ABSTRACT
Learning communities have emerged as an important developmental experience in students’ transition into college. One definition of a learning community emphasizes that it provides academic content, social relationships among students, and a shared physical space (Brower & Dettinger, 1998). Learning communities are thought to foster learning engagement, cognitive flexibility, and integration into the larger college life. Because colleges today are enrolling an increasingly diverse racial/ethnic student population, one can no longer presume racial/ethnic homogeneity or like-mindedness among community members. Nor can one assume similarity in student views about themselves and the world, or that meaningful communication and building relationships among diverse community members will be easy or natural. Educators and researchers are, therefore, now considering previously unexamined aspects of learning communities: Who are the students in such a community? What pre-college experiences affect members’ participation in the learning community? How do
we foster positive and meaningful social relationships in a learning community comprised of students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds?
