Publications and presentations

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The Center for Postsecondary Research's staff actively conducts and presents scholarly research on students, faculty, and institutional quality. Please visit the NSSE website or our blog, NSSE Sightings for our latest research.

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 709
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    Connecting College Student Civic Engagement and Cultural Center Involvement
    (2024-03) Copeland, Oliva M., Feldman, Steven, BrckaLorenz, Allison
    In this study, we explore the relationship between cultural center involvement and college students’ civic engagement outcomes. We utilize data from a large-scale, multi-institutional data set to run a series of regression analyses. Findings indicate that participating in the activities of a cultural center positively correlates with higher levels of civic engagement skills and abilities as well as frequency of civic engagement. We also used effect coding in our models to explore sub-group differences within gender, sexual, and racial identity categories. Disaggregating by identity, our results indicate some disparities among students prior to considering their cultural center involvement. These findings present a significant counter to the widespread attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, evidencing the continued relevance and positive influence of cultural centers on all students.
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    Investigating the Campus Pride Index’s Relationship to Perceived Student Support
    (2024-03) Copeland, Olivia M., Feldman, Steven, BrckaLorenz, Allison
    The Campus Pride Index (CPI) is often used as a litmus test for assessing the level of LGBTQ+ inclusion and support within higher education institutions. However, little research has explicitly examined the relationship between CPI rating and LGBTQ+ students’ perceptions of supportiveness. To explore this, we analyzed 118,244 student responses about their institution’s support for diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Results indicate that at top-rated CPI institutions, LGBQ+ students had lower perceptions of support than their peers. We discuss the implications of these results, focusing on how institutions may uncritically utilize CPI as the ceiling for LGBTQ+ support rather than a minimum, with ideas for how student affairs practitioners can utilize CPI while also going beyond CPI’s metrics.
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    Assessing College Student Mental Health and Well-Being: Implications for Campus Support and Promising Practice
    (2024-01) Kinzie, Jillian; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Chambers, Tony; Huber, Susan; Yuhas, Bridget
    Concern about college students’ mental health and the need for institutions to provide more support are on the rise. This session will draw from three research projects—Student Well-Being Institutional Support Survey (SWISS), National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Mental Health & Well-Being module, and the Center for Healthy Minds and Human Flourishing course—to combine assessments and expand understanding of student mental health, perceptions of support, and effective interventions. We will highlight the most current and important findings about college student mental health and well-being, discuss implications for colleges and universities and considerations for equity, and exchange ideas about campus interventions that show the most promise.
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    Examining campus support systems for LGBQ+ college students' mental health and well-being
    (2023-11) Feldman, Steven; BrckaLorenz, Allison
    In this study, we explore LGBQ+ college students’ experiences related to mental health and wellbeing, using the Proud & Thriving Framework. Our research utilizes a large scale, multi-institutional, quantitative and qualitative data set that includes a variety of institutional types and geographic locations across the United States. We use a series of OLS regression analyses and descriptive analyses to explore LGBQ+ students’ difficulties, support networks, knowledge about institution-provided supports, and student-suggested ways that their institution has supported their mental health and well-being. We find that large portions of LGBQ+ students do not know how to get help with various difficulties and that students within the LGBQ+ community had differing relationships with risks and supports depending on their specific LGBQ+ identity such as asexual students struggling less with workload-related issues and pansexual students struggling more with health-related issues than their LGBQ+ peers. We conclude with suggestions for campus staff, faculty, and higher education researchers on tangible ways that they can work to improve campus environments and experiences for LGBQ+ college students.
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    Beyond Demographics: Incorporating Equitable and Inclusive Language about Student Identities in Surveys
    (2023-10) Miller, Angela; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Kilgo, Cindy Ann; Priddie, Christen; Wenger, Kevin; Zhu, Yihan
    A new workgroup within the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) focuses on Equity in Survey Design, Administration, Analysis, and Reporting (ESDAR). The workgroup has made changes to survey items for the 2023 administration. These revisions were aimed at more inclusive and equitable language, particularly related to items asking about student identities such as gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, first-generation status, and Greek life participation. Attendees will learn about the rationale behind these revisions, and be asked to reflect on whether their own institutional assessments use equitable and inclusive language.
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    Training, Engagement, and Gains
    (Indiana University National Survey of Student Engagement, 2023) NSSE
    Tables showing differences in Engagement Indicators and gains by training (no training compared to formal or informal)
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    Gains and Feedback
    (Indiana University National Survey of Student Engagement, 2023) NSSE
    Tables showing the differences in gains between feedback/no feedback groups
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    Gains and Feedback
    (Indiana University National Survey of Student Engagement, 2023) NSSE
    A table showing the difference in gains by feedback/no feedback tutoring groups.
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    Peer Tutoring & Encountering Difficulty item set
    (Indiana University National Survey of Student Engagement, 2022) NSSE, 2022
    Peer Tutoring & Encountering Difficulty were items appended to the NSSE 2022 core survey.
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    Measuring students’ socioeconomic status using different frameworks and analyses
    (2023-06) Hu, Tien-Ling; BrckaLorenz, Allison
    Different from the traditional measures of SES using proxies for economic capital such as low-income status and federal financial aid that do not include all the theoretical considerations of SES, this session compiles several SES and cultural capital-related frameworks, survey items, and data analyses and present several alternative ways to measure SES in the field of higher education. Audiences in this session will learn about several SES measures and data analyses. In addition to the presentation, an interactive discussion will be demonstrated to create a mutual learning environment between presenters and audiences. The session provides researchers with alternative ways to study student success for the low-income student population in higher education.
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    Building on Tradition: Approaches to More Inclusive Data Analysis
    (2023-05) BrckaLorenz, Allison; Hu, Tien-Ling
    Institutional research and assessment depends heavily on our ability to characterize the students we study into categories and on our inclination to generalize the results. Although this work is necessary for understanding student experiences, it does present challenges for critical and inclusive approaches to data analysis. In this session, we will discuss common issues and solutions associated with inclusive data analysis by investigating a series of data analysis examples that feature small sample sizes for marginalized students. We will discuss traditional variable-centered versus person-centered methodological approaches, strategies for creating groups to use in comparative analyses, challenges in quantitatively capturing aspects of identity, and tips for communicating the results, validity, and data quality of such analyses to broad audiences.
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    First Year Seminars' Influence on Student Engagement and Belonging
    (NSSE and the Center for Postsecondary Research, 2023-02-05) Kinzie, Jillian; Wenger, Kevin
    First-Year seminars (FYS) have been vigorously studied and found to positively influence persistence, engagement, and student success. This session will explore new research from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to understand the relationship between seminars and student engagement, intent to return, and sense of belonging, and how results vary by a range of student identities. Even more, new results from NSSE 2022 distinguish the influence of a success skills-based course from an academic first-year seminar. Join us to explore this evidence and discuss what it suggests for efforts to enhance engagement and equity in first-year student success.
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    Sense of Belonging in the First Year of College
    (2023-02-04) Wenger, Kevin; Cole, James
    Abstract: Studies have demonstrated the important role of sense of belonging to first-year persistence and overall academic success. Using data from the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), this session will examine entering first-year student expected academic expectations, beliefs, and prior experiences that influence sense of belonging for students near the end of their first-year of college. Results will focus in interventions that can increase social sense of belonging, as well as ways to identify students that may benefit from efforts to increase sense of belonging on their campus.
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    Changing Expectations? Trends in Student Engagement Expectations and Academic Beliefs
    (2023-02-06) Cole, James; Kinzie, Jillian
    Changing Expectations? Trends in Student Engagement Expectations and Academic Beliefs
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    Intersectionality and Sense of Belonging: Unpacking the Student Veteran Experience
    (2022-08) Morris, Phillip Allen; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Burke, Jim; Chamis, Ella; Russell, Alethia; Weiss, Jennifer
    Military veterans are increasingly diverse students with multiple identity intersections. Using variable- and person-centered analyses with data from NSSE (n= 12,668), we examined impacts of veterans’ diverse identities on the multi-item factors Sense of Belonging, Collaborative Learning, Student-Faculty Interaction, and Quality of Interactions. Policy and practice implications are discussed.
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    Sense of Belonging and First Year Student Success
    (2022-10-03) Cole, James; Kinzie, Jillian
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    Making the Switch From Static to Dashboard Reporting
    (2022-06-07) BrckaLorenz, Allison; Cole, James; Hu, Tien-Ling; Kinzie, Jillian
    Different from the traditional static reports, dynamic online reporting is more efficient to communicate findings to decision makers. Making the switch from traditional static reporting to new online interactive dashboards can be a daunting task. Participants in this session will learn about several large-scale national survey center projects that made the switch from static to dashboard reporting. Interactive discussions will focus on four topics: (1) motivations, internal and external, for implementing a switch to dashboard reporting; (2) advantages and successes in making the switch; (3) challenges, concerns, and potential solutions for moving to dashboards; and (4) resources that are useful for implementation and maintenance of dynamic reports. Join us for this discussion about making the transition from static to interactive online reporting and prepare to leave with a commitment to making the switch yourself!
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    Examining Black STEM Students' Experiences with Collaborative Learning
    (2022-04) Priddie, Christen
    Educators continue to examine how to increase Black student representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields in higher education. There is an increased call to implement collaborative learning in STEM classrooms, but current implementations do not articulate how collaborative learning can be culturally relevant for Black students. Using a critical approach, the purpose of the current study was to establish knowledge of Black STEM students’ collaborative learning experiences. Results showed that Black STEM students valued the maintenance of their contributions in collaborative learning while placing little value in being recognized for their collaborative contributions. The current study highlighted how STEM educators should center Black STEM students’ values and experiences while transforming an active learning practices already being implemented.