Is More Always Better? The Curvilinear Relationships between College Student Experiences and Outcomes
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Is More Always Better? The Curvilinear Relationships between College Student Experiences and Outcomes Nicholas A. Bowman 1 & Teniell L. Trolian 2
# Springer Science+Business Media New York 2017
Abstract Many higher education studies have examined linear relationships between student experiences and outcomes, but this assumption may be questionable. In two notable examples previous research that assumed a linear relationship reached different substantive conclusions and implications than did research that explored non-linear associations among the same constructs. Indeed, many relationships between college experiences and outcomes may actually be curvilinear; this study explored that possibility within a large, multi-institutional, longitudinal dataset. As expected, most of the significant positive relationships were accompanied by significant curvilinear associations, such that the magnitude of the relationship decreased with higher levels of involvement. Keywords College students . Curvilinear relationships . College experiences . Student outcomes The body of research literature on college student experiences and outcomes is voluminous (Feldman & Newcomb, 1969; Mayhew et al., 2016; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991, 2005). Many of these studies have examined the frequency of participation in various forms of student engagement, which is indicated by either the number of hours per week or relatively
Nicholas A. Bowman is Professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies as well as the Director of the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education at the University of Iowa. He received a Ph.D. and two M.A.s from the University of Michigan, along with a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Teniell L. Trolian is Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She received a Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Iowa, an M.A. from Bowling Green State University, and a B.A. from The Ohio State University. The authors can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].
* Nicholas A. Bowman [email protected]
1
Center for Research on Undergraduate Education, University of Iowa, N438A Lindquist Center, Iowa City, IA, USA
2
Department of Educational Policy and Leadership, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA
Innov High Educ
vague response options (e.g., ranging from Bnever^ to Bvery often^). Researchers often claim that the presence of a significant, positive relationship between engagement and a desired outcome indicates that this experience should probably be promoted, while a negative relationship suggests that it should be reduced or avoided. No relationship means that there may not be a meaningful association. However, these studies may violate an often overlooked assumption: that the relationship between a predictor and outcome is linear (Cohen, Cohen, West, & Aiken, 2003; Pedhazur, 1997; Tabachnick & Fidell, 2013). The examination of non-linear relationships is st
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