Interventions in higher education and their effect on student success: a meta-analysis

Sneyers, Eline; Witte, Kristof De

doi:10.1080/00131911.2017.1300874

Cited by 76 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…It is not surprising that Year‐1 performance improved after the Year‐1 standard was raised because this is in line with findings in previous studies that have shown superior performance on tests with higher stakes (ie, higher consequences of performance) or with higher performance standards (ie, higher demands in order to pass). However, it is not in line with previous findings by ourselves and others on the effectiveness of implementing academic dismissal policies . An important difference between the current and these previous studies is that the present study is the first to investigate the effect of setting the minimum standard to be equivalent to the maximum.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

“…Academic dismissal policies are common at universities in the USA and have been applied at Dutch universities for the last two decades. However, the literature on academic dismissal policies is scarce and the limited evidence regarding their impact on study progress is inconclusive . Furthermore, policy interventions shown to be effective in some schools have proved unsuccessful in other disciplines, and their effectiveness depends on characteristics of the student population .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gender‐specific effects of raising Year‐1 standards on medical students' academic performance and stress levels

et al. 2020

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Context: Medical schools are challenged to create academic environments that stimulate students to improve their study progress without compromising their well-being.Objectives: This prospective comparative cohort study investigated the effects of raising Year-1 standards on academic performance and on students' chronic psychological and biological stress levels. Methods:In a Dutch medical school, students within the last Bachelor's degree cohort (n = 410) exposed to the 40/60 (67%) credit Year-1 standard (67%-credit cohort)were compared with students within the first cohort (n = 413) exposed to a 60/60 (100%) credit standard (100%-credit cohort). Main outcome measures were Year-1 pass rate (academic performance), mean score on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS, psychological stress) and hair cortisol concentration (HCC, biological stress). Results:Year-1 pass rates were significantly higher in the 100%-credit cohort (odds ratio [OR] 4.65). Interestingly, there was a significant interaction effect (OR 0.46), indicating that raising the standard was more effective for male than for female students. PSS scores (n = 234 [response rate [RR]: 57%] and n = 244 [RR: 59%] in the 67%-and 100%-credit cohorts, respectively) were also significantly higher in the 100%-credit cohort (F (1,474) = 15.08, P < .001). This applied specifically to female students in the 100%-credit cohort. Levels of HCC (n = 181 [RR: 44%] and n = 162 [RR: 39%] respectively) did not differ between cohorts, but were significantly higher in female students (F (1,332) = 7.93, P < .01). In separate models including cohort and gender, both PSS score (OR 0.91) and HCC (OR 0.38) were significantly associated with Year-1 performance. Only students with both high PSS scores and high HCC values were significantly at risk of lower Year-1 pass rates (OR 0.27), particularly male students. Conclusions:Raising the Year-1 performance standard increased academic performance, most notably in male students. However, it also increased levels of perceived stress, especially in female students. In particular, the combination of high levels of perceived stress and biological stress, as measured by long-term cortisol, was related to poor academic performance. The study suggests a relationship between raising performance standards and student well-being, with differential effects in male and female students. | 539 STEGERS-JAGER ET Al.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender‐specific effects of raising Year‐1 standards on medical students' academic performance and stress levels

et al. 2020

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“…As expected, responses of this kind were more common among first and second-year students in the programme than among more senior students. This finding is consistent with the literature (Bettinger and Baker 2014;Sneyers and De Witte 2017;Tinto 1975) which holds that feelings of support and belonging within the academy may help counter feelings of alienation. As a result, students are more likely to stay the course of their academic trajectory.…”

Section: Mentee Perceived Benefits Of Academic Mentoringsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Importantly, feeling that one does not belong is undisputed in the literature as one of the many reasons behind significant dropout rates in the first year of university globally (Tinto 1975). According to students' reports, benefits associated with having a mentor can be summarised as follows: improved self-confidence, the promotion of friendships and networks, enhanced capacity to adjust to university culture and a new "university student" identity, support in managing personal problems and non-study related matters and assistance with difficult modules (Bettinger and Baker 2014;Du Preez et al 2013;Fox and Stevenson 2006;Sneyers and De Witte 2017).…”

Section: Mentoring Benefits For the Menteementioning

confidence: 99%

Mentee perceptions of beneficence of faculty-centered academic mentoring: Reflections from a pilot program

Phiri

2019

SAJHE

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There are three notable changes that have radically changed the landscape of higher education in South Africa (SA) over the past decade. These changes relate to access which is reflected in the growth of the student body, a movement towards free university education and a call for decolonisation of knowledge recently led by the #FeesMustFall movement in 2015. Academic mentoring can be a reflexive praxis to some of the reported challenges that have been associated with formal and epistemological access in higher education in South Africa. This article draws on the findings of a two-year pilot project (2015 to 2016) that explored academic mentoring within the Faculty of Engineering and Building Studies at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa. The article reflects on mentees' perceptions of the benefits of academic mentoring. The uniqueness of the article is that it highlights the value of mentoring during the transition between the first year at university and subsequent senior years of the students' academic trajectory. A survey approach using an evaluation-based questionnaire was employed in a sample of 14 (n = 14) participants in the first to fourth years of study towards a Bachelor's degree in Engineering. The perspectives of mentees were examined in terms of their experiences of participation and perceived benefits of mentoring, both academic and psychosocial. Generally, a considerable number of mentees who participated in the programme saw academic and psychosocial benefits resulting from their participation. Findings provide key considerations in support of the expansion and continuity of academic mentoring programmes in the Faculty of Engineering and Building Studies and the University at large. Academic mentoring is beneficial to all the stakeholders involved if it is done correctly.

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“…From a theoretical point of view, academic dismissal policies can have heterogeneous implications with respect to student background characteristics, eliciting both mechanisms of encouragement (Benabou and Tirole 2000). The emerging body of (quasi-)experimental results with respect to academic probation are mostly negative with respect to both retention and graduation (Lindo, Sanders, and Oreopoulos 2010;Sneyers and De Witte 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The consequences of academic dismissal for academic success

Cornelisz¹,

Velden

Wolf

et al. 2019

Studies in Higher Education

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Academic dismissal policies are increasingly implemented to promote academic success, with existing empirical evidence mostly restricted to short-run outcomes. This study examines long-term academic outcomes of academic dismissal for two cohorts (N = 1707) of first-year bachelor students in Economics and Business at a Dutch university. Using administrative records, regression discontinuity design estimates suggest that academic dismissal does not relate to a difference in the propensity of graduation, nor to a change in study delay, when comparing students around the academic dismissal threshold. Not meeting this creditthreshold forces students to leave, and most decide to re-enroll in the same (43.4%) program elsewhere or at least within the academic domain (41.9%). Thus, while academic dismissal forces students to switch, its intended purpose of redirecting students to a different field of study is not observed. Implications for why academic dismissal might not deliver on the intended efficiency or effectiveness gains are discussed.

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Interventions in higher education and their effect on student success: a meta-analysis

Cited by 76 publications

References 28 publications

Gender‐specific effects of raising Year‐1 standards on medical students' academic performance and stress levels

Gender‐specific effects of raising Year‐1 standards on medical students' academic performance and stress levels

Mentee perceptions of beneficence of faculty-centered academic mentoring: Reflections from a pilot program

The consequences of academic dismissal for academic success

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