Is it worth attending higher education? Lessons from a systematic review on institutional contribution to learning outcomes

Abstract

There is a growing interest in understanding more precisely the contribution of HE to student learning outcomes. We present a systematic review of the literature published between 2000 and 2023 in the WoS and Scopus databases. We identified 49 research articles that analyse individual and institutional variables related to student’s academic and employment outcomes. Most focus on establishing non-causal relationships between students’ entry characteristics and outcomes. In parallel, work estimating institutional contribution has evolved. Until 2015, there was an interest in comparing different methods and outcome variables. Since then, there has been more interest in using causal techniques to identify factors related to institutional contribution. Methodologically, VA research shows variations in results depending on the type of outcome used and the inclusion of institutional selectivity in the estimates. In addition, the results show gains in student learning; however, academic gaps related to gender, SES, or ethnicity remain or even increase after HE completion. In parallel, some value-added research has identified institutional variables that may be related to academic outcomes, such as expenditure per student, type of teachers’ contract, and teaching practices such as discussions outside the classroom and participation in research projects. However, the predominance of descriptive techniques in the literature does not allow conclusive results.

Keywords

• Higher education
• learning outcomes
• value-added
• institutional contribution
• Sammy King Fai Hui, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
• Education Policy & Politics