Each year, many students with affordable college options and the academic skills needed to succeed do not enroll at all, enroll at institutions where they are not well-positioned for success, or drop out of college before earning a credential. Efforts to address these challenges have included changes in financial aid policy, increased availability of information, and enhanced academic support. This volume argues that the efficacy of these strategies can be improved by taking account of contemporary research on how students make choices. In Decision Making for Student Success, scholars from the fields of behavioral economics, education, and public policy explore contemporary research on decision-making and highlight behavioral insights that can improve postsecondary access and success. This exciting volume will provide scholars, researchers, and higher education administrators with valuable perspectives and low-cost strategies that they can employ to improve outcomes for underserved populations.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Sandy Baum, Benjamin L. Castleman, and Saul Schwartz
Chapter 1
Behavioral Economics and Postsecondary Access: A Primer
Benjamin L. Castleman, Sandy Baum, and Saul Schwartz
Chapter 2
Motivation, Behavior, and Performance in the Workplace: Insights for Student Success in Higher Education
Charles Kurose
Chapter 3
Student Aid, Student Behavior, and Educational Attainment
Sandy Baum and Saul Schwartz
Chapter 4
How Can Financial Incentives Improve the Success of Disadvantaged College Students? Insights from the Social Sciences
Nicole M. Stephens and Sarah S. M. Townsend
Chapter 5
Prompts, Personalization, And Pay-Offs: Strategies To Improve The Design And Delivery Of College And Financial Aid Information
Benjamin L. Castleman
Chapter 6
The Shapeless River: Does a Lack of Structure Inhibit Students’ Progress at Community Colleges?
Judith Scott-Clayton
Chapter 7
Prepare for class, attend, and participate! Incentives and student success in college
Robert M. Shireman and Joshua A. Price
Chapter 8
Behavioral Nudges for College Success: Research, Impact, and Possibilities
Jill Frankfort, Ross E. O’Hara, and Kenneth Salim
Glossary
