Coming Back Strong: Undergraduate Honors Students and Intent to Return After the First Year

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Research on Creativity, Talent Development, and Giftedness Roundtable 1

Abstract

This study extends research on the importance of specialized programming and curriculum for gifted individuals to those at the postsecondary level, using data from the 2019 and 2020 administrations of National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to explore honors program participation and intent to return in a sample of 8,810 first-year students at 11 universities. A binary logistic regression model suggests that even after controlling for demographic and institutional characteristics, honors program participation is a positive predictor of intention to return to an institution for the following school year. This finding supports the important role of honors programs within colleges and universities, providing evidence for the positive outcome of retention for first-year students.

Authors

• Angie L. Miller, Indiana University

• Andrew Cognard-Black, St. Mary's College of Maryland