Teagle Foundation Grant
“Assessing Classmate Peer Effects on Student Learning: Statistical and Qualitative Evidence for Gateway Courses at Three Liberal-Arts Colleges”
Grant Description
Reed College has received a three-year grant to partner with Whitman College and Lewis & Clark College on a collaborative study on the classroom peer effects in required courses for first-year students. We are studying classmate peer effects in college-wide first-year courses using a methodology that combines quantitative regression analysis of student data with qualitative evidence obtained from interviews with experienced course instructors. Through this method we hope to arrive at a fuller understanding of the degree to which students are helped—or hindered—by the composition of their classes. Following two years of analysis, Reed will host a symposium in the third year of the conference to detail the findings of this project, and to spur discussion about the degree to which colleges may improve student performance by adjusting class enrollments. Jeffrey Parker, George Hay Professor of Economics at Reed College, is the principal investigator.
