Record Details
Relationship between a collaborative learning community and the persistence of community college students
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Relationship between a collaborative learning community and the persistence of community college students |
| Names |
Ramaker, M. Jolene
(creator) House, Reese (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1992-04-16 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1992 |
| Abstract | This study explored the effects of a collaborative learning community (CLC) upon the persistence of community college students. Treatment subjects were participants in two different offerings of the learning community "Life on the Edge". The ex post facto design compared treatment group subjects' persistence to goal with persistence to goal of comparison group subjects matched by age, ethnic origin, gender, and academic goal. Persistence rates were compared using chi-square tests of independence between proportions. The large body of literature reviewed indicated that greater retention is associated with greater involvement of the student in the life of the institution. Several theoretical models which attempt to explain persistence decisions also consider the degree of social integration to be important. In commuter settings, student involvement may be limited to class attendance. Interventions in the classroom, such as CLCs, have a greater chance of affecting these students. Students in CLCs attend a block of classes together, thus increasing both social support and curricular coherence. This study postulated that since CLCs are thought to increase social integration and greater social integration is thought to result in greater persistence, then CLCs would be expected to increase persistence. No significant difference in persistence was found between CLC and comparison group members, although 11.1% more CLC members persisted after six quarters and 16.8% more persisted after two quarters. Two variables were related to persistence: females from one CLC and comparison group students with degree goals both persisted longer. Results may be due to interaction effects between academic and social integration and/or between gender and social integration, or to the possibility that the spring term samples may contain more proven persisters. |
| Genre | Thesis |
| Topic | Olympic College |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/9221 |
