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Taking a Break, or Taking a Class? Examining the Effects of Incentivized Summer Enrollment on Student Persistence

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Abstract

This study examines the effects of an incentivized summer enrollment initiative on student persistence. In particular, we analyze how participation in summer classes (at least 3 credit hours) affect students’ likelihood to reenroll in the fall semester at a two-year, private, technical college in Boston. The novel initiative, which provides eligible students with a free summer class of up to four credits, was launched in academic year 2010–2011. We obtained data for five consecutive cohorts since implementation at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology. To study its effects, we build on the framework of academic momentum, human capital theory, and draw from the behavioral economics literature. To better account for potential selection bias in the estimation, this study employs two propensity score matching techniques, including a doubly robust design. We find that attending summer classes is associated with significant increases in students’ chances to persist and reenroll in the fall semester. More specifically, we estimate the average treatment effect (ATE) and average treatment effect on the treated (ATET) to be between 30 and 32%. Results also show a higher percentage of students enrolling in summer classes at this institution (35%) when compared to national rates. Based on our results and previous findings in the literature, we argue there is mounting evidence that attending summer session increases student persistence and degree completion, and that the combination of summer enrollment with well-designed incentive structures can enhance positive effects further. Implications for policy and educational practice are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the administration and staff at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology. Without their support, this project would not have been possible. We would also like to thank Jennifer Delaney and other session discussants, and anonymous reviewers that provided invaluable feedback for earlier versions of this work, presented at annual conferences of the Association for the Study of Higher Education and the American Educational Research Association.

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  1. College of Education & Human Development, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., W-01-77D, Boston, MA, 02125, USA

    Ray Franke

  2. Manchester Community College, 1066 Front Street, Manchester, NH, 03102, USA

    Brian Bicknell

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  1. Ray Franke
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Correspondence to Ray Franke.

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Franke, R., Bicknell, B. Taking a Break, or Taking a Class? Examining the Effects of Incentivized Summer Enrollment on Student Persistence. Res High Educ 60, 606–635 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-018-9527-x

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