A Critical Examination of Perceptions of Supportive Institutional Environment Among Transfer-Seeking Community College Students

Abstract

ABSTRACT The authors of this study utilized data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement to conduct a critical examination of perceptions of institutional support among transfer-seeking community college students in North Carolina. We adopted an intersectional quantitative approach by centering racial and ethnic identity, and examining the influence of other social and institutional identities, integration, and institutional conditions on support perceptions among Black/African American, Hispanic/Latine, and White students. Multiple regression models affirmed the importance of interaction with institutional agents via socioacademic integration and transfer advising across racial and ethnic identity groups, with some within-group differences in intersectionality of identities and significant institutional conditions. Findings suggest the need for additional research on structural barriers to transfer, use of asset-based frameworks to understand student experiences pre- and post-transfer, and implementation of student-centered advising as the foundation of organizational cultures that promote equitable transfer.