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ERIC Number: EJ1098353
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1083-6470
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Learning Community's Potential Academic Impact: A Qualitative Analysis
Firmin, Michael W.; Warner, Susan C.; Rose, Stephanie Firebaugh; Johnson, Courtney B.; Firmin, Ruth L.
Journal of Research in Education, v22 n1 p2-13 Spr 2012
Learning Communities (LC) in higher education can serve as powerful connectors among individuals, particularly when integrating minority and White students. We conducted 24 in-depth interviews, using qualitative research methodology, with the 2004 cohort of LC students from a private, selective, Midwest university. Seniors at the time of interviews, the students reflected on their perceived outcomes of their freshman LC experiences. Elsewhere (Firmin, Warner, Johnson, Firebaugh, & Firmin, 2009a), we reported that participants showed the experience to hold a cogent social purpose, with many members recounting memories with a sense of positive nostalgia. We also reported attitudinal outcomes of the participants LC experience, with members' shifts in biases, level of satisfaction, and factors related to involvement (Firmin, Warner, Johnson, Firebaugh, & Firmin, 2008b). Present findings discuss the academic experience of members who participated in the LC program. Students reported that the social functions of the LC supported academic activities and learning. Students also developed relationships with the professors, and many viewed the instructors as being influential mentors.
Eastern Educational Research Association. George Watson, Marshall University, One John Marshall Drive, College of Education and Professional Development, Huntington, WV 25755. e-mail: eerajournal@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.eeraorganization.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A