Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

New Horizons for Research and Practice

Vol. 27 No. 2: Special Issue: The Role of Community Engagement in the Educational Success of Underrepresented Students

Why Researchers Should Consider Using Propensity Score Matching Methods to Examine Effectiveness of Community Engagement Programming

  • Geoffrey Maruyama
  • Isabel Lopez
  • Anthony Schulzetenberg
  • Wei Song
Submitted
December 21, 2022
Published
2023-09-28

Abstract

This article provides community engagement researchers with an introduction to propensity score matching (PSM) methods. It explains why PSM can serve as a valuable method for evaluating the success of programs when random assignment of individuals to community engagement programs is not possible; it also addresses some of the advantages and challenges in using PSM. It then explains the steps in conducting a PSM study and illustrates them with an example drawn from research our team conducted. That research looked at the success of a community engagement program in which underrepresented college students mentored and tutored middle school students in their community.