Abstract
Most of the research on the effects of college on students that examines the influences of institutional characteristics—what
Pascarella and Terenzini (How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass 1991) called “between-college” effects—indicate that the descriptors typically used (e.g., size, type of control, curricular mission,
selectivity) are generally poor predictors of between-college differences in virtually any student outcome once students’ precollege characteristics are controlled (economic and occupational attainment are the sole
exceptions). Researchers have speculated that the conventional descriptors are too distal from students’ experiences to have
much effect on differences in outcomes. The between-college effects literature, moreover, concerns itself almost exclusively
with the direct effects of institutional characteristics. Using data from a nationally representative study of engineering
programs on 31 campuses, this study explores two propositions: (1) that the effects of institutional characteristics in the
college effects process are indirect, shaping the kinds of experiences students have, and (2) that institutions’ internal
“organizational context” features (e.g., programs, policies, and faculty culture) have more influence on students’ learning-related
experiences than do institutions structural characteristics (e.g., type of control, size, wealth, or selectivity). Findings
lend modest support to both propositions.
Pascarella and Terenzini (How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass 1991) called “between-college” effects—indicate that the descriptors typically used (e.g., size, type of control, curricular mission,
selectivity) are generally poor predictors of between-college differences in virtually any student outcome once students’ precollege characteristics are controlled (economic and occupational attainment are the sole
exceptions). Researchers have speculated that the conventional descriptors are too distal from students’ experiences to have
much effect on differences in outcomes. The between-college effects literature, moreover, concerns itself almost exclusively
with the direct effects of institutional characteristics. Using data from a nationally representative study of engineering
programs on 31 campuses, this study explores two propositions: (1) that the effects of institutional characteristics in the
college effects process are indirect, shaping the kinds of experiences students have, and (2) that institutions’ internal
“organizational context” features (e.g., programs, policies, and faculty culture) have more influence on students’ learning-related
experiences than do institutions structural characteristics (e.g., type of control, size, wealth, or selectivity). Findings
lend modest support to both propositions.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-30
- DOI 10.1007/s11162-012-9269-0
- Authors
- Hyun Kyoung Ro, Institutional Research and Analysis, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, UTDC Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Patrick T. Terenzini, Higher Education Program and Center for the Study of Higher Education, Pennsylvania State University, 400 Rackley Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Alexander C. Yin, Office of Planning and Institutional Assessment, Pennsylvania State University, 502 Rider, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Journal Research in Higher Education
- Online ISSN 1573-188X
- Print ISSN 0361-0365