The Impact of Supplemental Instruction on Student Success and Retention of Students at a University in North Carolina

Pia Anderson

Document Type Article

Abstract

This study measured to what extent there is a statistical difference in cumulative GPA, course grade and retention rate between first and second year students who attended Criminal Justice and Philosophy Supplemental Instruction sessions, and students in Criminal Justice and Philosophy who did not attend Supplemental Instruction sessions. In this causal-comparative research study, the researcher analyzed a cause-and-effect relationship, including the independent variables of Supplemental Instruction attendance, and the course. The dependent variables were the students' cumulative GPAs, final course grades and retention. The researcher divided students into six different but not mutually exclusive groups as follows: students enrolled in Introduction to Criminal Justice who attended Supplemental Instruction, students enrolled in Introduction to Criminal Justice who did not attend Supplemental Instruction, students enrolled in Introduction to Philosophy who attended Supplemental Instruction, students enrolled in Introduction to Philosophy who did not attend Supplemental Instruction, students enrolled in either Criminal Justice or Philosophy who attended any Supplemental Instruction, and students enrolled in either Criminal Justice or Philosophy who did not attend any Supplemental Instruction at a university in southeastern North Carolina. The results of this study showed that students who participated in SI sessions had better outcomes than those students who did not participate in SI sessions with regards to cumulative GPA, course grade, and retention. With the exception of one hypothesis test, all of the remaining seven hypothesis tests rejected the null hypothesis of no difference between SI participation groups.