Pathways to the baccalaureate: exploring graduating transfer students’ involvement at a four-year institution

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Date
2019
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Volume Title
Publisher
University of Alabama Libraries
Abstract

The community college has long been touted as a democratizing force for American higher education, and one of the primary ways that America will reach its degree attainment needs to compete globally. However, in recent decades, community colleges have come under scrutiny for producing lower than desired success rates in terms of transfer and degree attainment. While research has addressed the factors that may cause lower attainment rates at the community college, less has been focused on the role the four-year institution plays in the degree attainment pathway for transfer students. Additionally, while the literature regarding best practices in supporting freshman student transition and retention is strong, fewer studies have focused on supporting the success of transfer students and even less on the involvement experiences they have at four-year institutions and what role those experience play in degree attainment. The current research used an instrumental case study approach to highlight the experiences of transfer students who were in their final semester prior to graduation at a four-year institution. Through nine collective case studies, a more complete understanding of participants’ definitions and descriptions of involvement and whether or not these experiences shaped their journey to achieving the baccalaureate degree was uncovered. The implications of this research can inform four-year institutions regarding ways to better serve incoming transfer students and support their degree completion post-transfer.

Description
Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
Keywords
Higher education administration, Higher education, Educational leadership
Citation