Keywords
retention, sense of community, STEM, learning community, residence halls, mathematics on-track, higher education, first-year
Abstract
This investigation looks at the relationship between a STEM learning community's co-curricular activities and students' perceived sense of community (SOC)to determine which activities most influence SOC and, in turn, retention. This investigation shows that SOC can be impacted by a multitude of factors found within the college environment. The most influential of these factors are open acceptance, student academic support services, and residential experiences. Most importantly there were significant differences for African American students participating in the STEM learning community on the measures of SOC, retention, and being on-track in mathematics. Additional data suggested higher levels of being on-track in mathematics for male students and differences in retention and being on-track for Hispanic students participating in a STEM learning community.
Notes
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Graduation Date
2009
Advisor
Cintron Delgado, Rosa
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
College
College of Education
Department
Educational Research, Technology, and Leadership
Degree Program
Educational Leadership
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
CFE0002841
URL
http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002841
Language
English
Release Date
February 2010
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Access Status
Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)
STARS Citation
Dagley Falls, Melissa, "Psychological Sense Of Community And Retention: Rethinking The First-year Experience Of Students In Stem" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3875.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/3875
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