We combined tenets of learning communities and place-based learning to develop an innovative first-year program for STEM students. Using a quasi-experimental design, we found that participants in the place-based learning community had a stronger sense of belonging, improved academic performance, and increased first-year persistence relative to a matched reference group. We also showed that participation narrowed equity gaps in first-year outcomes for students underrepresented in the sciences. A sense of place arises not just from a location, but from interrelationships between people and the natural world, and these results suggest organizing learning around place can promote inclusive student success.

中文翻译：

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基于地点的学习社区对一年级 STEM 学生的归属感、持久性和公平差距的影响


我们将学习社区和本地学习的原则相结合，为 STEM 学生开发创新的一年级课程。使用准实验设计，我们发现与匹配的参考组相比，基于地点的学习社区的参与者有更强的归属感，提高了学习成绩，并且提高了第一年的坚持程度。我们还表明，参与缩小了科学领域代表性不足的学生第一年成绩的公平差距。地方感不仅源于地点，还源于人与自然世界之间的相互关系，这些结果表明，围绕地方组织学习可以促进包容性学生的成功。