THE

STUDENT EXPERIENCE OF LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITIES

James Maguire, Nicole PonDcorvo and Tricia Torley

Research QuesDons

What is the experience for students living in living-learning communiDes (LLCs) during their rst years? In what ways do experiences vary? What aspects of the experiences are posiDve or negaDve?

Literature Review

Together, academic and student aairs can address the WHOLE STUDENT through LLCs. (Schein, 2005) LLCs promote engagement and peers forming their own academic/social support networks. (Tinto, 2000) LLCs integrate the in and out-of-class experience leading to be\er student outcomes & aid the transiDon to college. (Inkelas et al., 2006) Development of relaDonships with peers and professors is vital to posiDve rst year experience. (LaVine, 2006) When LLCs are voluntary, students posiDve expectaDons can yield successful outcomes. (Wawrzynski, 2010) Academic engagement is high for LLC students (Pasque & Murphy, 2005) In and out-class experiences are mutually impaccul. (Lichtenstein, 2005) LLC aliaDon may decrease prevalence of high-risk drinking behaviors. (Brower, 2008)

ParDcipants & Procedure

Pilot Tes,ng

Proposed Tes,ng

Interviewed three parDcipants

Interview 6-8 parDcipants

All idenDed as current undergraduates All a\ended large, public university All parDcipated in living-learning communiDes (LLC) during rst year

Possibly limited to sophomores All a\end same large, public university Half remain in LLCs, Half depart

Interview procedure

Interview procedure

20 minute interview with approximately 20 quesDons asked Interviews were not recorded No opportunity for later follow-up

3 60-90 minute interviews with increase in quesDons Interviews will be recorded for easier access to informaDon

Findings

Self-selected vs. Assigned

Choice made a dierence in overall saDsfacDon Two of the three parDcipants were assigned to their LLCs and had less saDsfacDon than the parDcipant who chose the LLC environment Only one parDcipant chose to live in another LLC during his sophomore year

Interest-Driven CommuniDes

Two students had themed LLCs

Honors Music

Living on a themed oor helped the parDcipants to meet people of a similar mindset and with similar interests

Programs & Involvement

The parDcipant with the most posiDve experience had the most LLC-related program requirements Many LLCs require some sort of community service as a component of the experience Programs in themed LLCs could easily cater to students interests

Academics

[I] did be\er when I knew I was living with people I knew were as commi\ed to academics as I was. The parDcipants agreed that a supporDve peer environment would posiDvely impact their academics

TransiDon to College
Two of the three parDcipants felt the LLC aided their transiDon to college It was comforDng knowing we went through this together.

Peer InteracDon and Inuence

QuesDons about social interacDons and behaviors were asked to gain an understanding of the living aspect of the LLC Each student talked about the culture of their LLC as having an inuence (posiDve or negaDve) on their experience

Revisions

Issues with diering deniDons of LLC

Change to single insDtuDon with grounded mission and

deniDon of LLCs

Change wording to remove assumpDons

How did? vs. Did it?

Possible LGBT study

Had no way to conduct LGBT-specic study during pilot

tesDng Limited research about the experience of LGBT students experiences in living-learning communiDes

ImplicaDons for PracDce

LLCs have the potenDal to create small residenDal communiDes within larger insDtuDons More qualitaDve research is necessary to be\er understand the varied LLC experiences. Also, assessment is vital: What is the real impact of LLCs on the student experience?

References
References Brower, A. M. (2008). More like a home than a hotel: The impact of living-learning programs on college high-risk drinking. Journal of College & University Student Housing, 35(1), 32-49. Esterberg, K. G. (2002). Qualita@ve methods in social research. Boster, MA: McGraw-Hill. Harper, Shaun R. & Nichols, Andrew H. (2008). Are they not all the same? Racial heterogeneity among black male undergraduates. Journal of College Student Development, 49, 199-214. Inkelas, K., Zeller, W. J., Murphy, R. K., & Hummel, M. L. (2006). Learning moves home. About Campus, 10(6), 10-16. LaVine, M., & Mitchell, S. (2006). A physical educaDon learning community: Development and rst-year assessment. Physical Educator, 63(2), 58-68. Lichtenstein, M. (2005). The importance of classroom environments in the assessment of learning community outcomes. Journal of College Student Development 46(4), 341-356. Retrieved October 29, 2011, from Project MUSE database. Pasque, P. A. & Murphy, R. (2005). The intersecDons of living-learning programs and social idenDty as factors of academic achievement and intellectual engagement. Journal of College Student Development 46(4), 429-441. Schein, H. K. (2005). The zen of unit one: ResidenDal learning communiDes can foster liberal learning at large universiDes. New Direc@ons for Teaching & Learning, (103), 73-88. Tinto, V. (2000). What have we learned about the impact of learning communiDes on students?. Assessment Update, 12(2), 1-2,12. Wawrzynski, M. R., & Jessup-Anger, J. (2010). From expectaDons to experiences: Using a structural typology to understand rst-year student outcomes in academically based living-learning communiDes. Journal of College Student Development, 51(2), 201-217.