A validation of the short-form classroom community scale for undergraduate mathematics and statistics students

TL;DR

This study validates the short-form Classroom Community Scale (CCS-SF) as an effective tool for measuring classroom community among undergraduate math and statistics students across various course formats.

Contribution

It provides evidence that the CCS-SF reliably measures classroom community with a confirmed two-factor structure in diverse instructional settings.

Findings

CCS-SF has two factors: connectedness and learning.

The scale is valid for remote, hybrid, and in-person courses.

Confirmatory analysis supports the scale's structure.

Abstract

This study examines Cho and Demmans Epp's short-form adaptation of Rovai's well-known Classroom Community Scale (CCS-SF) as a measure of classroom community among introductory undergraduate math and statistics students. A series of statistical analyses were conducted to investigate the validity of the CCS-SF for this new population. Data were collected from 351 students enrolled in 21 online classes, offered for credit in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 at a private university in the United States. Further confirmatory analysis was conducted with data from 128 undergraduates enrolled in 13 in-person and hybrid classes, offered for credit in Fall 2021 at the same institution. Following Rovai's original 20-item CCS, the 8-item CCS-SF yields two interpretable factors, connectedness and learning. This study confirms the two-factor structure of the CCS-SF, and concludes that it is a valid measure of classroom community among undergraduate students enrolled in remote, hybrid, and in-person introductory mathematics and statistics courses.