Are Transfer Students Different? First Year Grades and Course Withdrawals Jo Stewart Brock University

Jo StewartBrock University

Felice Martinello

I like the question in the title

Background• Investigate concerns that transfer students from community

colleges or other universities may be disadvantaged.•Transfer credits for introductory-level Social Science courses

from community college are not typically given at Brock.•This means that all transfer students captured in intro

courses.

Jo Stewart ([email protected])

Background

•All transfer students in all 2008-09 full-year (September to April) introductory courses were identified.


Transfer Students Defined

•Transfer students defined as anyone who had

received at least 0.5 transfer credit from

another post-secondary institution.


Research Question?

•Do community college transfer students and

university transfer students perform as well as those

entering from high school in introductory-level Social

Science courses?


Measures•Course withdrawal

•First-term failing grades

•Final grades

• Improvement from first- to second-term


Data•3,636 students enrolled in 11 intro courses

•5,640 student-courses

•261 community college transfer students

•346 student-courses

•92 university transfer students

•119 student-courses


Characteristics of Students

Gender Non-Transfer

Transfer from College

Transfer from University

Male 37.23 37.04 44.57

Female 62.77 62.96 55.43

Percentage of Students:



Faculty Non-TransferTransfer from

CollegeTransfer from

University

Applied Health Sciences

15.9 18.52 9.78

Business 2.52 2.31 1.09

Combined Major 0.51 0 1.09

Education 6.07 1.39a 2.17

General Studies 10.34 9.72 20.65a

Humanities 14.36 11.57 14.13

Mathematics and Science

2.55 2.78 7.61a

Social Sciences 30.47 40.74a 33.7

Undeclared 17.28 12.96 9.78b

Percentage of Students:

a p<.01; b b<.10

Course Non-TransferTransfer from


University

Child and Youth Studies 10.67 13.01 10.08

Communication Studies 5.51 4.05 7.56

Film Studies 6.42 4.34 8.4

Human Geography 8.48 6.94 14.29a

Physical Geography 8.19 9.54 12.61b

Labour Studies 2.55 2.02 1.68

Popular Culture 3.25 2.31 0.84

Political Science 8.25 5.49b 6.72

Psychology 21.95 24.28 15.97

Sociology 19.94 21.97 13.45b

Women’s Studies 4.79 6.07 8.40 b

Percentage of Student-Courses

a p<.05, b p<.10


Results

Variable Non-TransferTransfer from


UniversityFinal Course Grade

63.99 64.95 66.56b

Withdrew 0.0812 0.078 0.0756Failed First Term

0.2162 0.1965 0.1513b

Improved 12.63 16.79a 8.31

Means of the dependent variables

a p<.01; b p<.10




63.99 64.95 66.56b


0.2162 0.1965 0.1513b

Improved 12.63 16.79a 8.31


a p<.01; b p<.10

Results

•Community college students do not differ from high-school entry students on:

•Final course grade

•Likelihood of withdrawal

•Receiving a failing grade in term one

•Results are robust when controls for gender, course, faculty and previous credits are in place.


Results




63.99 64.95 66.56b


0.2162 0.1965 0.1513b

Improved 12.63 16.79a 8.31


a p<.01; b p<.10

Results

• Among those students who failed the first term:

college transfer students improved by more than those of non-transfer students in the second term.


Results




63.99 64.95 66.56b


0.2162 0.1965 0.1513b

Improved 12.63 16.79a 8.31


a p<.01; b p<.10

Results

•University transfer students received higher final grades and were less likely to have failed the first term of their courses than both other groups.


Results

•Students with a declared major had higher final grades than General Studies or Undeclared students.

• Indirect evidence for “transfer shock”: • Community college students must attain a minimum 75% (B) average at

the college yet the average final grade for college transfer students at the university was 65%, indicating a drop of ten marks.

Other Results


Implications•Finding: College transfer students with failing first term grades

showed greater improvement from mid-term to final grade.

•Community college transfer students have the ability to succeed at university.

•Would a bridging course avoid first-term failures?


•Finding: Community college students succeed at university.

•Resources allocated by universities to community college transfer students will be well-spent.

•Support may allow students to reach their academic potential earlier.

Implications


•Finding: University students had higher final grades and were less likely to fail at midterm.

•University students may use previous experiences to outperform their peers.

Implications


•Finding: Community college transfer students showed no differences from other students in final grades or withdrawal rates.

•College to university transfers should continue to be encouraged.

Implications


•Universities that implement policies and programs that facilitate transfer from community college to university will be recruiting a student group that is prepared to succeed with university-level coursework.

Implications


Policies and Programs•Programs to encourage transfer from community college to university could include:

• Bridging courses

• Assistance with major exploration

• Academic advising

• Student development/learning skills workshops

• Collaboration with colleges to offer preparation programs

• Etc.


Acknowledgements•Felice Martinello for his assistance with data collection and

analysis.

•Shelagh Towson for her valuable feedback.

•Dean Tom Dunk, Faculty of Social Sciences for his support.

Documents

Are Transfer Students Different? First Year Grades and Course Withdrawals Jo Stewart Brock University