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ERIC Number: ED634366
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 724
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3794-5560-6
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
An Exploration of Learners' Sense of Community and Its Relationship with Involvement and Social Regulation of Learning in a Linguistics Department at a Christian University in Western Canada
Lebold, Randal Steven
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Biola University
This study explores learners' sense of community in the linguistics department at a Christian university in Western Canada. Since sense of community is an important factor in students' satisfaction, retention, and learning, it is important for educators to know how to support their students' feelings of community. Theological research on Christian community and its implications for learners' sense of Christian community affirmed the social and academic dimensions of learners' sense of community found in social science literature while suggesting the need for a third dimension, Christian community. Qualitative analysis of 25 interviews with current students and recent alumni, along with two focus groups with faculty and staff, revealed six themes on the dynamics of sense of community (connection and interaction, social belonging, support, Christian community, shared purpose, and academic competence) and one theme on the outcomes of learners' sense of community. Correlational analyses of quantitative data from an online survey of 84 students across the Spring and Summer 2022 semesters revealed associations between students' departmental involvement and sense of departmental community, between departmental involvement and the use of strategies for social regulation of learning, and between sense of classroom community and strategies for social regulation of learning. Structural equation modeling revealed that students' sense of shared student engagement and shared goals and responsibility in the classroom predict the use of two strategies for social regulation of learning: collective evaluation of progress and collective decisions for method change. While the results of the qualitative research may have limited transferability given the unique context of the study, the multidimensional description of learners' sense of community that emerged provides a framework for staff and faculty in higher education to plan strategies for enhancing and supporting sense of community for learners in their departments or institutions. And while the results of the quantitative research may have limited generalizability to other institutions given the highly context-specific nature of sense of community, these results call for educators to foster learners' sense of community in both the department and the classroom to support students' use of strategies for social regulation of learning and ultimately student learning. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A