Article 2020

Reconciling Intent with Action: Factors Associated with the Alignment between Transfer Intent and Coursework Completion Patterns among Two-Year College Students in STEM

CH
Chan, Hsun Yu
 WX
Wang, Xueli
Journal of Higher Education
Journal · Vol. 91 · Issue 7 · pp. 1087-1115
Abstract

In this study, we explored the alignment between initial transfer intent and subsequent course-completion patterns among 1,668 first-time STEM-aspiring students at two-year institutions. Using survey and transcript data, we conducted latent profile analysis and subsequent path analysis that revealed five distinct course-completion patterns: Trailing/Time-Out, Non-transfer-Focused, Transfer: STEM Concentrated, Transfer: Humanity/Social Science Con-centrated, and Transfer: Developmental Education Concentrated. Students’ math and science self-efficacy, academic engagement, and transfer-oriented interactions moderated the alignment between initial transfer intent and later course completion patterns. Based on the findings, we discuss the importance of cultivating strong academic self-efficacy and building effective advising practices to help students actualize their transfer intent. © 2020 The Ohio State University.

Keywords

Author Keywords

self-efficacy STEM community college course completion transfer intent Two-year college

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Department of Psychology and Special Education, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX, United States
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
Funding & Acknowledgements
National Science Foundation, NSF
Grant: DUE-1430642
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE-1430642 awarded to the second author. The authors would like to thank the institutional researchers at the study sites, as well as Seo Young Lee and Yen Lee for research assistance.
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