Increasing Academic Success in College: What Are the Benefits of Participating in an Honors Program? (Poster 20)

• In Event: Sunday Poster Session 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Division J: Assessing College Student Success and Impact Poster Session

Abstract

Honors programs can be a means to support high-ability students in developing their full potential. In this study, we answer who enrolls and what outcomes are observed by leveraging a large administrative university database with over 30,000 students, observing 6 cohorts over six years of college-going. Results indicate that high school GPA is by far the most potent predictor of who participates in honors programs. After applying a propensity weighting approach to balance the two groups, we found that participation in honors increases a slew of academic and behavioral outcomes including grades, units taken, graduation rates, and the breadth of courses taken. Therefore, educational stakeholders are recommended to understand the precise aspects of these programs that bolster student success.

Authors

• Gabe Avakian Orona, Boston College

• Mingjing Zhu, Universität Tübingen

• Christian Fischer, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen