One source I found was International Perspectives on the First-Year Experience in Higher Education, although I do not think first years should be my primary focus, they are the first initiative to understanding the allure of living on campus and becoming a part of a personalized world of their own. This source is a book and I requested to pick it up today. This is the citation for this text:
Nutt, Diane, et al. International Perspectives on the First-Year Experience in Higher Education. Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, University of South Carolina, 2009. Print. First-Year Experience Monograph Series ; no. 52 .
Another book source I encountered was The Naked Roommate: and 107 other issues you might run into in college by Harlan Cohen which could introduce me to new problems I might want discover or counter argue regarding college dorming. This is the citation for this text:
Cohen, Harlan. The Naked Roommate : And 107 Other Issues You might Run into in College. Naperville, Ill: Sourcebooks, 2005. Print.
This article, "Who Benefits from Living on Campus?", specified who specifically could benefit from college dorming by outlining the different groups, genders and personalities of students and their different experiences.
Turley, Ruth N. López, and Geoffrey Wodtke. "College Residence And Academic Performance: Who Benefits From Living On Campus?."Urban Education 45.4 (2010): 506-532. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
The excerpt from Moffat's book that we read in class would be important for my research paper because he analyzes the lifestyles of college students. Although he finds that dormitories are distraction centrals and hold no true value or benefit to academics I think his insight was very crucial because he was hidden from the students as an anthropologist. With a secret identity, his point of views are very beneficial to consider because of his expertise and in depth observations. This is the citation for his text:
Moffatt, Michael. Coming of Age in New Jersey : College and American Culture. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1989. Print
The next article I found had a lot of information regarding living environment and adjustment to college. The study also looked at gender in relation to the experiences at college. I could focus my paper on how males and females react differently to college. Here is the citation:
Enochs, Wendy K., and Catherine B. Roland. "Social Adjustment Of College Freshmen: The Importance Of Gender And Living Environment." College Student Journal 40.1 (2006): 63-73. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
Lastly, my research paper on College Dorms could take a completely different approach by looking at the upscale architecture and luxurious additions of campus living and how privatization is directly connected to these changes. Even the BEST dorms in Rutgers are a prime example of how technology and modern innovations have expanded the living options of college students. The citation is here for the scholarly article:
Archibald, Robert B., and David H. Feldman. "Are Plush Dorms And Fancy Food Plans Important Drivers Of College Cost?." Change 43.1 (2011): 31-37. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
In a completely different approach I would like to consider social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter. In connection to the Rutgers trial with Tyler Clementi and my recent lent decision to delete my Facebook I think these cites have a detrimental effect on students, how they communicate with others and their emotional and psychological behaviors. Some how I believe I could tie this to dorming or to college in general, how it has become an outlet for bullying and stress, and how cheating has even been derived from it. This article shows how men have a greater risk because they display their phone numbers more often and either way their computer behaviors can be connected to real life. This is a study and article:
Fogel Joshua; Nehmad, Elham. "Internet Social Network Communities: Risk Taking, Trust, And Privacy Concerns." Computers In Human Behavior 25.1 (n.d.): 153-160. Thomson Scientific: ISI Web of Knowledge--Web of Science. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
My tentative research question: What are the effects of living on campus? Is it ultimately better than commuting and who truly benefits?
This is really promising. You should not be disturbed if you end up changing your mind about living on campus -- and you definitely want to give a balanced picture. For some students, obviously, living on campus can be a very positive thing. I was recently reading the following article which suggests that for non-traditional students, having your "posse" around you can help:
ReplyDeletehttp://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/beyond-sats-finding-success-in-numbers/
That is also part of the logic of the Bunting Dorm on Douglass, which was set up for non-traditional female students to have a supportive environment. You might consider the Bunting Dorm as an interesting case, and interview people related to it. Similarly, honors housing and the Best Dorm are well set up to support students success in academics. Ultimately you want a balanced picture.
Definitely look at Moffatt and Nathan too. I can loan you those if you cannot get them from the library.