Education Commons^™

From Expectations To Experiences: Using A Structural Typology To Understand First-Year Student Outcomes In Academically Based Living-Learning Communities, Matthew R. Wawrzynski, Jody Jessup-Anger

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

This longitudinal study investigated to what extent noncognitive variables (e.g., expectations for college) and the college environment (i.e., academically based living-learning communities) influence students' college experience. This research goes beyond grouping all living-learning students into one category, which has dominated much of the literature, by using an empirically derived structural typology for living-learning communities (Inkelas, Longerbeam, Leonard, & Soldner, 2005). Results suggest that being a student in a collaborative living-learning community is more likely to predict greater peer academic interactions and an enriching educational environment. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.