Influence of Learning Communities and Campus Residency on Sense of Belonging Among Higher Education Students

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 4:55 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Fostering Inclusive Engagement: Insights From Student Experience (Table 36)

Abstract

Previous research has linked participation in learning communities and campus residency on higher education students’ sense of belonging. In turn, sense of belonging predicts academic outcomes like retention and achievement (e,g., AAC&U, 2007). This is particularly true for first-year and underserved college populations (e.g., Merolla, 2018). Data were collected from 1,072 first-year students on the Sense of Belonging questionnaire (Hoffman et al., 2002). Results revealed significant main effects of learning community participation and interactions between learning communities and campus residency. In reference to the significant interactions, we found students who participated in a learning community but lived off campus reported greater perceived peer support and perceived faculty support along with lower perceived isolation than learning community participants residing on campus.

Authors

• Lanah Stafford, Old Dominion University

• Linda Bol, Old Dominion University

• Joanna K. Garner, Old Dominion University

• Kristin Gansle, Louisiana State University