Do Learning Communities Help Latino/A Students Succeed in General Education Political Science Courses?

Abstract

Learning communities are useful both inside and outside the classroom, and many universities have learning communities in residential halls, effectively tying student life and academics together and they also encourage the development of social networks and “immediacy.” Inside classes, students in learning communities show a growth in intellectual interests and they may also increase student performance by encouraging successful study strategies. Overall, studies have shown that student performance can be enhanced by the learning community experience. For Hispanic Serving Institutions these can be especially useful for encouraging student success amongst Latino/a students.