Can Comprehensive College Transition Programs Promote Self-Regulation and Academic Achievement?

• In Event: Mitigating Loss: Student Transition Policies in Higher Education

Abstract

Using a randomized controlled trial design, this study examines the psychosocial development and college GPA of students who participated in a college transition program called the Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC). Specifically, we leverage a three-armed experimental design to compare students who were randomly assigned to a) participate in the TSLC, b) receive a college scholarship without the comprehensive support of the TSLC program, or c) receive neither the TSLC nor the COS intervention. Preliminary results suggest that providing students with financial support lead students to spend more time preparing for class and less time on social media as well as an increase in sophomore GPA. These results suggest that psychosocial skills such as self-regulation are malleable among college-aged students.

Authors

• Elizabeth Park, University of California Irvine

• Elise Swanson, Harvard University