The Effects of Learning Communities for Students in Developmental Education: A Synthesis of Findings from Six Community Colleges
Visher, Mary G.; Weiss, Michael J.; Weissman, Evan; Rudd, Timothy; Wathington, Heather D. (2012). National Center for Postsecondary Research. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED533825
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examining3,390Students, gradePS
Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: July 2021
- Practice Guide (findings for Linked Learning Communities)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Passed college-level math |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Queensborough Community College;
|
10.00 |
10.40 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Passed college-level composition |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Baltimore Community College;
|
26.80 |
29.60 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Passed college-level math |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Females - Queensborough;
|
11.70 |
8.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Passed college-level math |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Males - Queensborough;
|
7.90 |
13.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Enrollment |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Queensborough Community College;
|
71.90 |
69.10 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Full-time registration |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Queensborough Community College;
|
53.00 |
50.10 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of regular credits earned |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Queensborough Community College;
|
12.40 |
11.80 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Full-time registration |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Houston Community College;
|
26.30 |
25.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of regular credits earned |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Houston Community College;
|
4.70 |
4.70 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Enrollment |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Baltimore Community College;
|
64.20 |
64.60 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Enrollment |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Houston Community College;
|
61.00 |
60.90 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of semesters registered |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Queensborough Community College;
|
2.40 |
2.30 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of semesters registered |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Houston Community College;
|
1.50 |
1.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of semesters registered |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Baltimore Community College;
|
1.50 |
1.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of regular credits earned |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Baltimore Community College;
|
5.90 |
6.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Full-time registration |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Baltimore Community College;
|
39.10 |
43.60 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Number of regular credits earned |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Females - Queensborough;
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13.20 |
11.80 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of semesters registered |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Females - Houston;
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1.60 |
1.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of semesters registered |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Females - Queensborough;
|
2.40 |
2.30 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of regular credits earned |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Females - Houston;
|
5.20 |
5.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of semesters registered |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Males - Queensborough;
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2.40 |
2.40 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of regular credits earned |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Males - Queensborough;
|
11.40 |
11.70 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Number of regular credits earned |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Males - Houston;
|
3.50 |
4.30 |
Yes |
|
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Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 61%
Male: 39% -
Urban
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Maryland, New York, Texas
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Race Asian 5% Black 40% Other or unknown 40% White 15% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 32% Not Hispanic or Latino 68%
Study Details
Setting
The study includes students from New York, Texas, and Maryland. Students in New York were from Queensborough Community College in Brooklyn and Queens; students in Texts were from Houston Community College; and students in Maryland were from the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC).
Study sample
The majority of study participants across colleges were females, with percentages ranging from 55.9% to 66.7% in each college. Most students were traditional age. At the three colleges, the study samples were racially diverse, and Queensborough had no racial majority. Most of the study participants were Latino at Houston (54.9% respectively), and most of the study participants at CCBC were Black (54.9%). The percentage of White students ranged between 3.1% at Houston to 31.5% at CCBC. Most study participants did not have children of their own; however, 28% of the Houston sample had children. Most students across the three colleges had high school diplomas.
Intervention Group
Linked learning communities are programs that provide social and curricular linkages, based on academic themes and content. Colleges generally provide a shared curriculum, organized around a common theme and structures to build a community of learners within an entering cohort of students. The colleges varied in the types of programs provided and themes that were emphasized. The four components of the intervention are: linked courses with student cohorts, faculty collaboration, thematic instructional practices, and integrated student support services.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group received standard services from the college.
Support for implementation
Support for implementation varied by colleges, and generally included some form of professional development or training for faculty.
Grant Competition
Review Details
Reviewed: October 2016
- Grant Competition (findings for Linked Learning Communities)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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College enrollment |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Full sample;
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0.84 |
0.83 |
Yes |
-- |
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
College enrollment |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Full sample;
|
0.64 |
0.63 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
3 Semesters |
Full sample;
|
0.50 |
0.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
College-level credits earned |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
3 Semesters |
Full sample;
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9.90 |
9.80 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
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College-level credits earned |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
1 Semester |
Full sample;
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6.87 |
6.72 |
No |
-- | ||
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College-level credits earned |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
2 Semesters |
Full sample;
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3.35 |
3.29 |
No |
-- | ||
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Completed targeted developmental course sequence by the third semester |
Linked Learning Communities vs. Business as usual |
3 Semesters |
Full sample;
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0.38 |
0.35 |
Yes |
-- |
|
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Suburban, Urban
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California, Florida, Maryland, New York, Texas
Study Details
Setting
The pooled student sample includes students from six U.S. locations (California, Florida, New York, Texas, and Maryland). The Community College of Baltimore County is in Baltimore, MD. Hillsborough Community College is in Tampa, FL. Houston Community College is in Houston, TX. Kingsborough Community College and Queensborough Community College are in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, respectively. Merced College is in Merced, California. Across these sites, students participated in one of 174 learning communities.
Study sample
The majority of study participants across colleges were females (with percentages ranging from 51.3% to 66.7%), and primarily traditionally aged students. At the six colleges, the study samples were racially diverse, and at three of them (Hillsborough, Kingsborough, and Queensborough), had no racial majority. Most of the study participants were Latino at Merced and Houston (54.8% and 54.9% respectively), and most of the study participants at CCBC were African-American (54.9%). Most study participants did not have children of their own, however 28% of the Houston sample had children, and 26% of the Merced sample had children. Most students across six colleges had high school diplomas, however at Kingsborough, 31% had GEDs. Up to 40% of students were the first in their families to attend colleges, and the proportion of first-generation students varied across colleges. The percentage of white students ranged between 3.1% (at Houston) to 31.5% (at CCBC). No information about baseline socio-economic status was provides aside from information about whether students received financial aid during the semester of assignment, which had a large proportion of missing values (from 22.4% to 37.9%) and was not presented for one of the six schools (Kingsborough).
Intervention Group
Linked learning communities are programs that provide social and curricular linkages, based on academic themes and content. Colleges generally provide a shared curriculum, organized around a common theme and structures to build a community of learners within an entering cohort of students. Colleges vary in the types of programs provided and themes that are emphasized. Among four components of the intervention, colleges may be at basic, midrange, or advanced levels. The four components are: linked courses with student cohorts, faculty collaboration, thematic instructional practices, and integrated student support services.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group received standard services from the college.
Support for implementation
Support for implementation varied by colleges, and generally included some form of professional development or training for faculty.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
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