Do high achieving students benefit from honors college participation? A look at student engagement for first-year students and seniors

Abstract

This study investigates findings from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), comparing various aspects of student engagement between Honors College and general education students. Responses from 1,339 Honors College students and 7,191 general education students across 15 different universities suggest a positive impact for Honors College participation on reflective and integrative learning, use of learning strategies, collaborative learning, diverse discussions, and student-faculty interaction for first-year students, even when controlling for other student and institutional characteristics. For senior students, Honors College participation suggested more frequent student-faculty interaction. Potential experiential and curricular reasons for these differences are discussed.