The impact of living group social climate on student academic performance

The relationship between living group social climate and freshman scholastic achievement was examined in 36 fraternity groups and 18 male residence hall groups. Certain aspects of a living group's social environment, as measured by the subscales of the University Residence Environment Scale (Moos and Gerst, 1974), were significantly correlated with the freshman members' level of achievement (after controlling for high school grades and college entrance exam scores). Among fraternity groups, freshman achievement was higher in groups that emphasizedacademic achievement and competition, and lower in groups that emphasizedstudent influence. Among residence hall groups, freshman achievement was lower in groups that emphasizedtraditional social orientation. The results suggest that student living groups can affect the academic performance of their freshman members.