Three studies testing the effectiveness of communications on increasing FAFSA completion
Open AccessThis dissertation investigates the effectiveness of low-cost interventions designed to increase postsecondary educational opportunity among youth living in federally-assisted housing. I present the effects of three communications interventions. The first study examines a communications experiment targeted at 17 to 20 year olds living in households using Housing Choice Vouchers. The experiment tested nine versions of communications that varied who was communicating the message and the format of the communication. On average, there were no statistically significant differences in FAFSA completion or postsecondary enrollment. The second study looks at a non-experimental test of two letters sent to public housing residents between the ages of 17 and 24 in the Seattle Housing Authority and King County Housing Authority. The analysis uses a synthetic control methodology to estimate the effectiveness of the letters at increasing FAFSA completion. The changes in the intervention PHAs were not statistically distinguishable from the synthetic control unit. The final study looks at a communications experiment targeted at 17-24 year olds living in the New York City Housing Authority. The study was designed to test whether multiple points of contact delivered through multiple modes of communication would be effective. A series of four letters and one robocall were sent to a randomly selected group of households, and households with email addresses were sent three additional emails. The campaign did not change FAFSA completion or post-secondary enrollment rates. The results from these three evaluations suggest that broadly targeted messages may not be as effective as those targeting specific college-interested populations.
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DiDomenico_gwu_0075A_16322.pdf | 2023-11-14 | Open Access |
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