Validity of College Self-Reported Gains at Diverse Institutions

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of self-reported gains to assess college student learning and development, these measures may not be valid indicators of student growth in most circumstances. However, some evidence suggests that self-reported gains may assess student outcomes more accurately at certain types of colleges and universities. This study used a large, multi-institutional sample of first-year college students to examine the correspondence between self-reported gains and longitudinal growth on the same constructs. Although some significant differences by institutional type were identified, the findings do not support the use of self-reported gains as a proxy for longitudinal growth at any institution.