Graduation Year

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Adult, Career and Higher Education

Major Professor

Thomas E. Miller, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Amber D. Dumford, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick, Ph.D.

Committee Member

W. Robert Sullins, Ed.D.

Keywords

Engagement, High-Impact, Honors, NSSE

Abstract

This research study investigated the relationship between membership in the Honors College and senior-level students’ self-reported involvement in high-impact educational activities and their perceived gains from their college experience. This quantitative study analyzed secondary data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collected from senior-level students in Spring 2017 at a large, four-year, public research institution in the southeast United States.

A logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationships between the involvement in high-impact educational activities and Honors College membership. The relationship between Honors College membership and several high-impact activities were found to be significant (p<.05), which included participation in a leadership role, study abroad, research with faculty and a senior capstone experience. Since membership in Honors was found to significantly contribute to participation in four out of the six high-impact practices listed in NSSE, it could be said that generally, at the particular institution in this study, Honors students are more likely than Non-Honors students to participate in high-impact learning activities.

Then, a multiple linear regression analysis of the relationship between Honors College membership and the students’ perceived gains was conducted, controlling for possible extraneous demographic, pre enrollment, and enrollment variables. There were no statistically significant relationships between any of the perceived gains and membership in the Honors College. Implications for practice and working with Honors students in higher education were discussed.

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