groups and surveys of local and non-local students of a private, national liberal arts college concerning their lived experiences as local students at university. This data describes local students’ self-narratives about ‘identity or sense of self’ and ‘sense of belonging or connection with others.’ The beliefs and experiences reflected by these self-narratives may suggest unique challenges that affect local students’ university outcomes. With awareness of these experiences and beliefs, institutions of higher education could tailor programs to benefit local students to improve their sense of well-being, which may improve retention and academic success.

Highlights

Students who enroll in institutions of higher education near to their high schools, or near to their homes where they lived during their senior year of high school, experience poorer outcomes in postsecondary educational pursuits as compared to their peers who enroll in schools at greater distances (González Canché, 2018; Klasik et al, 2018)
The criteria for local student subjects were that, at the time of the study, they must be at least 18 years of age; be local students at the college; and, must be either currently enrolled at the college, or previously enrolled at the college during the last four years, but had left prior to graduating
The divergent views held by local students and by non-local students led to local students’ conflicting identities: People from [the city] do not have the best reputation within the student community and vice versa

Summary

Introduction

Students who enroll in institutions of higher education near to their high schools, or near to their homes where they lived during their senior year of high school, experience poorer outcomes in postsecondary educational pursuits as compared to their peers who enroll in schools at greater distances (González Canché, 2018; Klasik et al, 2018). The fact that students are local is not likely the only or the determinative factor that may affect their success at university. Local students may belong to other populations that experience unique challenges to their engagement with and persistence in programs of higher education. Underrepresented populations, first-generation students, and other social or economic classes have been extensively studied in educational settings, and those studies reflect wide-ranging focuses (e.g., Baker et al, 2018; Bastedo & Jaquette, 2011; Engberg, 2012; Hoxby & Avery, 2012; Klasik et al, 2018; Posselt et al, 2012)

Methods

Results

Conclusion