Are Intrinsic Factors Helpful for Assessing Supplemental Instruction Effectiveness? A Propensity Score Approach

• In Event: Measuring Student Skills and Collegiate Learning

Abstract

Our analysis aimed to better understand the effectiveness of Supplemental Instruction (SI) at a large, public research university. We used a quasi-experimental, propensity score approach to investigate SI’s potential effects on exam grades and final grades for 1,760 students enrolled in six STEM courses in fall 2015. Our analysis incorporated important demographic variables, as well as survey data on intrinsic factors that are typically unobserved, but potentially related to students’ voluntary SI participation, including academic habits, academic confidence, and connectedness. Our results have implications for future research about SI effectiveness and suggest that adequate assessment of SI impacts can be accomplished without incorporating intrinsic factors.

Authors

• Catherine A. Manly, Fairleigh Dickinson University

• Lin Tang, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Elizabeth A. Williams, University of Massachusetts - Amherst