Comparing the Educational Attainment of Community College Transfer Students and Four-Year College Rising Juniors Using Propensity Score Matching Methods

Melguizo, Tatiana; Kienzl, Gregory S.; Alfonso, Mariana

doi:10.1080/00221546.2011.11777202

Cited by 91 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In California, two-thirds of all college students attend a community college. The role of community colleges as a vehicle in human capital production was the cornerstone of California's 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education, which stipulated that the California Community Colleges (Brint & Karabel, 1983;Dougherty, 1994;Grubb, 199;Long & Kurlaender, 2009;Melguizo, Kienzl, & Alfonso, 2011;Rosenbaum, 2001). More recently, community colleges have also captured the attention of policymakers concerned with improving workforce shortages and the overall economic health of the nation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

K–12 and Postsecondary Alignment: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Freshmen Course-taking and Performance at California’s Community Colleges

Kurlaender

Larsen

2013

EPAA

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Abstract:In this paper we focus on California high school students' transition to community colleges. Our unique dataset tracks five cohorts of California high school juniors into their freshmen year at in-state community colleges. We evaluate the extent to which high school achievement tests (currently not utilized by community colleges in course placement decisions) are useful for predicting academic success at community college. In addition, given persistent disparities in college attainment by race, we explore whether this fundamental relationship between high school epaa aape Education Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 21 No. 16 SPECIAL ISSUE 2 achievement, college course-taking, and performance differs for students from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. Keywords: community colleges, college readiness, racial/ethnic differences in collegiate outcomes Alineamiento K-12 y estudios universitarios: diferencias raciales/étnicas en rendimiento de estudiantes tomando cursos universitarios introductorios en universidades comunitarias de California. Resumen: En este artículo nos centramos en la transición de estudiantes de escuelas secundarias a universidades comunitarias en California. Nuestra base de datos rastrea cinco cohortes de jóvenes egresados de escuelas secundarias de California en su primer año en universidades comunitarias del estado. Se evalúa el grado en que las pruebas de rendimiento escolar (en la actualidad no se utilizan por universidades comunitarias en las decisiones de asignación de cursos) son útiles para predecir el éxito académico en las universidades comunitarias. Además, teniendo en cuenta la persistencia de disparidades raciales en estudios universitarios, se explora si esta relación fundamental entre logros académicos en la escuela secundaria, asistencia a cursos universitarios y rendimiento es diferente para estudiantes de diferentes orígenes raciales/étnicos. Palabras clave: universidades comunitarias; preparación para la universidad; diferencias raciales/étnicos en resultados académicos.Alinhando educação básica e estudos universitários: diferenças raciais / étnicas no desempenho de "calouros" em universidades comunitárias na Califórnia. Resumo: Neste artigo focalizamos a transição de alunos do ensino médio para universidades comunitárias na Califórnia. Nosso banco de dados rastreia cinco coortes de jovens que concluíram o Ensino Médio na Califórnia em seu primeiro ano em universidades comunitárias do estado. Ele avalia em que medida os testes de desempenho escolar (atualmente não utilizados por universidades comunitárias como critério de ingresso) são úteis na previsão de sucesso escolar em universidades comunitárias. Além disso, dada a persistência de disparidades raciais no Ensino Superior, exploramos se esta relação fundamental entre desempenho acadêmico no ensino médio, cursos universitários e desempenho é diferente para alunos de diferentes raças / etnias. Palavras-chave: universidades comunitárias, preparação da faculdade, raciais / étnicas resultados acadêmicos.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

K–12 and Postsecondary Alignment: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Freshmen Course-taking and Performance at California’s Community Colleges

Kurlaender

Larsen

2013

EPAA

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“…The rationale behind quasi-experimental techniques is to simulate the characteristics of experimental designs by matching groups of students based upon demographic variables or other observable characteristics such that the only differences between these students is the type of "treatment" received (such as using academic libraries). 15 Using quasi-experimental design methods, researchers match students based upon pretreatment (such as precollege) characteristics that approximate randomization by balancing the observable characteristics between the treatment and control groups. 16 The resultant effects of such steps can help researchers to better estimate the effects of "treatments" on outcomes with a greater degree of accuracy.…”

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We included the propensity scores as controls to remove the component of their correlation that is due to the assignment process. 35 To evaluate the accuracy of the models, we computed the proportional by chance accuracy rate and maximum by chance accuracy rates and found that both exceed the criterion that models' accuracy should be 25 percent better than chance. 36 The final models were significantly different from the intercept-only models, suggesting that the independent variables contribute significantly to the prediction of the outcome and an adequate model fit.…”

Section: Data Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Academic Library Resources on Undergraduates’ Degree Completion

Soria

Fransen²,

Nackerud³

2017

C&RL

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The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of first-year undergraduates' (n = 5,368) use of academic library resources in their first year on their degree completion or continued enrollment after four years of study. Propensity score matching techniques were used to construct treatment (library users) and control (library nonusers) groups with similar background characteristics and college experiences. The results suggest that using the library at least one time in the first year of enrollment significantly increased the odds that students would graduate in four years or remain enrolled after four years as opposed to withdrawing from the university. First-year students who used electronic resources and books also had significantly improved odds of graduation over withdrawing, while students who used electronic books and took a library instruction course had significantly improved odds of remaining enrolled over withdrawing.Over the last decade, calls to explore the value of academic libraries in supporting college students' success have yielded several promising research studies that have investigated relationships between students' use of academic libraries, retention, 1 and academic achievement. 2 Given the prioritization of retention and graduation rates among colleges and universities, 3 in addition to mounting public pressures for institutions to encourage students' success, such library impact research studies continue to have advancing relevance in the field of academic libraries research and assessment and in higher education as a whole.While researchers exploring the associations between academic library use and students' success have used increasingly more robust data sets with large sample sizes, improved their research methodologies and data analyses, and developed progressively nuanced research designs, there remains a series of unanswered questions yet to be addressed. For instance, while graduation rates are important indicators of the success of higher education institutions, there are, at present, few research studies that have explored whether academic libraries and their various components may contribute to students' long-term success over the course of their enrollment. Stone and

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“…Quasi-experimental techniques can simulate the characteristics of experimental designs by matching groups of students based upon demographic variables or other observable characteristics, with the only differences between these students the type of "treatment" received (e.g., using academic libraries). 18 The resultant effects of such steps can help researchers to better estimate the effects of "treatments" on outcomes with a greater degree of accuracy. Therefore, in the present study, we utilized propensity score matching techniques to estimate the effects of first-year students' use of academic libraries on their development of three learning outcomes: critical thinking and analytical skills, written communication skills, and reading comprehension skills.…”

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untitled

2017

RLI

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Academic and research libraries have been increasing their efforts for a number of years to demonstrate their contributions to student learning outcomes in support of the institutional educational mission. Whether through one-shot instruction or credited classes, libraries invest a great deal of time and effort in instructional programs. A key challenge is the development of assessment methods that provide data useful for understanding the impact of these offerings. This issue of Research Library Issues includes two case studies that explore various data sources to assess student learning outcomes and experiences.In the first article, "The Impact of Academic Library Resources on First-Year Students' Learning Outcomes," a team from the University of Minnesota presents the findings of their recent study. By examining student-reported feedback about use of library resources (checking out books, using electronic resources, engaging in reference services, etc.) and about high-level learning outcomes (critical thinking and analytical skills, writing skills, and reading comprehension), the team argues that the use of library resources does play a role in students' development of learning outcomes.Cornell University Library staff describe their exploration of a variety of data sources to assess students' experiences, not just their skills, in the second article, "Multi-Method Assessment to Improve Library Instruction." This study examined faculty perceptions of students' information literacy skills and use of library instruction as well as students' opinions about the usefulness of library instructional offerings. Coupling these survey results with information gleaned from student focus groups, the library decided to conduct a pilot project with Cornell's College of Engineering. The well-received pilot project produced short, instructional videos to help students develop specific library skills on an as-needed basis. Additionally, nearly 90% of Association of American Universities (AAU) member institutions reported using quantitative data to collect information on student learning outcomes, with 70% reporting that they had one employee or office specifically charged with developing, coordinating, or implementing assessments of student learning. Amid the increasing calls for accountability to demonstrate students' learning, colleges and universities are currently confronting competing demands for fewer resources; 5 consequently, it is even more vital that programs and services demonstrate their contributions to student outcomes. Academic libraries are no exception and, over the last decade, researchers have expanded their efforts to better understand how libraries contribute to students' success, including students' retention 6 and academic achievement. 7 One critical area of students' learning and development often explored by library 11 attest to the connections between libraries and student learning. As a result, the library community is much more likely to create student learning outcomes and use a variety of forma...

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Comparing the Educational Attainment of Community College Transfer Students and Four-Year College Rising Juniors Using Propensity Score Matching Methods

Cited by 91 publications

References 40 publications

K–12 and Postsecondary Alignment: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Freshmen Course-taking and Performance at California’s Community Colleges

K–12 and Postsecondary Alignment: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Freshmen Course-taking and Performance at California’s Community Colleges

The Impact of Academic Library Resources on Undergraduates’ Degree Completion

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