Nearly all quantitative analyses in higher education draw from incomplete datasets-a common problem with no universal solution. In the first part of this paper, we explain why missing data matter and outline the advantages and disadvantages of six common methods for handling missing data. Next, we analyze real-world data from 5,905 students across…

Organizational and applied sciences have long struggled with improving causal inference in quasi-experiments. We introduce organizational researchers to propensity scoring, a statistical technique that has become popular in other applied sciences as a means for improving internal validity. Propensity scoring statistically models how individuals in…

To determine the impact of college experiences, it is critical to have measures of student learning and development that are valid, reliable, and affordable. Data on student outcomes are useful not only to institutions that want to assess their students' growth but also to external constituencies, such as federal and state governments, that demand…

Education research rarely lends itself to large scale experimental research and true randomization, leaving the researcher to quasi-experimental designs. The problem with quasi-experimental research is that underlying factors may impact group selection and lead to potentially biased results. One way to minimize the impact of non-randomization is…

This paper zeroes in on a subset of descriptors and predictors of undergraduate success, namely those which are neither cognitive measures (such as, high school grade point averages or aptitude test scores) nor personality test variables. The descriptors and predictors considered are broadly classed as: high school related; family and peer…

Social facilitation can be defined as the effect of an audience or coactors on performance. Research on social facilitation effects has produced some contradictory and confusing findings. Some studies have found that the presence of others enhances performance; other studies have found that the presence of an audience or coactors impairs…

Found low intercorrelations among social involvement, academic achievement, and occupational aspiration in a national sample of Black undergraduates attending predominantly White, State-supported universities. Suggests that future research on Black student success should explore factors internal to the person, institutional characteristics, and…

Self-selection bias poses a major threat to the validity of research findings in naturalistic, quasi-experimental, or single-group designs. A new method of addressing self-selection bias in naturalistic evaluations of prevention programs was implemented. The study, involving voluntary exposure to multicomponent interventions, was developed and…