Running Head: IMPACT OF LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITIES 1

Impact of Living-Learning Communities on First-Generation Student Retention

Amanda Huisman

Northern Illinois University

IMPACT OF LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Abstract

This paper discusses the importance of first-generation college students and their involvement in

living-learning communities and how it relates to their retention rates. The literature reviews

discuss previous research in regards to first-generation student success and examining the

purpose and outcomes of living-learning communities. There is currently very little research on

first-generation student retention through living-learning communities.

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Introduction

Imagine being the first person in your family to ever attend a college or university. For

some this is an easy task to imagine, but for others who have never gone through this themselves

it can be very challenging. Universities classify first-generation students in many ways, but for

this paper, I define first-generation as a student whose parents received a high school education

or less. This definition is the most common within higher education (Inkelas, Daver, Vogt, &

Leonard, 2006).

Living-learning communities are a way for any student to get involved in campus

activities both academically and socially. Students not only take classes with each other but they

live in the same residence hall. Living-learning communities typically have a theme associated

with them. The theme could be academically focused, interest related or have a cultural

influence.

Research shows that for all students, whether they be first-generation or not, retention

rates are low. For students in two-year colleges, over 50% leave before graduating. For students

in four-year institutions, over 28% leave before graduating (Berger & Braxton, 1998). Before

their second year of college, first-generation students are more than twice as likely to leave a

four-year institution (Inkelas et al., 2006; Choy 2001). It is important to find an opportunity for

first-generation students to engage in the university community and help them understand that

they can persist.

Living-learning communities could be a way that institutions keep their first-generation

students engaged and informed. There are many methods that universities use to try and help

their first-generation students be successful, however, they are often given to the student

specifically because they are a first-generation student. Typically when working with first-
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generation students, institutions are either deficit-orientated or retention-focused (Macias, 2013).

Although these methods are useful to some, they can begin to be detrimental and cause

universities to stop asking these populations what they really need. Living-learning communities

would be an opportunity for a first-generation student to choose how they get involved and

engaged on campus. A lot of living-learning communities will have upperclassman who mentor

the first-year residents, a good thing for all students especially first-generation students who may

not know what to expect from college. The purpose of this paper is to gather more information

on the effects of living-learning communities on first-generation student retention.

Literature Review

Only a small amount of studies have been done to determine the impact of living-learning

communities on a first-generation students experience. Since the topic of first-generation

retention through living-learning communities has not yet been a high area of interest in

educational research, this literature review will, for the most part, be divided between two topics;

first-generation students and living-learning communities.

First-Generation Students

Lohfink and Paulsen (2005) examine and compare the persistence of first-generation and

continuing-generation students. For this study, they used first-generation as it is used in this

paper neither parent has education beyond high school. They classify continuing-generation

students as having one or more parents with education beyond high school. Data was collected

through a longitudinal national survey created by the National Center for Education.

Accordingly, they found that there were considerable differences between the two populations.

Continuing-generation students were 5.7% more likely to persist from first to second year. They

discussed that first-generation students who have a higher family income are more likely to
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persist than that of a lower income household. They also stated that females, are less likely to

persist than males.

Rodriguez (2003) explores factors that help first-generations students to be successful.

Data was collected through a qualitative study of 17 first-generation students who have parents

that hold high school as their highest level of education. Rodriguez conducted in-depth

interviews with each participant to know about their experiences being a first-generation student.

Rodriguez noticed that many of the participants prior to college had been highlighted in a

positive manner academically which led to a better self-confidence and in turn could have helped

the student realize their potential to succeed in college. Rodriguez discussed the importance of

the student feeling a sense of belonging on campus with both peers and faculty and staff. First-

generation students who had a peer role model, were often more successful and determined to

persist. The author also discusses ways that the reader can help first-generation students

continue their education.

Pike and Kuh (2005) examine first- and second-generation students and how they

develop intellectually and engage in their college experience. They utilized the College Student

Experiences Questionnaire, Fourth Edition to take a random sampling of 1,127 first-year

students. Out of the random sampling, 39% of the participants were first-generation leaving 69%

second-generation. Their findings showed that first-generation students were more likely to be

males and a part of an underrepresented population. Another important significance was that it is

less likely that first-generation students are to live on campus. Since both groups have varied

characteristics, the experiences of each group were a creation of those separate characteristics.

Living-Learning Communities
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Demaris and Kritsonis (2007) examine minority student retention through a learning

community. They discuss the importance of living-learning communities because of the

relationship development of students and faculty. They stated that campus faculty and staff play

important roles in creating these programs for their students. Learning communities try to knock

down barriers for students that hinder their learning. They can highlight teamwork and

comradery between current first-year students. If minority students join living-learning

communities, it creates another opportunity to have a comfortable learning environment and

provides opportunities for personal and academic growth.

Eck, Edge, and Stephenson (2007) explore student engagement through living-learning

communities. Their study involved first-year students at a small, four-year private institution in

Florida. They wanted to see if living-learning communities influenced engagement and retention

of those students. To collect data they used a survey and questions were answered through a

Likert scale. There were 403 participants and 47% of those students participated in a living-

learning community. The survey showed that students who participated in a living-learning

community did have higher success and student engagement with both academic and social

involvement opportunities.

Spanierman et al. (2013) investigates the impact of living-learning communities on an

undergraduate students feeling of community and belonging on a college campus. The purpose

of the study was to add to the literature and examine how living-learning communities contribute

to a students experience and comfortability on campus and in the residence halls at a large, four-

year, public institution in Illinois. The project consisted of two studies; the first study was

conducted to gather information regarding a students sense of belonging. There were 344

participants and of those 344 participants, almost half lived within a living-learning community.
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The study was conducted through a web-based survey with questions about demographics and

then questions that covered sense of belonging on campus and in the residence halls. Of those

questions regarding sense of belonging, they used a 5-point scale, similar to a Likert scale. They

did not find a significant difference between those who resided in living-learning communities

and those who did not in regards to their sense of belonging on campus. However, they did find

that those who lived in the living-learning communities did have a higher sense of belonging

within the actual residence hall. Even within different living-learning communities they found

that some of those communities had a better sense of belonging than others.

The second study that they conducted included 171 participants with 56% of students

living outside of the living-learning communities. This study was conducted to get a better idea

of a students sense of community in the residence halls and how it varies based on participation

in a living-learning community. The survey was distributed to the same group of potential

participants as the first study, so they did mention that the lack of participation in this study

could have been effected by the timing of the student; students were preparing for finals. The

results of this study showed that students participating in living-learning communities had a

greater sense of community than those who did not. They found common themes throughout the

survey that showed that living-learning communities provide a social support and network,

academic support, leadership skills, and multicultural experiences. However, these was a small

14% of students who stated that they did not find anything exceptional about participating in

their living-learning community. Some of the comments varied depending on the type of living-

learning community that they participated in. If it was academic related, more students

comments were in regards to the academic support. If it was leadership related, more students

commented in regards to the leadership skills they gained.

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First-Generation Students & Living-Learning Communities

Inkelas, Daver, Vogt, and Leonard (2006) explore the impact academically and socially

of living-learning community involvement for first-generation students. They collected data

from 34 institutions of higher education but of the collected data, however, 1 of the institutions

did not have any first-generation student responses. They compared first-generation students in

living-learning communities to those that did not participate in a living-learning community.

There were 1,335 participants and a little less than half (651) had participated in a living-learning

community. They utilized an internet survey to collect data. The results showed that students

that participated in the living-learning communities perceived a smoother academic and social

transition than those that did not participate. Since the results show that the living-learning

communities help first-generation students with that transition, they recommended that

recruitment for the living-learning communities should try to target this population.

Discussion

Through the review of literature, it is clear that living-learning communities are a large

area of growth for retention with first-generation students. Since this population should be

viewed as individuals and not just first-generation students a living-learning community gives

them the opportunity to get involved with something that not only peaks their interest, but helps

them get acquainted with college life. For most college students, not just first-generation, it can

take some time to get used to the rigor and opportunities that come with college. Since most

living-learning communities have a peer-mentor for each participant, this would give first-

generation students the opportunity to connect and have a resource on campus. As Rodriguez

(2003) discussed, they can positively impact a students experience on campus.

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Living-learning communities are a newer concept for colleges and universities, so there

are very few studies discussing their impact on first-generation student retention through living-

learning communities. Importantly, research about this topic should be discussed both

quantitatively and qualitatively. Since this area works with retention of those students in the

living-learning communities, it would work best if a study could be conducted at the end of a

students first-year. This would give the researcher the opportunity to ask questions about the

participants experience in the living-learning community while it is still fresh in their minds.

They could then get a more realistic idea of if a student is planning on continuing on to their

second year. Also, if the student is not planning on continuing on to their second year, the

researcher could find out why the student is leaving the institution which could help

professionals better understand this population.

There are many views that a researcher can take on this subject and would be helpful for

higher education professionals to know. Do first-generation students who participate in living-

learning communities have a higher retention rate at a two-year institution as opposed to a four-

year institution or vice versa? With that being said, researchers can also do more of a

longitudinal study and look at student success and retention at a four-year institution after

transferring from a two-year institution and having participated in one of their living-learning

communities. Some colleges also offer living-learning communities to their transfer population,

does participating have an impact on a transfer students experience and retention?

Some limitations that may come about when trying to do research on living-learning

communities is that it could be difficult to get access to students who are part of or were a part of

a one of these communities. With confidentiality, it may be hard to get approval to sit down and

talk with or survey this group of students. Some students may also give false information so that
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they do not feel uncomfortable, so researchers must be sure to create a safe space or let it be

known to the participants that everything is confidential.

Conclusion

Reflecting on the information presented, first-generation student retention is something

that higher education professionals realize is an issue. The more institutions provide awareness

of opportunities like living-learning communities to first-generation students, the more potential

for these students to persist. With the growth of living-learning communities comes the

opportunity for professionals to perform more research on just how much a living-learning

community could help a first-generation student persist. With the first-generation population

rising, we need to make sure we are doing everything we can to help them succeed. No matter

the route that professionals take when working with first-generation students, they must

remember that the student comes before first-generation. These populations may need

additional help, but we cannot assume that we know the resources that the student is looking for.
IMPACT OF LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITIES

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persistence process. Research in Higher Education, 39(2), 103-119.

Demaris M. C., & Kritsonis, W. A. (2007). Residential learning communities on historically

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Eck, J. C., Edge, H., & Stephenson, K. (2007). Investigating types of student engagement

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Inkelas, K. K., Daver, Z. E., Vogt, K. E., & Leonard, J. B. (2006). Living-learning programs and

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Higher Education, 48(4), 403-434. doi: 10.1007/s11162-006-9031-6

Macias, L. V. (2013). Choosing success: a paradigm for empowering first-generation college

students. About Campus, 18(5), 17-21.

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