The Difference a Cohort Makes: Understanding Developmental Learning Communities in Community Colleges

Abstract

Learning communities, a small cohort of students enrolled together in two or more linked courses, have become a popular intervention to help underprepared students succeed in college. Though learning communities abound in practice, the key structural feature of a learning community-the cohortmay not be fully understood. Authors posit that a cohort needs both a structural and communal component to function well. This study examines qualitative data from a pilot site and four community colleges that participated in a random assignment evaluation. Authors observed differences between learning community and non-learning community experiences in terms of classroom climate and academic support networks for students. Differences can be attributed to both the structural nature of the cohort as well as emergent social group dynamics. As such, the cohorts within learning communities appeared to act as mechanisms for increasing student interaction and interdependence. The authors anticipate that these gains in the student experience will enhance student retention.

Evaluation of a learning community program for developmental reading students at a two-year college.

“…These findings are largely consistent with prior studies on learning communities, where academic gains are less common than changes in classroom climates and social support networks (Cerna et al 2008;Wathington, Pretlow III, and Mitchell 2010). However, there is evidence that learning communities enhance cognitive learning strategies, such as critical thinking and problem solving, for learning community students (Stefeanou and Galisbury-Glennon 2002).…”

“…Regarding other outcomes at two-year postsecondary institutions, in a qualitative study, differences were discovered in classroom climates and academic support networks for students in learning communities versus students not in learning communities (Wathington, Pretlow III, and Mitchell 2010). Learning community students in Wathington, Pretlow III, and Mitchell's (2010) study generally reported more positive experiences at school than other students. The authors suggested that these experiences from learning communities were likely to result in increased student persistence.…”

Black male community college students : a narrative study of their success

“…They used five community colleges across the United States where teachers and students participated in focus groups. Wathington et al (2011) found that students and faculty who were involved in learning communities felt they had a more supportive relationship than the students and teachers who were not in any such cohort.…”

“…In fact, many of the studies conducted on Black men during the last two decades have been concerned with why this student population was not academically successful (Costner et al, 2010;Cross & Slater, 2000;Iverson & Jaggers, 2015;Watkins, Green, Goodson, Guidry, & Stanley, 2007). These types of studies created a negative perception of the participants.…”

“…Although Wathington et al (2011) did not study retention, they compared the success of developmental community college students who were in learning communities to those who were not. They used five community colleges across the United States where teachers and students participated in focus groups.…”