Evaluation of a Baccalaureate Social Work Learning Community

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Yoon Mi Kim ◽  
Sharon C. Lyter
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
College Experiences ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Community Model ◽  
The Impact

First- year learning communities are a trend in higher education, with groups of first-year baccalaureate students taking two or more first- semester courses together and spending time in various activities with faculty and fellow students. This cohort model emphasizes the value of a sense of community and fosters a supportive social and academic environment. Although the positive impact of first- year learning communities has been well documented, less is known about the impact of learning communities on academic outcomes and the implications for BSW education. This quantitative study including open- ended questions extends an understanding of how college experiences and educational achievement differ by participation in a social work learning community. Results indicated that participation in a social work learning community was significantly related to higher GPAs. The preliminary findings of this study add to the overall knowledge of a learning community model applicable to baccalaureate social work freshmen.

scholarly journals Impact of first-year seminar on student engagement, awareness, and general attitudes toward higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bothaina A. Al-Sheeb ◽  
Mahmoud Samir Abdulwahed ◽  
Abdel Magid Hamouda
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
College Of Law ◽  
First Year Seminars ◽  
Campus Resources ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Year Seminar

Purpose This study intends to add to the existing body of literature on the impact of a newly implemented first year seminar in the College of Law and Business. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects the course have on students in regard to three aspects: student awareness and utilization of resources, interaction patterns, as well as, general interests and attitudes toward higher education. Design/methodology/approach The methodology of the assessment included analysis of a survey that has been conducted by the end of Spring 2014 semester. A quasi-experimental design was implemented to measure the impact of the intervention on students’ awareness and utilization of resources, interactions, general interests, and attitudes toward higher education. Through the SPSS application, the Mann Whitney U Test, and χ2 tests were used to check for significant differences while comparing the means or frequencies for both groups. For the three questions, the authors have used the 90 percent confidence level and the standard significance level p-value of 0.05 or less for statistical analysis. Findings The results indicated that the course had a highly significant positive impact on student attitudes and awareness of campus resources but had less significant impact on student interactions and utilization of resources. The results in this study reveal a positive impact for the first-year seminar course on student satisfaction and attitudes toward higher education as well as their awareness of campus resources. However, in terms of the course impact on student interaction, results conveyed that students who have participated in the first-year seminar course show a slightly better interaction rate with instructors, academic advisors, and close friends than those in the control group. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this study was that the sample was small. Nonetheless, it has provided valuable insights into the understanding of the social and academic impact of first-year seminars on student engagement; through the use of comparison groups, this study increased the validity of prior research. Practical implications The first-year seminar course evaluated in this study demonstrated the potential to support and enhance student social and academic engagement during the first year of college. Based on the results in this study, the study team recommended some revisions to the current first-year seminar model (UNIV P100 Skills for University Success). The team proposed three models for subsequent first-year seminars at this university. Originality/value This study adds to the existing literature by examining the impact of a newly implemented first-year seminar course at the College of Law and Business at this university on both academic and non-academic aspects from the students’ perspective. These aspects were selected as retention and GPA effects have been widely explored; therefore, the focus is on the less studied emotional and social factors associated with student success and retention. The results from this study can act as a guide for universities intending to introduce a first-year seminar course as it gives clear guidelines on design, content, and course implementation, which can be useful in enhancing general student motivation and attitudes toward academic study and higher education in general.

scholarly journals A social-belonging intervention improves STEM outcomes for students who speak English as a second language

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (40) ◽  
pp. eabb6543
Author(s):  
Jennifer LaCosse ◽  
Elizabeth A. Canning ◽  
Nicholas A. Bowman ◽  
Mary C. Murphy ◽  
Christine Logel
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
First Year ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Social Belonging ◽  
Students First ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Postsecondary Science ◽  
The Impact

Students who speak English as a second language (ESL) are underserved and underrepresented in postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. To date, most existing research with ESL students in higher education is qualitative. Drawing from this important body of work, we investigate the impact of a social-belonging intervention on anticipated changes in belonging, STEM GPA, and proportion of STEM credits obtained in students’ first semester and first year of college. Using data from more than 12,000 STEM-interested students at 19 universities, results revealed that the intervention increased ESL students’ anticipated sense of belonging and three of the four academic outcomes. Moreover, anticipated changes in belonging mediated the intervention’s effects on these academic outcomes. Robustness checks revealed that ESL effects persisted even when controlling for other identities correlated with ESL status. Overall, results suggest that anticipated belonging is an understudied barrier to creating a multilingual and diverse STEM workforce.

Effects of career‐related continuous learning: a case study

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Rowold ◽  
Sabine Hochholdinger ◽  
Jan Schilling
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Learning Climate ◽  
First Year ◽  
Continuous Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
The Impact

PurposeAlthough proposed from theory, the assumption that career‐related continuous learning (CRCL) has a positive impact on subsequent job performance has not been tested empirically. The present study aims to close this gap in the literature. A model is derived from theory that predicts a positive impact of CRCL, learning climate, and initial job performance on consequent job performance. In addition, CRCL is hypothesized to mediate the impact of learning climate on final job performance.Design/methodology/approachImplementing a longitudinal approach, this model was tested empirically in a call center context. Within the first year of their respective career, multiple source data were gathered from employees about their formal CRCL activities, their initial performance, as well as their perception about learning climate.FindingsResults indicated that CRCL predicted final job performance and mediated the impact of learning climate on final job performance. A total of 28 percent of final job performance was explained by the proposed model, highlighting the importance of CRCL for organizational contexts.Practical implicationsThe results of this study support the notion that CRCL programs are highly useful for both employees and organizations.Originality/valueFor the first time, the impact of CRCL on job performance is demonstrated empirically.

scholarly journals The First Year Acculturation: A Longitudinal Study on Acculturative Stress and Adjustment among the First Year International College Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Koo ◽  
Ian Baker ◽  
Jiyoon Yoon
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
International Students ◽  
Acculturative Stress ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
College Experiences ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Semester ◽  
International College

We analyzed 192 first year international college students in Mid-Atlantic region to examine change of international students’ acculturative stress, adjustment, and collegiate experiences during their first year in the U.S. higher education. We found that male students, students from low socio-economic status, and students majored in humanity showed higher rate of acculturative stress and lower rate of satisfaction with college experiences compared to their counterparts. International students reported decreased acculturative stress and homesick, and increased English proficiency, social connectedness, and satisfaction with college experiences during the last week of the first year compared to the first week of their first semester. Satisfaction with college experiences, English proficiency, social connectedness, and self-esteem were significant predictors of acculturative stress. Lastly, acculturative stress in the first week of the first year and satisfaction with college experience in the last week of the first year were on each other reciprocally over one year internal.

scholarly journals Integrating learning community principles and strategies for enhancing academic and social agency partnerships in social work education

10.18060/185 ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Johansen ◽  
Philip M. Ouellette
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Field Instructors ◽  
Training Systems ◽  
History Of ◽  
Internship Programs ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Considerable Concern

Social work education has a long history of placing emphasis on experiential learning through required field experiences. There is, however, considerable concern regarding the fragmentation in social- work education programs between what is taught in the classroom versus what is taught in internship programs by field instructors. New ways to conceptualize and enhance the coordination gap between academia and field agencies are needed. This article provides an overviw of the concept of a learning community, its relevancy to social work education, and provides examples of learning community strategies that have the potential of enhancing better linkages between faculty and field instructors. Specific suggestions for the development of learning communities are included. Learning community principles and its accompanying strategies may be one way to better conceptualize and bridge the coordination gap that is frequently confronted by the conflicting realities of dual training systems in social work education.

scholarly journals Substantiation of the Impact of Fitball Gymnastics and Fitness Yoga Activities on the Health Level of University Students

2020 ◽  
pp. 206-213
Author(s):  
E.K. Gilfanova ◽  
T.B. Gorbatenko ◽  
O.Yu. Sharova
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
Recreational Facilities ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Health Level ◽  
Pedagogical Research ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

The article considers the possibility of using non-traditional recreational facilities in the educational process with university students. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of the developed methodology for fitball gymnastics and fitness yoga on the health level of students. To achieve the goal, the following tasks were set: theoretically substantiate the proposed methodology of classes; identify and conduct a comparative analysis of adaptive potential according to the method of R.M. Baevsky and the level of the functional state of first-year students during an experimental study. Scientific novelty lies in the expansion of theoretical and practical approaches to physical education at the university. The positive impact of the proposed teaching methods on the level of functional readiness of first-year students is substantiated and experimentally proved. To improve the methodology, a set of methods was used: analysis of scientific and methodological literature, the method of pedagogical research, pedagogical experiment, methods of mathematical statistics.

scholarly journals “This Brings you to Life” The Impact of Friendship on Health and Well-being in Old Age: the Case of La Verneda Learning Community

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Susana León-Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Social ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Friendship has been studied along centuries, since ancient times to present-day, as the basis of the social cornerstone, present at all stages of the lifespan and belonging to the world of truthful sentiments. Benefits of friendship on health have been demonstrated. Less is known about the role of friendship on seniors. The aim of this case study has been to show how the end friendship developed in an adults’ school operating for more than 40 years in Barcelona is having a positive impact on the well-being and health of their participants. Through the communicative discussion group, we have deepened in the trajectories of some of the school participants. The results show how participation in the school and the dialogic gatherings have contributed to the emergence of a non-instrumental friendship feeling and to consider an impact on the perceived general wellness and health and an improvement of their life quality. It is discussed how this research provides more elements to the existing literature. More research on how other communitarian environments have similar effects on this population, or on the impact of these dialogical spaces in the development of end friendships in other stages of the life cycle would be of interest.

scholarly journals The emergence of an online learning community in first year tertiary studies in psychology

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale Holt ◽  
Mary Rice ◽  
Christine Armatas
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
First Year ◽  
Older Students ◽  
Online Learning Community ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
And Function ◽  
Discussion Postings

The introduction of an online supported, resource based learning environment into a large, multi-modal first year psychology unit led to the spontaneous development of a small, but active, learning community. While off campus students were more active online contributors, many other students “observed” these interactions, not actively contributing but finding the discussion postings valuable to their learning. Overall, use and perceived value of the online communication facilities were related to how confident students were that they had an appropriate study strategy, with off campus and older students reporting greater confidence in their study approach. The results highlight that the nature and function of learning communities for large, multi-modal foundation units are quite different to those typically articulated in the literature and are worth further investigation.

Elements of a Successful Professional Learning Community for Music Teachers Using Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura K. Sindberg
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Collective Case Study ◽  
Comprehensive Musicianship ◽  
Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance ◽  
And Shifts ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which a professional learning community (PLC) of music teachers sustained growth as they sought to incorporate Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance (CMP) in their teaching practices. Seven music teachers from a suburban school district in the upper Midwest participated in a PLC as they incorporated CMP into their bands, choirs, and orchestras over a 2-year period of data collection. Findings of this collective case study describe the process of implementing CMP, reinforce the importance of a collaborative culture, and consider the impact of emotional aspects related to teacher change and shifts in teacher knowledge as a result of participating in this learning community. Particular challenges included implementing CMP amid performance expectations of technical proficiency and shifting emphasis from solely performance to performance and understanding. While findings suggest that incorporating CMP can have a positive impact in school ensembles, moving away from established performance routines and expectations can be daunting for veteran as well as novice teachers.

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