The Impact of a Goal-Setting Intervention for Engineering Students on Academic Probation

Nicholas A. Bowman (), Nayoung Jang, D. Martin Kivlighan, Nancy Schneider and Xiaomeng Ye
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Nicholas A. Bowman: University of Iowa
Nayoung Jang: University of Iowa
D. Martin Kivlighan: University of Iowa
Nancy Schneider: University of Iowa
Xiaomeng Ye: Indiana University

Research in Higher Education, 2020, vol. 61, issue 1, No 6, 142-166

Abstract: Abstract Many degree-seeking college students struggle academically and ultimately never graduate. Academic challenges and persistence within the major are especially salient issues for students who major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Academic probation serves as a means for informing students that they are at risk of dismissal, and many colleges and universities offer services to help students placed on probation to succeed academically. This paper presents two studies that examined the effectiveness of a goal-setting academic advising intervention for improving the grades of engineering students who were on academic probation; one study used a regression discontinuity design, and the other used an experimental design. The findings of both studies support the same overall conclusion: The intervention notably increased the grades of engineering students on probation who are beyond their first year of college, but it was not effective for students in their first year. This brief academic enhancement intervention appears to constitute a cost-effective strategy for bolstering the academic success of at-risk college students after their first year.

Keywords: Academic probation; College students; Engineering; Goal setting; Academic advising (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1007/s11162-019-09555-x

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