The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 38, No. 2 & Volume 39, No. 1 - 68

Jörg Vianden • Jeff T. Ruder

Data Analysis
The researchers analyzed survey data inductively (Merriam, 2002), first reading and re-reading all surveys to establish low-level codes and then combining codes into larger categories. The authors then created a spreadsheet to track the demographic information and all verbatim responses. This allowed them to look for similar or identical expressions or phrases. The final step in data analysis was to combine the data categories into general themes. Three overarching themes that emerged from the data categories will be discussed in the results below.

Participants
Most participants were mothers (77%). Twothirds of parents were between 41 and 50 years of age at the time of the study. The majority of parents had other children in college (56%), and most parents (82%) had attended college themselves. Unsurprisingly for a state flagship institution, the majority of parents hailed from the university’s home state (55%), followed by other Midwestern states (22%) and by East Coast states (9%).

left for college. Nearly three-fourths of participants cited missing the student, experiencing the feelings associated with an empty nest, and feeling separated from the student as reasons to expect a challenging transition. One mother stated that “the thought of [my daughter] being on her own and not being able to see her daily is extremely difficult for me.” Another parent reported that her daughter “has been everything to us for 18 years and now we won’t see her every day.” A father expressed sadness about the fact that his “best friend was moving away.” Another parent indicated that she would miss “[her] student terribly and [won’t feel] like she is still within our protective bubble.” The theme of separation characterized the largest category of responses that emerged from the question about how parents perceived their student’s potential difficulties in transitioning to college. More than a third of parents felt that missing family members and friends, distance from home, or homesickness would be a challenge for the student. For instance, a mother stated how her daughter would “miss [her] boyfriend and family; [she is] leaving behind what is familiar to her.” Although participants noted that socioemotional concerns served mostly as challenges in the process of transition, parents also thought that student sociability and familiarity with the campus would ease transitions for students. More than one third of participants expected that their student would find the transition to college easy because he or she was outgoing, liked meeting new people, or made friends easily. Further, participants indicated that having familiarity with the campus, having siblings on campus or relatives in the area, or having parents who were alumni would facili-

FINDINGS
Three themes emerged from the data: (1) socio-emotional transition issues, (2) academic transition issues, and (3) parent support and student responsibility issues. As we report on the overarching themes, we highlight salient data categories within each subsection.

Socio-Emotional Transition Issues
Socio-emotional issues of transition emerged from the data as the largest and most consistent theme. Parents perceived the interpersonal situations of both their students and themselves to change drastically as students
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THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 38, No. 2 & Volume 39, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 38, No. 2 & Volume 39, No. 1