The Impact of a Living-Learning Community and Inquiry Guided Learning on First Year Students' Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement

Abstract

Nationally, data reveals that 33% of all first-year college students entering public colleges and universities will drop out before their sophomore year and an additional 20% are likely to drop out before completing their degree (Habley, 2002, ACT, 2002). 75% of students who drop out of college do so within the first two years and a majority of these fail to complete the first year. It is becoming critical that we seek to understand the forces behind successful academic adjustment, especially during the first-year of college (Boulter, 2002). One factor that has been shown to have a consistent relationship with retention is academic achievement (DeBerard, Spielmans, & Julka, 2002). Higher achieving students persist at a significantly greater rate than their lower achieving counterparts (Kirby & Sharpe, 2001; McGrath & Braunstein, 1997; Ryland, Riordan, & Brack, 1994). Recently, studies have shown that emotional intelligence (EI) can be predictive of academic success and greater retention rates. However, there has been no research that has studied the impact of a residential living learning community on emotional intelligence.

The current study did not find significant differences between students who participated in a living-learning community and those who did not regarding emotional intelligence gains or academic achievement. However, crucial questions were raised surrounding the timing of such instruments and the types of instruments used to measure emotional intelligence.