Succeeding in American Government: The Benefits of Supplemental Instruction in Political Science at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Supplemental instruction (SI) has become ubiquitous on college campuses. Originally developed at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, SI has become a popular pedagogical tool. While ample evidence exists that SI is particularly helpful regarding courses in the natural sciences, less is known about the helpfulness of SI in political science. In this paper, we seek to understand the effect of supplemental instruction in a core political science course, Introduction to American Government. We examine this effect at a community college that is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Using data from 332 students, across two semesters, we found that participation in SI sessions improved student success outcomes across several indicators, most notably course retention and success. More importantly, we find this improvement among Latinx students as well when further analyzed by race and ethnicity. This is highly relevant given the demographics of the college.