Essays on the Economics of College Access and Completion
Lapid, P. A. (2017). (Doctoral dissertation, UC Berkeley).
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examining10,629Students, gradePS
Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: July 2021
- Practice Guide (findings for Fall Program for Freshmen)
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it uses a quasi-experimental design in which the analytic intervention and comparison groups satisfy the baseline equivalence requirement.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall GPA |
Fall Program for Freshmen vs. Business as usual |
6 Years |
Full sample;
|
3.39 |
3.41 |
Yes |
|
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Graduated in 6 years (post-matriculation, bachelor's) |
Fall Program for Freshmen vs. Business as usual |
11 Semesters |
Full sample;
|
94.30 |
91.00 |
Yes |
|
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Graduated in 4 years (post-matriculation, bachelor's) |
Fall Program for Freshmen vs. Business as usual |
7 Semesters |
Full sample;
|
75.60 |
71.00 |
Yes |
|
||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 60%
Male: 40% -
Urban
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California
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Race Asian 44% Black 4% Other or unknown 22% White 30% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 12% Not Hispanic or Latino 89%
Study Details
Setting
The study is set at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, including its UC Berkeley Extension, which is where the Fall Program for Freshmen (FPF) is housed. Instruction for the program takes place at the UC Berkeley Extension, four blocks south of the main campus. The program has been offered since 1983.
Study sample
The weighted sample characteristics are as follows: 43.7% Asian, 30.4% White, 3.6% Black, and 22.3% Other. The sample was 11.5% Latino/Hispanic and 60% female. The majority (88.7%) were California residents. Over a quarter (27.3%) of the sample's parents did not hold a 4-year college degree.
Intervention Group
In Fall Program for Freshmen (FPF), students are offered a menu of introductory courses for first year students. These courses are taught at the UC Berkeley Extension and typically have smaller class sizes than other introductory courses. They also receive FPF advising (housed in the same extension facility where they receive instruction) as well as the standard advising that all students receive. If their GPA falls below 2.0 in the 8th week of the semester, they have a required meeting with their FPF advisor. There is regular, ongoing discussion between FPF advisors and the instructors. The cost of FPF is dramatically lower than for regular tuition ($75 versus $2,400), and students are eligible for university housing and can participate in social and cultural activities.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison condition were regularly admitted students who matriculated in the fall semester. They had access to business as usual services at the school including advising, orientation and other student services.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).