CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Students who commute regularly encounter much more challenges compared to

students who live nearby their schools. Compared to the standard time an ordinary student
spends in a day, commuting students need to consider to limit their time for them to still
be able to perform all their activities without being left out by their respective means of
transportation to get home. Stereotypically, commuting students take public transportations
like jeepneys and/or busses while in some cases, they are being sent by their parents or
guardians to their respective campuses with their own means of transportation such as
family cars. Also, another problem commuting students face is managing their finances
wherein they need to always consider the money to be paid in transportation and food.
Students who live farther from school may also experience lack of sleep due to the fact that
they still need to travel in order to attend their classes on time. There are also cases where
adjusting or conforming in the university’s environment serves as a problem. Since
commuting students live away from school, coping up in all aspects might have a negative
effect in the student’s performance.

In addition to the issue of commuting some students face, some also experience
unique circumstances that come with living off campus. When students are living in their
own homes, they are usually navigating two very different worlds every day—home and
school. One of the reasons why commuters choose to live at home is to save money.
Boarding houses can serve as an option to reduce the risk in travelling to get to school
every day.

Thus, this research is being conducted to help primarily the students who commute
on a regular basis, to identify the advantages and disadvantages of commuting and to
critically attest the struggles of students who are regular commuters.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Students who live at far municipalities in Sorsogon and travel to the city every day
to study experience greater stress than those students living near the school. First of all,
those students wake up early in the morning and prepare also for daily basis: usually, those
students wake up almost 4 o'clock in the morning. In addition, they only get less time to
sleep, especially when there are assignments and /or projects to make at home. Second,
road conditions should also be concerned if you are a commuter, you have to be aware of
your surroundings. Moreover, other factors also affect the students to commute. Such as
estimating time: how long does it take for him/her to prepare, specifically how long does
it take for him /her to eat, to take a bath, to wear school uniform and to prepare his/her
school materials, so that he/she can commute in the exact time for him/her to be able to go
to school.

Many people live in apartments close to campus and are therefore considered
commuters, but there are also many people, such as himself, that live at least a 30-minute
commute away from campus (Abby Assmus, 2015). This states that there are students who
chose to get boarding house/apartments/dormitories instead of commuting everyday for a
long period of time, in that way going to school at the right time won't be a problem
anymore. Those students who commutes probably doesn't want to be separated to their
home and to their families. According to Division of Student Affairs, a commuter student
is a student who generally does not live in a residential dorm and either drives, walks or
uses public transportation to get to school.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study targets to investigate the struggles of the students who commute on a
daily basis. Unlike residential students, commuting students may have competing
responsibilities outside the academic preference such as family and other important
matters. This study aims to meet the following objectives:

1. To know and understand the struggles of students who commute daily.

2. To examine how commuting students cope with their struggles.

3. To determine which options are most applicable in avoiding problems with regards
to commuting.
 SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

The research study about the struggles of students who are regular commuters
focused on primarily in the effect of commuting in their performance in school and other
matters. The students who serve as respondents are only 30 in number and are among the
Sorsogon State College's senior high school students. The respondents are valid commuters
living distant from the school. The conduct of data gathering show methods which are done
only to some or all of the 30 respondents. The respondents are informed first of the possible
consequences of participating in the study. The persons in charge to assist and give
clarifications to the respondents’ questions are only the researchers.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The results of the study would be of great benefit to the following:

Students. This study will provide information as to how the students should overcome the
struggles of being a regular commuter and what alternatives are recommended.

Teachers. The results of the study will provide information to the teachers on the effects of
being a regular commuter to a student’s performance and for them to understand how the
students cope up with commuting regularly.

Parents. This study will help parents in providing guidance and management to their
children when it comes to commuting on a regular basis.

Future Researchers. Data given will serve as a guide and reference for further research on
the struggles of students that are regular commuters.