Why honors?: a qualitative investigation and taxonomy of student motivations for enrolling in honors programs

ABSTRACT

Involvement in honors programs provides students an opportunity to grow academically, connect with like-minded peers, and reap tangible and intangible benefits. Understanding the motivations driving this involvement is a crucial task for honors program administrators and faculty alike as different motivations may influence how students engage and succeed in their honors pursuits. This study analyzes student motivating factors, organizing them into a five-factor framework that highlights different motivational groupings, including a non-intentional factor. While past studies have relied on student characteristics and survey information to understand honors program involvement, this study takes a qualitative approach, drawing on focus groups with current and incoming honors students to delve into the various motivations that honors students indicated as compelling for their participation in an honors program at a private mid-size liberal arts institution. The findings provide insight into key motivations which may inform efforts to increase the diversity of and involvement in honors programs. These eleven motivations are grouped into instrumental factors, personal factors, nudges, relationships, and accidental, with the majority of students noting more than one motivation for their involvement in the honors program.

KEYWORDS:

• Honors program
• decision-making
• motivation
• honors students
• qualitative

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the student participants of this research for their time and for engaging in enlightening and enjoyable conversations during the focus groups. Additionally, we would like to thank our reviewers for their helpful comments during the review process and Dr. Johanna Annala for stewarding this process well.

Disclosure statement

The fourth author is currently employed by the Honors College examined in this research. They were not involved in the focus group process; their primary role was in literature review and extension. Additionally, the Honors College was fully cooperative in this research process, wanting additional data on student participation and engagement. The first and second authors have both previously taught honors colloquia for the Honors College, but they are not considered employees and selection of honors colloquia did not hinge on the results of this research. Finally, the third author is a student within the Honors College; their status as such is unaffected by the results of this research.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Office of Undergraduate Research at Abilene Christian University.