This study sought to determine if participation in the living-learning communities at a large, Midwestern, urban institution in 2004, 2005, and 2006 had an impact on performance and retention through the college career by yielding differences in academic performance and persistence measures. This study sought to broadly determine, when considering academic year and controlling for entering ability, whether there is a statistically significant difference, on average, in the fifth year of academic performance and retention rates of living-learning community participants, learning community participants, traditional curriculum resident students, and traditional commuter students.
When considering persistence as measured by cumulative credits earned and academic performance as measured by grade point average, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to identify statistically significant differences between groups when considering academic year. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to assess these differences when considering academic year and controlling for entering ability measures of high school GPA and ACT score. ANOVA results indicated differences in credits earned and cumulative grade point average between curriculum types. In each instance, living-learning communities exceeded all other groups. ANCOVA results indicated that there were statistically significant differences, on average, between groups for credits earned and cumulative grade point average when controlling for entering
ability variables. Of interest, results identified adjusted means of cumulative grade point average for living-learning communities and residents as being near equivalents.
Unique to the study, was the focus on analysis after five years of study, assessing the longitudinal impact associated with participation in living-learning communities. Results identified that the interaction between year and curriculum type were not significant, indicating that there was not a statistically significant difference among the students’ grades and credits earned across the three years of the study. Achievement patterns did not differ by year, reflecting living-learning communities earned higher scores in each cohort and showed that curriculum type served as the only significant factor in the analysis. The study adds breadth and depth to institutional approaches to assessing programs which impact both academic performance and persistence as measures of academic success.