Dataset Associated with Manuscript “Structural Factors Associated with Students’ Comfort and Sense of Community in an Undergraduate Physics Course”

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132962 Copy

Description

Title

Dataset Associated with Manuscript “Structural Factors Associated with Students’ Comfort and Sense of Community in an Undergraduate Physics Course”

Author(s)

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Contributor(s)

• Ouellette, Ellen
• Lewsirirat, Sarat
• Adlakha, Vidushi
• Lundsgaard, Morten
• Krist, Christina
• Kuo, Eric

Issue Date

2026-03-18

Keyword(s)

• Interview
• Sense of Community
• Comfort
• Collaborative Learning

Date of Ingest

2026-03-18T17:30:02-05:00

Abstract

Background Whether collaborative learning is beneficial for students depends on their willingness to participate. In STEM learning contexts in particular, students’ perceptions of socioemotional risks such as looking ‘stupid’ in front of peers may discourage participation. Accordingly, this paper investigates the interpersonal and structural factors that impact undergraduate physics students’ comfort asking questions and sharing ideas during groupwork. Results We conducted semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory physics course at a large university in the Midwestern United States. We developed a coding scheme to characterize themes in the factors students reported impacting their comfort asking questions and sharing ideas. We found that students associated comfort with their sense of community – specifically, with expectations that peers will help them, that the social cost of requesting help will be low, and the sense that they are working together and have personal relationships with their peers. We also identified specific course features that students reported impacting their collaborative learning experiences. Features that encouraged peer connection and signaled valuing learning and growth over time were associated with higher community and comfort. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that undergraduate students’ sense of community with their peers may impact their opportunities for learning from groupwork by fostering willingness to ask questions and share ideas. We also propose that development of sense of community is sensitive to the implicit messages course structures send students about learning and engagement in a course. This work has implications for the design of more effective and inclusive collaborative learning environments.

Type of Resource

dataset

Genre of Resource

data

Language

eng

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

NSF Award #2235516

Owning Collections