Words of Warning: A Randomized Study of the Impact of Assorted Warning Letters on Academic Probation Students

IF 1.7 Q2 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Brian G. Moss, Ben Kelcey
{"title":"Words of Warning: A Randomized Study of the Impact of Assorted Warning Letters on Academic Probation Students","authors":"Brian G. Moss, Ben Kelcey","doi":"10.1177/00915521221087285","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Objective: Superiority experiments supply a critical lens to probe higher education interventions because they can dismantle the collective effect of a program and identify the relative contribution of the core components. However, such lines of inquiry are generally absent in higher education literature. We draw on experimental data to probe the dominant mechanisms of a simple but promising academic probation intervention. Methods: We used a 2 × 2 factorial experiment designed to unpack the effects of an academic probation intervention and identify the dominant mechanism. Within this framework, 500 academic probation students were assigned to one of four treatment conditions or a control condition. Treatment groups were assigned to receive notification of academic probation status by either certified or regular mail (factor A) that contained either a standard or embellished letter (factor B). Results: We found that students who received embellished warning letters significantly improved subsequent academic performance. The impact on performance was 0.35 grade points when notification sent by regular mail and amplified to 0.48 grade points when sent via certified mail. The routine notification communication message did not differ from the treatment as usual method regardless of mail delivery method. Conclusions: These findings suggest the availability of low-cost, scalable interventions are available and can be identified to positively impact at-risk students’ academic achievement.","PeriodicalId":46564,"journal":{"name":"Community College Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2022-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Community College Review","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00915521221087285","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective: Superiority experiments supply a critical lens to probe higher education interventions because they can dismantle the collective effect of a program and identify the relative contribution of the core components. However, such lines of inquiry are generally absent in higher education literature. We draw on experimental data to probe the dominant mechanisms of a simple but promising academic probation intervention. Methods: We used a 2 × 2 factorial experiment designed to unpack the effects of an academic probation intervention and identify the dominant mechanism. Within this framework, 500 academic probation students were assigned to one of four treatment conditions or a control condition. Treatment groups were assigned to receive notification of academic probation status by either certified or regular mail (factor A) that contained either a standard or embellished letter (factor B). Results: We found that students who received embellished warning letters significantly improved subsequent academic performance. The impact on performance was 0.35 grade points when notification sent by regular mail and amplified to 0.48 grade points when sent via certified mail. The routine notification communication message did not differ from the treatment as usual method regardless of mail delivery method. Conclusions: These findings suggest the availability of low-cost, scalable interventions are available and can be identified to positively impact at-risk students’ academic achievement.
警告信:不同警告信对留校察看学生影响的随机研究
目的:优势实验为探索高等教育干预提供了一个重要视角,因为它们可以消除一个项目的集体效应,并确定核心组成部分的相对贡献。然而,在高等教育文献中通常缺乏这样的探究线。我们利用实验数据来探讨一个简单但有前途的学术缓刑干预的主要机制。方法:采用2 × 2的析因实验来分析留校察看干预的影响,并确定其主要机制。在这个框架内,500名学术见习学生被分配到四种治疗条件或控制条件中的一种。实验组被分配通过认证邮件或普通邮件(因素A)收到学术试用状态通知,其中包含标准或修饰的信件(因素B)。结果:我们发现收到修饰警告信的学生随后的学习成绩显着提高。当通过普通邮件发送通知时,对性能的影响为0.35分,而当通过认证邮件发送通知时,对性能的影响扩大到0.48分。无论邮件传递方式如何,常规通知通信消息与常规处理方法没有区别。结论:这些发现表明,低成本、可扩展的干预措施是可行的,并且可以确定对高危学生的学业成绩产生积极影响。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Community College Review
Community College Review EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-
CiteScore
2.40
自引率
7.70%
发文量
22
期刊介绍: The Community College Review (CCR) has led the nation for over 35 years in the publication of scholarly, peer-reviewed research and commentary on community colleges. CCR welcomes manuscripts dealing with all aspects of community college administration, education, and policy, both within the American higher education system as well as within the higher education systems of other countries that have similar tertiary institutions. All submitted manuscripts undergo a blind review. When manuscripts are not accepted for publication, we offer suggestions for how they might be revised. The ultimate intent is to further discourse about community colleges, their students, and the educators and administrators who work within these institutions.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信