Exploring the Effect of a Non-Residential Learning Community on Academic Achievement and Institutional Persistence

The purpose of this study was to examine what effect the Freshmen Interest Group (FIG) program, a variation of a non-residential learning community had on academic achievement scores and institutional rates of persistence. Study variables included: gender; race; pre-collegiate academic achievement (GPA scores); educational preferences (major choice); enrollment status, and cumulative grade point average scores, and participation in the FIG program. Regression analysis showed that FIG program had a statistically significant positive effect on the mean GPA scores of participants but no significant effect on the rate of institutional persistence. Examining how student gender, race, pre-collegiate achievement, and educational preference interacted with the effect the FIG program had on academic achievement, regression analysis showed that female FIG participants had lower statistically significant achievement scores than male FIG participants, but when analysis was conducted for the full study sample females had higher achievement scores than males. In terms of institutional persistence the analysis of the control variables found that Black identifying students in the sample had statistically significantly high rates of persistence compared to peers, but Black identifying FIG participants had a statistically significantly lower rate of persistence compared to peers participating in the FIG program from other race groups. Students who elected to enroll in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) curriculum area statistically had significantly lower rates of persistence compared to non-STEM students. The study's findings showed that the FIG program was an effective intervention to change the direction of the statistical effect to a higher persistence rate than that found for non-STEM students. The FIG program was shown to be a possible means by which to improve the academic achievement and institutional persistence of college students. Because the results very, in direction and intensity, for students based on some socio-demographic and educational preference variables, policy makers are encouraged to conduct more research and proceed with caution before using a non-residential learning community like the FIG as an universal means by which to increase educational effectiveness.