A Mixed-Methods Study of Classroom Community Among Undergraduate Students in Introductory Mathematics and Statistics

A strong sense of classroom community is associated with many positive learning outcomes and is a crucial contributor to undergraduate students’ persistence in STEM, particularly for women and students of color. This article describes a mixed-methods investigation into the relationship between classroom community and course attributes in introductory undergraduate mathematics and statistics courses, mediated by student identities. The project was originally motivated by and conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from online courses in the 2020–21 academic year and from hybrid and in-person courses in Fall 2021. Quantitative data were gathered from both students and instructors and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The primary survey instrument is the validated Classroom Community Scale–Short Form. These quantitative results are complemented and contextualized by thematic and textual analyses of focus group data, gathered using a newly developed protocol piloted during the 2021–22 academic year. All data come from a private university in the United States. Preliminary practical implications of the study include the value of synchronous participation in fostering connectedness and the importance of attending to students’ personal identities in understanding their experiences of belonging.

Duke Scholars

Author Maria Tackett Statistical Science

Author Shira Viel Mathematics