Identity-Conscious Strategies to Engage At-Promise Students in a Learning Community: Shared Courses in a Comprehensive College Transition Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 123 (8) ◽  
pp. 146-175
Author(s):  
K. C. Culver ◽  
Elise Swanson ◽  
Ronald E. Hallett ◽  
Adrianna Kezar
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
College Transition ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
First Year ◽  
Institutional Agents ◽  
Inclusive Learning ◽  
Academic Courses ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Comprehensive College

Background/Context: Low-income, racially minoritized, and first-generation college students (at-promise students) attending predominantly White, middle class institutions often face inequitable access to enriching educational opportunities, discrimination, and marginalization, creating barriers to their success. Institutions are increasingly designing comprehensive college transition programs (CCTPs) such as the Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC) program to better support this population. Little research has examined how particular elements of CCTPs might foster students’ engagement and outcomes, and TSLC is one of a few existing CCTPs that includes a learning community component where students enroll in shared academic courses. Setting: TSLC operates on three campuses of the University of Nebraska system with different institutional contexts, including mission, size, student population, and geographic location. Study Participants: This study uses quantitative data from 791 first-year students in TSLC who began college in 2015 and 2016 and qualitative data from students and institutional agents who are directly involved with shared academic courses, including instructors and TSLC staff. Purpose: Using a framework of inclusive learning communities defined by Fink and Hummel (2015) , this study explores how and why shared courses may promote engagement and the development of several psychosocial and academic outcomes, including sense of belonging and grade point average (GPA), among at-promise students in their first year of college. Research Design: We use a multilevel mixed methods design, employing quantitative data to examine students’ engagement as well as the link between students’ engagement and several measures of psychosocial wellbeing and academic achievement and qualitative data from students and institutional agents to identify the structures and practices that likely contribute to students’ engagement and outcomes. Findings: We find no significant differences in students’ patterns of engagement in shared courses based on several characteristics related to their social identities, family backgrounds, and prior academic achievement. Engagement is positively linked to students’ sense of belonging and mattering to the institution, academic and social self-efficacy, and first-year GPA. Qualitative data provide insight into the mechanisms that foster these outcomes, including helping students develop connections in academic spaces, having a faculty coordinator who supports shared course instructors and students, and instructors’ use of active and relevant learning experiences. Conclusions: The loose-cohort shared courses model implemented in TSLC supports the success of at-promise students and provides evidence of scalability and adaptability across different institutional contexts, offering a model of inclusive learning community structures and practices that can inform efforts at other institutions.

Sense of Belonging and Mattering Among Two Cohorts of First-Year Students Participating in a Comprehensive College Transition Program

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darnell Cole ◽  
Christopher B. Newman ◽  
Liane I. Hypolite
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
College Transition ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Public College ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
Comprehensive College

For first-year students who carry traditionally marginalized identities, comprehensive college transition programs (CCTPs) can offer key wraparound services to help address some of the major academic, social, and financial barriers they may encounter. This article looks at one such CCTP implemented at three public college campuses serving a range of students, including those from low-income, first-generation, and racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. More specifically, this study uses regression analyses to look at two cohorts of first-year students’ experiences related to sense of belonging and mattering to their CCTP. The findings suggest that when considering students’ experiences in the CCTP, staff care and support and perceptions of grade check meetings were experiences that were significantly related to both sense of belonging and mattering.

scholarly journals How the Implementation of a First-Year Experience Program Could Improve Student Satisfaction and Sense of Belonging at an Urban Mid-Sized College

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Wilkin
Keyword(s):  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
College Experience ◽  
College Experiences ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
The Creation

This study gathered information from first-, second-, and third-year on-campus students to better understand their perceptions of their college experiences and how the creation of a first-year experience program could improve student satisfaction and sense of belonging at an urban mid-sized college. The qualitative data in this study revealed the importance of utilizing students’ perceptions to improve the college experience.

Concluding Thoughts

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 370-373
Author(s):  
Adrianna Kezar ◽  
Joseph A. Kitchen
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Low Income ◽  
College Transition ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Transition Programs ◽  
Comprehensive College ◽  
Future Work

This issue has explored the efficacy of two comprehensive college transition programs: CSU STEM Collaboratives and the Thompson Scholars Learning Community. Both studies identify similar issues that merit further exploration and point to key findings that practitioners should consider to guide their future work with first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students.

scholarly journals Creating an Inclusive Learning Community to Better Serve Minority Students

2022 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Phoebe S. Lin ◽  
Lynne N. Kennette
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Online Classroom ◽  
Inclusive Learning

As campuses become increasingly diverse, it is important that faculties maintain inclusive classrooms. Students of underrepresented ethnic/racial groups are more likely to experience disengagement in an academic setting (Nagasawa & Wong, 1999), which can lead to underperformance (Major et al., 1998). Students with LGBTQA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or asexual) identities are at higher risk of poor mental health and lower academic performance compared to cisgender and heterosexual students (Aragon et al., 2014). These detrimental experiences can lead to even more harm in a remote learning environment, where students have fewer opportunities to feel a sense of belonging and connect with their peers and/or instructors. This paper will consider strategies of inclusiveness in the online classroom and in-person learning environment within a social psychology framework to better support underprivileged students to improve academic performance and the overall educational experience. The suggestions and discussions provided apply to both in-person learning as well as remote delivery.

scholarly journals Effect of a Place-Based Learning Community on Belonging, Persistence, and Equity Gaps for First-Year STEM Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 509-531
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Johnson ◽  
Amy E. Sprowles ◽  
Katlin R. Goldenberg ◽  
Steven T. Margell ◽  
Lisa Castellino
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Natural World ◽  
First Year ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Stem Students

AbstractWe combined tenets of learning communities and place-based learning to develop an innovative first-year program for STEM students. Using a quasi-experimental design, we found that participants in the place-based learning community had a stronger sense of belonging, improved academic performance, and increased first-year persistence relative to a matched reference group. We also showed that participation narrowed equity gaps in first-year outcomes for students underrepresented in the sciences. A sense of place arises not just from a location, but from interrelationships between people and the natural world, and these results suggest organizing learning around place can promote inclusive student success.

Analyzing trends in the aural decoding errors of Japanese EFL learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kriss Lange ◽  
Joshua Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
First Year ◽  
Formulaic Language ◽  
Decoding Skills ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Syntactic Knowledge ◽  
L2 Listening

Abstract Japanese EFL learners’ difficulty with accurately decoding connected English speech motivated this mixed methods study. The aural decoding capacities of 63 first-year Japanese university students, with low to intermediate level English proficiency, were first measured with a battery of paused transcription tests (PTT). The transcriptions were clusters of three-words that each possessed attributes typical of co-articulated speech. In addition, after each test, a subgroup of 10 participants individually listened to the same PTT and recounted introspective self-observations of their perceived difficulties with the aural decoding tasks in their L1. These quantitative and qualitative data were used to identify four trends in decoding errors which were categorized as follows: limited collocation familiarity, syntactic knowledge constraints, difficulties utilizing co-text, and L1 phonological influence. This study investigates some of the difficulties associated with aural decoding, highlights the challenges of identifying the origins of decoding errors and suggests that more focus is needed on developing decoding skills as well as knowledge of formulaic language in L2 listening education.

An exploration of the factors that contribute to learning satisfaction of first-year anatomy and physiology students

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saramarie Eagleton
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Community Support ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Effectiveness ◽  
Anatomy And Physiology ◽  
Learning Satisfaction ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Teaching Anatomy ◽  
Physiology Students

Lecturers have reverted to using a “blended” approach when teaching anatomy and physiology. Student responses as to how this contributes to their learning satisfaction were investigated using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of closed- and open-ended questions that were based on three determinants of learning satisfaction: perceived course learnability, learning community support, and perceived learning effectiveness. Regarding course learnability, students responded positively on questions regarding the relevance of the subject for their future careers. However, students identified a number of distractions that prevented them from paying full attention to their studies. As far as learning community support was concerned, respondents indicated that they were more comfortable asking a peer for support if they were unsure of concepts than approaching the lecturing staff. Most of the students study in their second language, and this was identified as a stumbling block for success. There was a difference in opinion among students regarding the use of technology for teaching and learning of anatomy and physiology. From students' perceptions regarding learning effectiveness, it became clear that students' expectations of anatomy and physiology were unrealistic; they did not expect the module to be so comprehensive. Many of the students were also “grade oriented” rather than “learning oriented” as they indicated that they were more concerned about results than “owning” the content of the module. Asking students to evaluate aspects of the teaching and learning process have provided valuable information to improve future offerings of anatomy and physiology.

The Experience of Occupational Disruption among Student Musicians

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 140-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon McCready ◽  
Denise Reid
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Major Occupation

Student musicians frequently need to take breaks from playing their instruments because of physical playing-related injuries, yet little is known about their experiences with these occupational disruptions. We conducted a qualitative study that explored student musicians' lived experiences with unplanned disruptions stemming from engagement in their major occupation of playing an instrument. In-depth interviews with seven student musicians who attended either a special arts high school or a university were conducted. Consistent with a grounded theory approach to qualitative research, the constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis was implemented. A major finding related to the theme of “being and becoming,” where student musicians expressed a strong sense of belonging to a group of other like musicians who they learned from, relied on for support, and created music with. Another theme was motivation to excel, where students expressed a strong desire and motivation to improve and master their instrument. Occupational tensions and pressures emerged as another theme. Students were aware of the need to practice and the need to care for their bodies. A constant negotiation was required in which students struggled to find a good balance between the need to practice and to respect their bodies while maintaining an identity of a musician. These findings are discussed in relation to how health care providers and educators need to understand the demands and stresses associated with playing an instrument so that they can better support these young musicians.

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