Abstract

Achievement gaps remain a concern in higher education, reflected in differences in academic performance, retention, and persistence. These gaps often affect students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and underserved populations. Open educational resources (OER) have been suggested to reduce financial barriers and support student success. This study examined whether student-level and institutional-level factors predict academic performance in a business management course using OER. Average quiz scores were collected from students across 12 higher education institutions and analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Colleges were included in the analysis to determine whether outcomes differed based on the proportion of minority and Pell-eligible students. Results showed that socioeconomic status, measured by free and reduced lunch eligibility, was a significant predictor of quiz scores, with economically disadvantaged students earning lower scores. Minority status and institutional-level variables were not significant predictors of academic performance. These findings suggest that addressing socioeconomic disparities may be more critical than institutional characteristics when seeking to improve student outcomes in OER-based courses.

Degree

EdS

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/