Understanding the Transition Experience of Community College Transfer Students to a 4-year University

Understanding the Transition Experience of Community College Transfer Students to a 4-year University PDF Author: Tony Alan Lazarowicz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781321671452
Category : Community college education
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
With over 60% of college graduates attending multiple institutions (United States Department of Education, 2006), many starting at community colleges, the importance of understanding community college transfer students' stories is critical to retention and graduation agendas at colleges and universities nationwide. Schlossberg's Transition Theory has recently been introduced into higher education literature as a conceptual framework for working with various student populations such as student veterans (Wheeler, 2012; Rumann, 2010); student athletes (Henderson, 2013); and students on academic probation (Tovar & Simon, 2006) among others. Minimal work has incorporated Schlossberg's Transition Theory into studies of community college transfer students; thus this study was developed to help fill that gap of understanding their transition through that lens. The central question to the study was "how do community college transfer students perceive their transition into a large research, land-grant institution." This phenomenological qualitative study incorporated journaling and interviews with 12 full-time community college transfer students (21-41 years old) at three points during their first semester (fall 2014) at a large Midwestern research institution. Using open, axial, and selective coding, the following five themes emerged: funding the college experience; transition takes time; support is critical; maturity; and personal responsibility. These participants transition experience, as indicated by the emergent themes, fit well within the context of Schlossberg's Transition Theory. Overall, these participants' transition meant an opportunity to move forward, start a new chapter, and expand one's opportunities. Consistent with other studies that have used Schlossberg's Transition Theory, there is value in considering this theoretical framework when working with community college transfer students. When universities create policies and procedures that are geared toward increasing student's assets in Schlossberg's 4-S coping resources and are mindful of the full transition (moving in, moving through, and moving out), administrators, staff, and policy makers can assist in the transition for community college transfer students and provide support to a growing portion of the student population in higher education.

Understanding the Transition Experience of Community College Transfer Students to a 4-year University

Understanding the Transition Experience of Community College Transfer Students to a 4-year University PDF Author: Tony Alan Lazarowicz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781321671452
Category : Community college education
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
With over 60% of college graduates attending multiple institutions (United States Department of Education, 2006), many starting at community colleges, the importance of understanding community college transfer students' stories is critical to retention and graduation agendas at colleges and universities nationwide. Schlossberg's Transition Theory has recently been introduced into higher education literature as a conceptual framework for working with various student populations such as student veterans (Wheeler, 2012; Rumann, 2010); student athletes (Henderson, 2013); and students on academic probation (Tovar & Simon, 2006) among others. Minimal work has incorporated Schlossberg's Transition Theory into studies of community college transfer students; thus this study was developed to help fill that gap of understanding their transition through that lens. The central question to the study was "how do community college transfer students perceive their transition into a large research, land-grant institution." This phenomenological qualitative study incorporated journaling and interviews with 12 full-time community college transfer students (21-41 years old) at three points during their first semester (fall 2014) at a large Midwestern research institution. Using open, axial, and selective coding, the following five themes emerged: funding the college experience; transition takes time; support is critical; maturity; and personal responsibility. These participants transition experience, as indicated by the emergent themes, fit well within the context of Schlossberg's Transition Theory. Overall, these participants' transition meant an opportunity to move forward, start a new chapter, and expand one's opportunities. Consistent with other studies that have used Schlossberg's Transition Theory, there is value in considering this theoretical framework when working with community college transfer students. When universities create policies and procedures that are geared toward increasing student's assets in Schlossberg's 4-S coping resources and are mindful of the full transition (moving in, moving through, and moving out), administrators, staff, and policy makers can assist in the transition for community college transfer students and provide support to a growing portion of the student population in higher education.

Understanding the Community College Transfer Student Experience from the Student Voice

Understanding the Community College Transfer Student Experience from the Student Voice PDF Author: Meg Nowak
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Community college students
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
The meaning that each transfer student derives from a particular learning experience is unique and each individual's experience is filtered through their personal understandings, beliefs, and values. This purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of how transfer students interpret and talk about their transfer experience. The life of transfer students is generally not accessible through objective instruments and quantitative approaches. Through the use of qualitative methods this research study will assist the profession in gaining an understanding of the transfer student voice and expand the breadth and depth of knowledge about the transfer students' experience in higher education. Twenty-three transfer students at a four-year institution and eight faculty or administrators that work directly with those transfer students were interviewed. A common factor that all students in the study experienced was attendance at a community college before transferring to the university. The themes that developed as students made meaning of their transfer experience are: (1) how their community college experience frames their interpretation of their university experience; (2) individuality and transition within the context of university culture; (3) navigation and negotiation of the university environment. The discussion includes recommendations to future transfer students from the transfer student voice and a description of institutional conditions that help the community college transfer student's chances of succeeding at the four-year institution. This research adds to the limited qualitative research on students' perceptions of their transfer experience, suggesting that the transfer experience is the result of a combination of efforts made by the student, community college, and the university. Transfer students will take responsibility for their education but they are looking for a foundation for their experience through understanding the university culture. Understanding how transfer students make meaning of the transfer experience at the four-year institutions helps to improve our conversations with transfer students and direct efforts to enhance academic integration, validation, and student success.

The Process of Transition for Community College Transfer Students

The Process of Transition for Community College Transfer Students PDF Author: Catherine Therese Flaga
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Community college students
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description


Community College and Beyond

Community College and Beyond PDF Author: José R. Del Real Viramontes
Publisher: IAP
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
As the transfer disparity persists among Latina/o/x community college students and continues to widen for those seeking to complete their baccalaureate degree, we asked ourselves three questions: (1) How do Latina/o/x community college students navigate the transfer preparation and decision-making process? (2) Once at the university, how do Latina/o/x transfer students negotiate their identities and lived experiences as they persist towards graduation and beyond? And (3) What policies, practices, and programs at both two-and four-year institutions facilitate access, persistence, and completion for Latina/o/x community college/transfer students? These reflections prompted us to seek answers. This is the first edited book to provide much needed theoretical and empirical insights on Latina/o/x students who enter postsecondary education through the community college. Our book offers a comprehensive outlook on the pre- and post-transfer experiences of Latina/o/x students written by scholars and scholarpractitioners working in the field of higher education. In addition, we include specific sections that speak directly to policies, practices, and theory that address transfer pathways for Latina/o/x community college and transfer students.

Student Perspectives on Transition from Community College A.A.S. Programs to University

Student Perspectives on Transition from Community College A.A.S. Programs to University PDF Author: Jerry Alan Pyka
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Technology
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The global employment market demands an increasingly well prepared work force. Consequently, this trend is echoed in community college graduates transferring to four- year institutes. From 2009 to 2011, over 28,000 students who graduated with an associate’s degree from a community college in the State of Texas transferred to a four-year university also in the State of Texas (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2013). Among those transferring students, very few community college graduates with an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree transferred to four-year institutions. A report by the Transfer Issues Advisory Committee (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2001) identified issues that prevent or create obstacles for those A.A.S. students attempting to transfer from a community college to a four- year university: this includes, for example, policy issues, procedures and advisory support. Literature indicates that the issues and challenges confronting A.A.S. transfer students included complicated class transcripts, lack of knowledge pertaining to the process and admissions requirements (Ellison, 2004; Phillips, 2011; Sausner, 2004 Townsend & Wilson, 2006a). Along with these potential difficulties, A.A.S. transferring students must determine if the new receiving university will accept their earned credits, and if those accepted fit into a four-year degree plan (Boswell, 2000; Cejda & Rhodes, 2004). A perceived problem by transfer students is that both institutions need to improve the transfer process (Townsend & Wilson, 2006b). The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of A.A.S. degree students’ challenges and experiences of the transfer period from community college to a four-year research-intensive university. The study participants were 18 transfer students from a large community college in Texas. Participants varied in age, ethnicity, and gender. To understand the challenges of A.A.S. transfer students, a qualitative approach was selected because it allows important insights to emerge from the student perspective. Symbolic interaction was chosen as the framework as it is based on how we interpret our world (Willis, 2007), and it provides for “local understanding” through in-depth interviews to elicit a rich and thick description of the experiences of the participants and how they construct meaning from social interactions. The primary means to obtain data for my research was through the use of surveys and interviews with participants to gain a perspective of their experiences as they transitioned from a two-year college to a four-year university. The primary research question for this study was What are the experiences and perceptions of A.A.S. degreed community college students transferring to an articulated baccalaureate program at a four-year research-intensive institution? The interviews were taped (with the permission of the participant) and an analysis of the qualitative data were completed through the use of coding, reflexive journal and member checking. Transcribed data were coded into themes, organized and categorized. While the experiences of students transferring from one institution of higher education to another have been researched and discussed in previous literature, there has not been any research into the experiences of students with an Associate of Applied Science. The significance of this study is the examination of those experiences through the lens of the student and the presentation of those findings that community college and university administrators may use to refine transfer processes and procedures at their respective institution to make the transfer more seamless.

Building Transfer Student Pathways for College and Career Success

Building Transfer Student Pathways for College and Career Success PDF Author: Sonya Joseph
Publisher: The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience
ISBN: 1942072260
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
Published in partnership with the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students. Analysis of bachelor’s degree completion suggests that only about a third of college graduates attend a single institution from start to finish. More than one quarter earn college credits from three or more schools before completing a degree. For most, these student-defined pathways lead to increased time-to-degree and higher costs. Many will simply drop out long before crossing the finish line. Ensuring college completion and success requires an understanding of the evolving nature of transfer transitions and a system-wide approach that reaches beyond two-year and four-year institutions to include high schools participating in dual enrollment programs and military college initiatives. A new edited collection offers insight into institutional and statewide partnerships that create clearly defined pathways to college graduation and career success for all students.

Transfer Shock and the Experience of Community College Students Transitioning to California State University, Chico

Transfer Shock and the Experience of Community College Students Transitioning to California State University, Chico PDF Author: Rebecca Jane Berner
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
This qualitative phenomenological study examines transfer shock and the experience of community college students as they transitioned to California State University, Chico. Interviews were conducted with 13 community college transfer students who experienced a difficult transition to the four year institution as evidenced by a significant first semester drop in grade point average, known as transfer shock. The five research questions were: 1. How do students characterize their transition experience? 2. What are transfer students' expectations around transfer? 3. What differences do transfers students report between the two and four year institutions? 4. What helps and hindrances to their transition do students report? 5. What additional types of support might be offered by the institution to aid their transition experience? The author utilized Schlossberg's Transition Theory (1995) as a lens to explore the transition experiences of students during their first semester at the new institution. Schlossberg posits that situation, self, supports and strategies (the 4 S's) impact an individual's ability to transition successfully. The researcher found that students characterized their transition in negative and positive terms. Student's expectations were largely inaccurate in that they expected their experience at the four year institution to be very similar to their community college experience. Instead, they discovered many differences between institutions in terms of the academic and social environment and campus culture. Overall, the findings revealed that the academic transition was much more difficult for students than the social transition. For example, students found classes at the four year institution larger and more demanding with less instructor interaction. In regards to the social transition, study participants reported that Chico State provided a welcoming social environment in which it was easy to make friends. They also found that the campus culture was more positive and goal-oriented at the four year level than at the community college. Overall, study participants reported many more hindrances than helps to their transition experience. In particular, transfer students who lived away from home for the first time experienced difficulties with time management and basic life skills such as cooking and cleaning. One of the greatest hindrances to many transfer students in their transition was their reluctance to seek help. Challenges reported at the institutional level included: difficulties with the admission process, obstacles to obtaining academic advising and lack of information about academic and probation policies. Using Schlossberg's Transition Theory as a lens to assess students' coping strategies revealed that students' assessment of their situation, as well their unwillingness to reach out for support contributed to their transition difficulties. This study concludes with policy and future research recommendations, as well as an emerging theoretical framework of transfer socialization. Institutions must consider the entire transfer process beginning at the community college and extending through the first semester at the new institution. Therefore, in order to help students avoid transfer shock, interventions must be staged at key points along the transition continuum.

Understanding the Barriers East Texas Community College Students Experience in Transferring to a Regional University

Understanding the Barriers East Texas Community College Students Experience in Transferring to a Regional University PDF Author: Kelly Leigh Coke
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Community college students
Languages : en
Pages : 134

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Book Description
There is a plethora of research available on students and the barriers they face in transferring to a university, such as transfer processes, articulations, pathways, 2+2 plans, institutional agents, and financial issues. However, in rural areas of Texas, little research is available on the barriers students endure in transferring from community colleges to four-year universities. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to determine the transfer barriers faced by a community college student population and the support services needed for their successful transfers to four-year universities. The framework that guided this study was transfer student capital and transfer shock. Transfer shock is when a student transfers from community college to university and experiences culture shock in the university culture. Transfer student capital is the support needed for transfer students. The researcher gathered the data through one-on-one interviews with 15 community college students who transferred to a four-year university. Prior to the interviews, each participant completed a presurvey consisting of questions about their community college experiences, including support received on transferring and how it impacted their decisions to transfer to a university. Participants shared in interviews that their major barriers for transferring from the community college to a university were academic advising, personal issues, and inadequate collegiate services for transfer students, such as enrollment services, financial services, and university support programs.

Understanding Students in Transition: Trends and Issues

Understanding Students in Transition: Trends and Issues PDF Author: Frankie Santos Laanan
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 118

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Book Description
This volume provides the latest recommendations on how to address the needs of students in transition at the collegiate level. Understanding Students in Transition covers transitions affecting recent high school graduates, community college transfer students, older adults returning to education, and students displaced by natural disasters. Addressing the needs of students in the midst of change, particularly those who are part of the "millennial generation" (those born between 1982 and 2003), requires a full understanding of today's students and what they bring to their new college experience. Understanding Students in Transition is designed for practitioners looking to understand the changing landscape of today's college students. Articles present a mix of research and practical issues that will be relevant and useful to various stakeholders on a college or university campus. This is the 114th edition of New Directions for Student Services, a quarterly journal published by Jossey-Bass. Click here to view the entire list of New Directions for Student Services titles.

Transfer Students: Trends and Issues

Transfer Students: Trends and Issues PDF Author: Frankie Santos Laanan
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
The summer 2001 issue of New Directions for Community Colleges evaluates recent research and policy discussions about transfer students and addresses the critical issues facing students moving through the educational pipeline. Chapters include: (1) "Transfer Student Adjustment" (Frankie Santos Laanan); (2) "Institutional Responses to Barriers to the Transfer Process" (Eboni M. Zamani); (3) "Honors Programs: A Case Study of Transfer Preparation" (Herald R. Kane); (4) "Toward a More Perfect Union: Reflecting on Trends and Issues for Enhancing the Academic Performance of Minority Transfer Students" (Wynetta Y. Lee); (5) "Student Transfer Between Oregon Community Colleges and Oregon University System Institutions" (James C. Arnold); (6) "Studying Transfer Students: Designs and Methodological Challenges" (Carol A. Kozeracki); (7) "Transfer Readiness: A Case Study of Former Santa Monica College Students" (Brenda Johnson-Benson, Peter B. Geltner, and Steven K. Steinberg); (8) "Making the Transition to the Senior Institution" (Latrice E. Eggleston and Frankie Santos Laanan); and (9) "Leadership Perspectives on Preparing Transfer Students" (Phoebe K. Helm and Arthur M. Cohen). (EMH).