Belonging, Engagement, and Growth: Evaluating Learning Outcomes of a Residential College in the Asian Context

Abstract

In this case study of a living-and-learning programme (LLP) in a residential college in an Asian context, we evaluated the learning outcomes related to belonging, engagement, and growth, and examined their impact on various student groups. We first situated the College within the typology of LLPs, and contextualised the learning outcomes that were important to its educational mission. Our research was guided by Astin’s (1993) Input-Environment-Output model, and Strange and Banning’s (2001) hierarchy of learning environment purposes. A comprehensive 199-item questionnaire was used to assess the students’ perceptions of learning outcomes for two surveys conducted in 2014 (n=249) and 2015 (n=235). Our analyses showed that the means for the learning outcomes were higher in 2015 compared to 2014. There was no strong gender effect for most of the learning outcomes, except for some aspects of engagement and growth. For academic discipline, both STEM and non-STEM students benefitted in various ways from the LLP, although non-STEM students reported holding more leadership roles in both years. For year of study, students who stayed longer at the College benefitted more from the LLP. The positive effects were multi-faceted, ranging from a greater sense of belonging and leadership roles held, to higher learning outcomes related to audacity and integrity.