The United States is experiencing a dire need for individuals who possess training and expertise in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). With over half of the nation's students entering university environments via community colleges coupled with a large portion of this population majoring in STEM areas, the successful transition and adjustment of community college transfer students is essential to the STEM workforce. This article uses an ex post facto survey research design to examine the socialization factors that impact the transition and adjustment experiences of community college transfer students in STEM disciplines. Two hierarchical regression models are employed to examine the factors that impact the academic and social adjustment of community college transfer students in STEM majors. This research was situated using an adaptation of Weidman's (1987) Socialization Theoretical Framework. Implications, and recommendations for policy and practice will be provided based on the overall results of this study.

This chapter addresses critical issues related to the transfer success of women and underrepresented minorities (URMs) in STEM disciplines and will highlight implications for fostering a successful transfer experience for these populations.

The low representation of females in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fi elds remains a concern for the U.S. economy. Although America is still positioned with a disproportionate share of the world' s fi nest universities-particularly research universities (National Academy of Sciences, 2010)-the reputation of the United States as having the most-prepared workforce in terms of STEM is being challenged because of the lack of individuals, specifi cally women, who are prepared to assume the workforce demand. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, by 2014 the fastest-growing occupations will require signifi cant training in science and mathematics to successfully compete for a job (Jones, 2008). Consequently, the U.S. needs to ensure that individuals are prepared in the areas of math and science in order to meet the needs of the nation. Community colleges have been acknowledged as having the potential to play a key role in this increase of human capital (Starobin, Laanan, and Burger, 2010). Therefore, understanding the experiences of female students will promote educational environments that are conducive to student success in STEM fi elds. Role of Community CollegesAs highlighted earlier in this volume, the current literature on gender differences in STEM reveals that a much smaller proportion of women than This chapter discusses the role of community colleges in educating the next generation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Implications for policy and practice are offered, based on the major fi ndings from a mixed-method study on the experiences of women in STEM who transferred to a four-year college from the community college system. 39NEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, no. 152, Winter 2011

No abstract

No abstract