THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COHORT POSITIVITY AND GRADUATE STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF COHORT EXPERIENCES

Abstract

Adult learners benefit from participating in a cohort model. Adult students have prior knowledge, unique learning styles, and the tendency to be active learners (Caffarella & Barnett, 1994). Cohort models provide an interactive learning experience, more opportunities to build relationships with faculty, and collaboration between students that increase shared knowledge, group cohesiveness, and overall program satisfaction. Drawbacks exist as well. Students may have to share responsibility with weaker classmates, form cliques that exclude members, and compete for jobs (Lei, Gorelick, Short, Smallwood, & Wright-Porter, 2011). The purpose of the current study was to survey school psychology program alumni about their cohort experience. A majority (56%) of respondents had an average positivity score of 5 on a scale that ranged between 1 (not at all descriptive), 4 (neutral) and 7 (very descriptive). Most subscale ratings were 5 or higher. There was a weak positive relationship between participation in non-classroom program activities and positivity score.