Social community: Understanding students' connectedness to promote student success

In this research, we explore the role of social community on college campuses to understand its potential for promoting increased connectedness and retention of students in STEM. Specifically, we examine similarities and differences in students’ perceptions of connectedness with a social community and their satisfaction with their current situations across both gender and graduate/undergraduate status. An online survey instrument adapted from Rovai’s Classroom Community Scale and the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire (MOAQ) was administered to female and male undergraduate and graduate engineering students at a large, Midwestern university. The survey questions are based on the constructs of connectedness and satisfaction as perceived by respondents in relation to their group affiliations and community relations. Results indicate that differences exist in how male and female graduate and undergraduate engineering students perceive their social communities. Implications for the design of social communities and further research opportunities are discussed.