Transfer
Transitions:
First Semester
Persistence and
Adjustment of
Transfer
Students
Presented by Dr. Eric Gumm
[email protected]
Agenda For This Session
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Need for this study
Conceptual Framework & Methodology
Research Questions & Data Analysis
Major Findings
Implications of the Study
Recommendations for Practice
Additional Research Suggestions
Questions and discussion
Need for the Study
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With more students desiring to
transfer, there is a significant need for
information regarding transferring and
its effects on students.
Before interventions can be created to
assist transfer students, we must have
a clearer understanding of transfer
student transition (Flaga, 2002).
Need for the Study
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An exploration of both Academic and
Social integration was necessary to
understand the experiences of transfer
students (Harrison, 1999).
Several sources pointed to the need for
studies to counterbalance those in large,
public universities by looking at private
universities (Cejda, 1999, 2000; Cejda &
Kaylor, 1997; Townsend, 1995; Walter, 2000)
Need for the Study
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Woosley (2005) noted that transfer
students also tend to have a lower
retention rate than freshmen
students (10% lower on average).
Conceptual Framework
Tinto’s (1993) “Theory of Student
Departure.”
Conceptual Framework
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This model presents a dual framework of
both academic and social systems into which
the student is to integrate.
Tinto’s model is the most widely used to
examine student transition and attrition, with
over 775 citations (Braxton, Hirschy, and
McClendon, 2004; Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005).
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It was especially relevant to this study
because residential universities are exactly
the type of insitutions this model is most
reliable in studying (Robbins, et al, 2004; Tinto,
1998).
Methodology
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Two data sources:
Transfer Student Experiences Survey (a 70item questionnaire)
 Official university records for enrollment and
grade point average
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Three participating private universities
Institution A with 1,400 students (50 transfers)
 Institution B with 4,700 students (140
transfers)
 Institution C with 14,000 students (400
transfers)
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Methodology
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Student sample included all students
who:
Transferred there in the Fall of 2005
 Had at least 12 credit hours of transfer work
 Had graduated from high school before
January 1, 2005
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The survey instrument was sent by mail
and email to all of the students in the
sample.
Methodology
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The final population for this study
included 603 transfer students at the
three universities.
After multiple rounds of follow-up
and reminder, completed surveys
were received from 348 of the 603
transfer students – an overall
response rate of 58%.
Research Questions
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The primary research problem or question was: What
variables predict transfer students’ successful
persistence and transition experience during their first
semester at Christian universities?
Two specific questions which flowed out of this
overarching research question:
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2.
After controlling for statistically significant pre-enrollment
variables, were academic integration, social integration, goal
and institutional commitment, or spiritual integration
significant predictors of transfer students’ first semester to
second semester persistence at these Christian institutions of
higher education?
What demographic, previous institution and current university
factors affected the transfer students’ successful academic and
social adjustment to these Christian universities?
Data Analysis
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Chi-square and t-tests were utilized
to examine the relationships between
the twenty pre-enrollment variables
and the outcome variable of
persistence.
Logistic regression was then utilized
to examine the impact of the
predictor variables on the student’s
persistence at the same institution.
Data Analysis
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Linear regression was then utilized
to determine which variables
significantly affected the academic
and social adjustment of this
population of transfer students.
Major Findings
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Pre-enrollment variables
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Only one was significant (at the p<.05 level)
with regard to student persistence – Highest
Degree Planned at the Current Institution.
The logistic regression analysis examined
each of the three main constructs in Tinto’s
Longitudinal Model of Student Departure:
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Academic Integration
Social Integration
Goal and Institutional Commitments
Major Findings
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Academic Integration
This construct was not found to be predictive
of transfer student persistence in this study.
 This is somewhat surprising considering the
general support for the impact of this
construct (Liu & Liu, 2000; Pascarella &
Terenzeni, 1983, 2005; Thomas, 2000).
 However, others have seen that social
integration is initially more important than
academic integration (Tinto, 1997, 2000;
Woodley, 2003).
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Major Findings
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Social Integration
This construct was found to be predictive of
transfer student persistence in this study.
 Specifically the “Student Interaction with
Peers” variable was predicitive at the p<.05
level.
 This same conclusion has been affirmed in a
large number of other studies (Tinto, 1997,
2000; Elkins, Braxton and James, 2000;
Woosley, 2003).
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Major Findings
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Goal and Institutional Commitments
This construct was also found to be
predictive of transfer student
persistence in this study.
 When utilizing the Goal and Institutional
Commitment construct, the logistic
regression equation correctly classified
95.8% of these transfer students into the
correct persister or non-persister
categories.
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Major Findings
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Spiritual Integration
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In the development of this study, an affirmation
was expected of Morris’ (2003) finding that
Spiritual Integration would be a significant
predictor of persistence.
Therefore, the most suprising finding of this
study, for the researcher, was its lack of
significance.
While Walter (2000) and Schreiner (2000) also
indicated the predictive abilities of Spiritual
Integration, all of these previous studies
examined freshmen, not transfer students.
Major Findings
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Academic Adjustment
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Three significant variables:
Student’s fall grade point average
 The student’s most significant reason for
selecting this institution
 Their family income level
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These three variables accounted for
45% of the variation
Major Findings
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Social Adjustment
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Three significant variables:
Student’s fall grade point average
 Highest educational level attained by the
student’s mother
 The student’s most significant reason for
selecting this institution
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These three variables accounted for
41% of the variation
Implications of the Study
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Most Significant Reason for Attending
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The transfer student’s most significant reason for
attending their new institution has a significant
impact on their academic and social adjustment.
As a result, universities should take steps to
shape those reasons for attending through the
recruiting process.
Universities should also attempt to determine
the reasons from their incoming transfer
students in order to effectively connect the
students to the institution.
Implications of the Study
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New Student Orientation
This study indicated that a sizeable
population of transfer students did not attend
orientation at their new institution.
 This limits the ability of the university to set
academic and social expectations for these
students.
 As a result, universities should create
intentional programming for transfer
students to encourage their attendance at
orientation programs to assist in their
academic and social adjustment.
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Implications of the Study
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Fall grade point average
The student’s fall GPA accounted for the
largest portion of both academic and
social adjustment of new transfer
students.
 As a result, universities need to utilize
strategies to determine how students are
performing academically before the end of
the semester and provide intervention and
assistance for those who are struggling.
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Recommendations for
Practice
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Usual qualifier – this study examined
student experiences at three specific
institutions and it can’t be quickly
generalized to other institutions.
However, there are relevant questions and
areas of investigation that deserve
consideration.
Three areas of recommendation:
Campus Foundations
 Transition Experiences
 Continuing Support
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Recommendations for
Practice
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Campus Foundations
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Intentionally connect the transfer student’s goals
to the university early in the recruiting process.
Establish on-going, intentional efforts to ascertain
the actual needs of transfer students, as a separate
and distinct group from freshmen.
One way to do so is to designate a position to serve
as a coordinator for transfer students or, based on
the tremendous growth and success of First-Year
Experience programs in their work to integrate
and retain first-year students (Upcraft, Gardner, &
Barefoot, 2005), universities could establish a
similar effort focused on transfer students.
Recommendations for
Practice
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Transition Experiences
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Universities should provide at least some separate
and focused programming for transfer students
during their orientation programs. These sessions
should address the specific transition needs and
concerns of transfer students.
Transfer orientation sessions should be led by
student leaders with an emphasis on creating
community and proving opportunities for social
integration, since those are such crucial components
to retaining these students. Ideally, these student
leaders would have themselves been transfer
students so that they could serve as successful role
models for the new transfer students.
Recommendations for
Practice
Continuing Support
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All transfer students should be assigned a faculty
“mentor” through their department who should
connect with them at the start of their first semester
in order to provide a connection between the student’s
goals, their academic program, and the institution.
Additionally, some type of “mentor” from the current
upperclassmen in the transfer student’s major should
be assigned and they could provide social, academic,
and goal and institutional commitment connections.
Since the student’s Fall GPA accounted for the largest
portion of the academic and social adjustment, the
university should utilize mid-term grades to determine
how new transfer students are doing in their classes
and provide intervention for those who are struggling.
Additional Research
Suggestions
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While this study has added to the conversation
regarding transfer student retention, more research
is needed in this area in order to confirm the
findings of this study and to provide a clearer
picture of those factors which influence the
experiences of transfer students, especially at
Christian universities.
In future research studies in this area, recruiting or
obtaining a more evenly distributed group of
students who did and did not choose to return
should be a priority.
A national study of transfer student persistence at
Christian universities would add a great deal to this
area of research.
Additional Research
Suggestions
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Future research could examine this idea and select a
transfer student population that has been at the
Christian university for a longer period of time before
being surveyed.
Further research is needed to see if the Spiritual
Integration construct is significant in Christian
universities, especially among transfer students at these
institutions.
The Academic Adjustment and Social Adjustment
findings need examination in additional studies to
further confirm the impact of the significant variables.
Also, while these variables predicted a significant
portion of the variance (45% and 41% respectively),
further research should attempt to determine which
variables account for the remaining variance.
Concluding Comments
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Student retention is a complex and
complicated area of consideration, but
its importance is undeniable.
Christian universities are especially
concerned with student retention
because of their institutional missions.
Student retention ultimately comes
down to the decisions of individual
students to leave or stay at a particular
institution.
Concluding Comments
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The student’s seemingly simple departure
decision has tremendous impact.
It is my hope that this study will help
Christian universities have a clearer
picture of their transfer students and those
factors which most influence their
retention.
I also hope this study will contribute to the
continuing discussions regarding the
needs of transfer students at all of our
institutions.
Discussion,
Questions,
Comments ???
Thank You!