First Generation and Low Income Students: Using the NSSE Data To Study Effective Educational Practices and Students. Self-Reported Gains. AIR 2002 Forum Paper

Increasing access to higher education for first-generation and low-income students was the primary motivation for the establishment of the federally funded TRIP programs. This study, using data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) obtained through data sharing among several urban institutions, compared TRIO-eligible students and non-TRIO eligible students on their engagement in three effective educational practices: active learning, student-faculty interaction, and student-peer interaction. Also compared were student self-reported gains on measures of cognitive and affective development. Findings suggest that for both sample populations, engagement in educational practices was positively related to their cognitive and affective growth during college. Results also indicate that the relative importance of these effective educational practices to student outcomes varied somewhat for students in the two sampled populations. Findings show that low-income, first-generation students tend to benefit more from educational practices that involve them in class presentations or participation in class discussions and from activities that engage them in a collaborative learning process. One appendix lists institutions involved in the data share, and the other describes the beneficial educational practices. (Contains 6 tables and 22 references.) (SLD)