Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to examine whether there is an effect of common reading program participation on first-year students' academic engagement, faculty interactions, and sense of belonging. Using a multi-institutional sample, propensity score matching, and linear regression
techniques, the results suggest that common reading programs have significant ( p < .05) and positive effects on first-year students' academic engagement, frequency of faculty interactions, and sense of belonging above and beyond other first-year experiences.