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Article
Student demographics and experiences of deeper life interactions within Residential Learning Communities
Learning Communities Research and Practice (2020)
  • Rishi Sriram
Abstract
In this article, we discuss the influence of demographic characteristics upon students’ deeper life interactions with peers, faculty, and staff within the context of residential learning communities. When examining student demographic characteristics, we found that Students of Color and first-generation students have lower satisfaction with deeper life interactions with peers, but sophomores, juniors, or seniors had higher satisfaction with deeper life interactions with peers. Students did not differ on their deeper life interactions with faculty based on students’ demographic characteristics. We discuss further the implications of the findings for student engagement and academic success across diverse populations and offer recommendations for maximizing the positive impact of residential learning communities on efforts to promote inclusive excellence. The article concludes with a series of recommendations for current practice and future research focused specifically on how different types of student interactions with different groups influence student outcomes. 
Keywords
  • living-learning communities,
  • deeper life interactions,
  • student interactions,
  • first-generation students
Publication Date
2020
Citation Information
Rishi Sriram. "Student demographics and experiences of deeper life interactions within Residential Learning Communities" Learning Communities Research and Practice Vol. 8 Iss. 1 (2020) p. 1 - 17
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/rishi_sriram/53/