Barriers to Transfer Student Academic Success and Retention

Abstract

The Transition to College Inventory (TCI) designed to identify patterns of noncognitive factors related to academic performance and persistence was adapted and validated for use with first-year transfer students in a university setting. In this study, 369 entering transfer students were surveyed during Transfer Preview, an orientation program for transfer students. This study confirmed that noncognitive factors can be used to predict academic success and persistence for first-year transfer students. A major finding was that the barriers differed between freshman, sophomore, and upper division (junior/ senior) transfer students. The results of this study show promise in giving four-year institutions the ability to identify at-risk transfer students, pinpointing areas of needs for intervention.One of the most important decisions today's worker can make is that of how far to continue one's education. Since the more education a person has the greater the likelihood of finding a job, earning higher wages, and retiring with a pension, obtaining a college degree continues to grow in importance. Students who had previously not considered pursuing a college degree are now attending college while trying to balance work, family, and community obligations with accomplishing their educational goal. Such a journey often leads these students to begin their education at one institution, then, for a variety of reasons, transfer elsewhere 437

The role of community college-based transfer programming in transfer student success.

“…In this equation, the community college and the transfer function play an increasingly important role. The issue is that the transfer process is often so difficult that it in itself becomes a barrier to student success (Duggan & Pickering, 2008). Kinnick and Kempner (1988) suggested that in order to increase community college student baccalaureate attainment, the plan must be to "initiate, in as deliberate and as vigorously a manner as possible, strategies designed to strengthen the community college transfer role" (p. 315).…”

“…Given that community college students are more likely to attend school part time, work, and have other outside commitments (Choy, 2002;Duggan & Pickering, 2008;Wang, 2009), participation in the Ultra program, which is in part designed to help them make the best use of their educational time (mainly by ensuring the classes they take are the most beneficial in terms of transferability), could in the long run of their educational career save them a substantial amount of time. Saving students time, which also saves them money, may help lead to higher persistence (Townsend, 2008; U.S. Department of Education, 2006).…”

“…Lower income students are also more likely to begin at the community college (Duggan & Pickering, 2008) and are more likely to attend part-…”

“…These students have aspirations beyond those of their community college peers (Lee & Frank, 1990) but have chosen a less reliable path than their native four-year counterparts. Even though data show that students who successfully transfer from the two-to four-year institution and earn their bachelor's degree achieve comparable economic success as those who begin at the four-year (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991), the transition from the community college to the fouryear institution can be a difficult one (Cuseo, 2001;Duggan & Pickering, 2008;Hood et aI., 2009). …”

Advising style perceptions and preferences of students and advisors.

“…Ethnicity, race, age, gender, student classification, part-time or full-time student status, socioeconomic status, and first-generation status identify some of the differences among students on college campuses today. Students in each category may have different expectations of an advising system (Bai & Pan, 2009;DeShields, Kara, & Kaynak, 2005;Duggan & Pickering, 2008;Friedman & Mandel, 2009;Kiser & Price, 2008;Pan, Guo, Alikonis, & Bai, 2008;Spady, 1971;Vaquera & Maestas, 2009;Wells, 2008).…”