Measuring Convergent and Discriminant Relationships Between HIP Participation and Student Engagement Among Community College Students

• In Event: Innovative Outcomes Assessment Methods

Abstract

For the last decade, researchers have related participation in High-Impact Practices (HIPs) to engagement among students at four-year institutions. What is missing from the literature is a fundamental understanding of community colleges. Using data from more than 100,000 respondents to the Community College Survey of Student Engagement from over 500 institutions, the relationship between HIP participation and student engagement was measured via multilevel modeling. Student-level convergent relationships establish a fundamental understanding between process and outcome, whereas the institutional-level relationships indicate discriminant effects to guide community college policy and practice. Results provide guidance for community college administrators and educators tasked with choosing which HIPs to support, while providing strategies for researchers dealing with self-selection bias when studying HIPs.

Author

• John Zilvinskis, Binghamton University - SUNY