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Do Learning Communities Increase First Year College Retention? Testing Sample Selection and External Validity of Randomized Control Trials

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Listed:
  • Tarek Azzam
  • Michael Bates

    (Department of Economics, University of California Riverside)

  • David Fairris

Abstract

Voluntary selection into experimental samples is ubiquitous and may lead researchers to question the external validity of experimental findings. We introduce tests for sample selection on unobserved variables to discern the generalizability of randomized control trials. We estimate the impact of a learning community on first-year college retention using an RCT, and employ our tests in this setting. Intent-to-treat and local-average-treatment-effect estimates reveal no discernable programmatic effects. Our tests reveal that the experimental sample is positively selected on unobserved characteristics suggesting limited external validity. Finally, we compare observational and experimental estimates, considering the internal and external validity of both approaches to reflect on within-study comparisons themselves.

Suggested Citation

  • Tarek Azzam & Michael Bates & David Fairris, 2020. "Do Learning Communities Increase First Year College Retention? Testing Sample Selection and External Validity of Randomized Control Trials," Working Papers 202022, University of California at Riverside, Department of Economics, revised Jul 2020.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucr:wpaper:202022
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    Cited by:

    1. Dan A. Black & Joonhwi Joo & Robert LaLonde & Jeffrey Andrew Smith & Evan J. Taylor, 2017. "Simple Tests for Selection: Learning More from Instrumental Variables," CESifo Working Paper Series 6392, CESifo.
    2. Sarojini Hirshleifer & Dalia Ghanem & Karen Ortiz-Becerra, 2019. "Testing for Attrition Bias in Field Experiments," Working Papers 201919, University of California at Riverside, Department of Economics, revised Aug 2019.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions

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