Study Snapshot: Comparing Student Performance on Paper-and-Pencil and Computer-Based-Tests Based on a study of more than 30,000 elementary, middle, and high school students conducted in winter 2015–16, researchers found that elementary and middle school students scored lower on a computer-based test that did not allow them to return to previous items than on two comparable tests—paper- or computer-based—that allowed them to skip, review, and change previous responses. Read more
Study Snapshot: All Aid Is Not Created Equal: Examining the Effects of Unsubsidized Federal Loans on Student Persistence Over Time Preliminary results from this study show that for low-income college students, taking out unsubsidized Stafford loans is detrimental to success. Read more
Study Snapshot: The Development of Adolescents’ Math and English Self-Concept Patterns and Their Associations With College Major Selection This study is one of the first longitudinal analyses of students’ perceptions of their math and English abilities and of how those perceptions relate to choice of college major. Read more
Study Snapshot: Unmasking College Costs: Challenges in the Era of Differential Tuition Practices In recent years, the implementation of differential tuition (DT) practices by colleges and universities—whether in higher-priced fields of STEM and business, or in the liberal arts—has become a prevalent strategy aimed at increasing revenue. Read more
Study Snapshot: Peer Norms as a Predictor of Academic Achievement: An Ecological Perspective Using 2002 U.S. Department of Education data on 9,748 high school sophomores across 747 public and private schools, researchers found that peer values related to academic achievement and working while in school significantly predicted students’ academic achievement scores, regardless of other various student- and school-level factors. Read more
Study Snapshot: Tuition Discounting at Small, Private Baccalaureate Institutions: Reaching a Point of No Return? Tuition discounting (TD), where institutional grants are used to subsidize a student’s educational expense, has become a common practice at four-year institutions. Read more