Does Effective Classroom Instruction Enhance Bachelor's Degree Completion? Some Initial Evidence

• In Event: Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: Evidence-Based Pedagogy

Abstract

We examine the influence of effective instruction on graduating from college in four years by analyzing data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education. Net of a battery of potential confounders, such as precollege academic ability and type of institution attended, exposure to effective instruction significantly predicts graduating from college. We also find that this effect is mediated by college satisfaction. That is, students who report greater exposure to effective instructional practices are more satisfied with the collegiate experience, which in turn leads to a greater likelihood of graduating from college in four years. Lastly, it appears these effects do not vary by students’ race, sex, or precollege academic ability.

Authors

• Chad Loes, Mount Mercy University

• Brian An, University of Iowa

• Ernest T. Pascarella, University of Iowa