Supplemental Instruction, Learning Communities, and Students Studying Together

Community College Review, Fall, 1998 by William E. Maxwell

This supplemental instruction program is practical. It has been in operation for nine semesters at the community college studied in this research, where it is seen as an effective means for using small student groups to provide not stigma but enrichment, including individualized feedback, learning skills, collaborative active learning and student integration.

Learning communities are feasible opportunities for social integration that will become more useful as leaders and innovators further explore their possibilities. Though some observers have been pessimistic about the possibilities for student integration in community colleges, the results of this study point to nontraditional programs and arenas in which students may interact.

References

Adelman, C. (1996, October 4). The truth about remedial work: It's more complex than windy rhetoric and simple solutions suggest. Chronicle of Higher Education, XLIII, p. A56.

Arendale, D. R. (1994). Understanding the supplemental instruction model. In D. C. Martin, & D. R. Arendale (Eds.), Supplemental instruction: Increasing achievement and retention (pp. 11-21). New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 60. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bers, T. H., & Smith, K. E. (1991). Persistence of community college students: The influence of student intent and academic and social integration. Research in Higher Education, 32, 539-556.

Blanc, R. A., DeBuhr, L. E., & Martin, D. C. (1983). Breaking the attrition cycle: The effects of supplemental instruction on undergraduate performance and attrition. Journal of Higher Education, 54, 80-90.

Braxton, J. M., Sullivan, A., & Johnson, R. M. (1997). Appraising Tinto's theory of college student departure. In J. Smart (Ed.), Higher education handbook of theory and research, XII, (pp. 107-164). Bronx, NY: Agathon.

Braxton, J. M., Vesper, N., & Hossler, D. (1995). Expectations for college and student persistence. Research in Higher Education, 36, 595-612.

Burmeister, S. (1996). Supplemental instruction: An interview with Deanna Martin. Journal of Developmental Education, 20, 22-26.

Cabrera, A. F., Nora, A., & Castaneda, M. B. (1993). College persistence: Structural equations modeling test of an integrated model of student retention. Journal of Higher Education, 64, 123-139.

Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J. C. (1963). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Chicago: Rand McNally.

Carroll, J. (1988). Freshman retention and attrition factors at a predominantly black urban community college. Journal of College Student Development, 29, 52-59.

Chapman, D. W., & Pascarella, E. T. (1983). Predictors of academic and social integration of college students. Research in Higher Education, 19, 295-322.

Clowes, D. A. (1992). Remediation in American higher education. In J. Smart (Ed.), Higher education handbook of theory and research, VIII, (pp. 460-493). Bronx, NY: Agathon.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). New York: Academic Press.