Studying transfer students: Designs and methodological challenges

Abstract

Each year, thousands of students transfer from a community college to a four-year college or university. Because of the large number of students involved in this process, many individuals and organizations-including administrators, researchers, faculty members, and policymakers-are interested in the progress and academic achievement of these students. A substantial amount of information, usually collected by institutions for purposes other than research, is available to provide the basic facts about the progress of transfer students: how many students transfer, what their grades are at the two-and four-year institutions, and whether they attain a baccalaureate degree. What is less readily available are data that examine the factors that affect student success and that explore the effectiveness of community colleges in preparing students to transfer.Using documents from the ERIC database and articles from relevant journals, this chapter examines from a methodological perspective the research being done on transfer students-namely, who is conducting the research, what methods are being used to gather the information, and what types of data are being collected. It will also present examples of comprehensive and useful studies that researchers interested in community colleges may want to consider adapting for their own institutions. The purpose of providing these examples is to identify research questions that have been asked and exemplary college programs and practices in place that can be considered by other community colleges to improve the transfer readiness of their students.

Transfer Shock

“…These students are often faced with challenges that may hinder their ability to academically succeed. Most research on student transfer has observed former community college students and how they perform academically at their new institution (Kozeracki, 2001). The process of transferring from a two-year to a four-year institution is known as vertical transfer, whereas transferring from one four-year institution to another is called horizontal transfer (McCormick & Carroll, 1997).…”

Resources and information for serving minority populations

“…Nonetheless, research on transfer students is available, and ranges from discussions about the best rubric for defining and measuring transfer rates (Bradburn and Hurst, 2001) to more in-depth analyses of such issues as student satisfaction, academic performance, and patterns in the transfer process (Kozeracki, 2001;Townsend, 2001). Recent studies estimate that although the overall transfer rate is currently somewhere between 20 and 25 percent (Bryant, 2001), disparities in transfer rates persist across racial and ethnic groups, even among students most likely to transfer (Wassmer, Moore, and Shulock, 2003).…”

Transfer seminar : a case study of transfer students' experiences at a private, four-year college in Brooklyn, New York, using Tinto's model of persistence

“…While there is a substantial amount of information to provide institutions with the basic facts about the progress of transfer students (Kozeracki, 2001), data on particular interventions that can affect transfer student success and retention are less readily available. Many students characterize the transfer transition as a chaotic and confusing time (Chin-Newman & Shaw, 2013).…”

“…While there is a substantial amount of information to provide institutions with the basic facts about the progress of transfer students, what is less readily available are data that examine the factors that affect student success and that explore the effectiveness of two-year community colleges in preparing students to transfer (Kozeracki, 2001). Kates (2010) found that institutions need to focus greater attention on pedagogy and practice to address academic differences between a two-year community college and a four-year college or university.…”