Abstract
Unlike the studies of freshmen entrants, the learning experiences of community college transfer (CCT) students in the receiving university is a topic that has only started to gain attention in recent decades. Little is known about the differences between CCT and freshmen entrants with regard to their study workload stress and its relationship with their perceptions of the teaching and learning environment, approaches to learning, self-efficacy and generic skills. The purpose of our study was to address this gap. This was a cross-sectional survey study conducted from April 2018 to November 2018 in a university in Hong Kong. The HowULearn questionnaire was adapted to local usage and validated for data collection. In total, 841 CCT students and 978 freshmen entrants completed the survey. The respondents were aged between 19 and 52 years (mean = 21.6, SD = 1.92), and 66.0% were women. The HowULearn questionnaire was determined by factor analyses to have eight factors. The reliabilities of the eight factors were found to be acceptable (Cronbach alphas = 0.709–0.918). The CCT students scored significantly higher than the freshmen entrants for perceived study workload stress and surface approaches to learning, but lower on teaching for understanding & encouraging learning, peer support, and self-efficacy beliefs. The surface approach to learning, deep & organized studying, alignment & constructive feedback, and generic skills were found to be predictors of study workload stress in both groups of students, and in the overall student data. This study has shown that CCT students and freshmen entrants differed with regard to their study workload stress and learning experiences. Our findings provide a message, both for educators in higher education and policy makers in the government—there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to different student populations when it comes to enhancing their learning experiences.
Highlights
In addition to direct admission to university after graduation from secondary school, the higher education systems in most western and eastern countries provide an alternative pathway towards an undergraduate degree [1]
There is a lack of research studying the factors associated with study workload stress in community college transfer (CCT) students and how these compare to the experiences of students who enter university directly from secondary school to undertake 4-year programs, who are referred to as freshmen entrants [4]
Our findings indicated that the HowULearn questionnaire was a relatively robust cross-cultural instrument [Hypothesis 1 was supported]
Summary
In addition to direct admission to university after graduation from secondary school, the higher education systems in most western and eastern countries provide an alternative pathway towards an undergraduate degree [1]. After graduating from the community colleges, they can be accepted into the third year of their chosen four-year degree programmes, based on a credit unit transfer system [1]. The admission of CCT students is increasingly common in universities [5] worldwide Despite their growing presence, CCT students’ learning experiences when they enter university have not been taken into consideration thoroughly [5], in Asian or European countries. There is a lack of research studying the factors associated with study workload stress in CCT students and how these compare to the experiences of students who enter university directly from secondary school to undertake 4-year programs, who are referred to as freshmen entrants [4]. In order to support both student groups, there is an urgent and important call to study their similarities and differences
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
