Bridges, Maps, and Fare
How Underrepresented Students Use Educational Equity Programs to Access Routes to Engagement and Academic Success
Contact Us
Vasti Torres
Director
vatorres@indiana.edu
(812) 856-2076
Robert K. Toutkoushian
Project Director
Spencer Study on Educational Equity Programs
rtoutkou@uga.edu
(812) 856-1506
Mary Ziskin
Senior Associate Director
mziskin@indiana.edu
(812) 856-1506
Project on Academic Success
1900 E. Tenth Street
Eigenmann Hall
Suite 630
Bloomington, IN 47406-7512
Research Methodology
The Spencer Study on Educational Equity Programs seeks a better understanding of how underrepresented students move through the postsecondary education system and whether interventions, such as the Twenty-first Century Scholars (TFCS) program, affect their educational routes and destinations. Given the breadth of the study’s conceptual framework and research questions (see below) and the need to describe and control for the effects of sociocultural contexts on academic success, our study employs a variety of research methodologies: ordinary least-squares (OLS) regression, hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), and structural equation modeling (SEM). To account for the effects of self-selection, the study uses two-stage selection models with appropriate instrumental variables and propensity score matching. The dependent outcomes of interest for all methods are detailed below.
Outcomes of Interest
Self-Selection Techniques
Early Interest in Going to College: The student indicated an interest in going to college in the 9thgrade, took the PSAT, took the SAT, completed the FAFSA, and/or plans to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree.
Early Interest in Attending a Particular Institution: The student sent SAT scores to any postsecondary IHE, a four-year postsecondary IHE, a four-year private IHE, at least one in-state four-year postsecondary IHE, at least one out-of-state four-year postsecondary IHE, and/or at least one highly selective four-year postsecondary IHE.
Actual Enrollment Behavior: The student enrolled in any postsecondary IHE in Indiana, a four-year postsecondary IHE in Indiana, or a four-year private IHE in Indiana.
Postsecondary Outcomes: The student’s persistence to a second year in an in-state IHE, persistence to a third year in an in-state IHE, report of being highly engaged along certain dimensions while in postsecondary education, college GPA, and completion of a certificate or degree.
Ordinary Least Squares Regression
The student’s GPA and attempted credit-hour totals at end of first, second, and third years of enrollment
Structural Equation Modeling
The student’s GPA, degree or certificate, engagement, year-to-year persistence, and academic momentum
Logistic Regression
The student’s college enrollment, year-to-year persistence, continuous persistence, degree or certificate attainment, and transfer to another campus/institution
Hierarchical Linear Modeling
The student’s college enrollment, controlling for high school contexts; total credit hours attempted at the end of the first year of enrollment; and year-to-year persistence
Data Sources and Data to Be Analyzed
ICPAC survey of all 9th-grade students in 1998.
Student postsecondary educational aspirations, highest degree to which students aspire, self-reported student grades, highest level of parental education, primary language spoken at home, and career aspirations.
SAT and PSAT Questionnaire.
Educational aspirations (highest level of planned education, initial choice set of postsecondary institutions), demographics (gender, race/ethnicity), socioeconomic measures (family income, highest level of parental education), academic preparation, and academic performance (high school GPA, class rank, SAT/PSAT scores). Data are available only on the cohort subset of those who have taken the SAT or PSAT.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Includes all application and award data for students who apply for and receive aid throughout Indiana. Data elements include family and student income; postsecondary institution of potential or actual attendance; the institution’s status as private, public, in- or out-of-state; aid amounts offered; and final aid amount disbursed. Aid amounts are broken out by source (federal, state, institutional, or other) and type (grants, loans, or gift aid). State aid is disaggregated by specific type, including TFCS and FOB. These data are available only on cohort students who filed FAFSAs.
Indiana Department of Education.
Data on each student’s high school and school corporation, including per-pupil expenditures, the percentage of students who have taken an Advanced Placement (AP) course, the percentage of students who have enrolled in an English as a Second Language (ESL) course, and indicators of the socioeconomic status (the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, the educational attainment levels of adults in the community, the percentage of families with children living below the poverty line, and the percentage of single-parent families).