Learning in a Community: Evidence of the Effectiveness and Challenges of Learning Communities

Authors

Margaret Pate, Radford UniversityFollow
Shelly M. Wagers, University of South Florida St. PetersburgFollow
Stephen Owen, Radford University
Courtney Simpkins, Radford University

SelectedWorks Author Profiles:

Shelly Wagers

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2019

ISSN

Print ISSN: 1051-1253 Online ISSN: 1745-9117

Abstract

Research on pedagogy has established the benefit of High Impact Practices (HIP) for student outcomes. Learning communities are a specific HIP that can vary widely in their structure. Learning communities appear to have a positive impact on academic outcomes and student perceptions. While research appears to support the use of learning communities, research has yet to fully explore the impact of the learning community on specific student skills. Given the increased popularity in their use, particularly in the field of criminal justice, the purpose of this study is to examine the effect of a linked-course freshman learning community (FLC) on student engagement and transferrable academic skills, including information literacy, critical thinking, and written communication. Differences were found between the FLC students and their non-FLC counterparts for some of the transferrable academic skills, but not overall engagement with the courses and campus. Implications for findings are discussed.

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Recommended Citation

Margaret Pate, Shelly M. Wagers, Stephen Owen & Courtney Simpkins (2019) Learning in a Community: Evidence of the Effectiveness and Challenges of Learning Communities, Journal of Criminal Justice Education, DOI: 10.1080/10511253.2019.1692881