Understanding Potential Social Engagement of Transfer Students with Native Students in Top-ranking Universities in Hong Kong: The Relevance of a Sense of Legitimacy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social engagement of transfer students is of importance to their completion of university studies and thus to understanding whether community colleges could serve as an equalizer in higher education. One overlooked aspect is the social engagement of transfer students with native students, which is arguably contingent on a sense of legitimacy of studying at university for transfer and native students: Do they see themselves as deserving a place at university? This paper argues that their sense of legitimacy could be revealed in how transfer and native students narrate on their experiences of getting into university, including how they attribute educational/social inequality and how they evaluate/position their selves in an educational hierarchy. This paper analyzes the narratives of 34 respondents – 16 transfer students and 18 native students – on their transferal and entrance experiences, respectively, to a top-ranking university in Hong Kong for an exploration. Specifically, this paper examines their attributions of their personal educational achievement and others’ social success, their self-evaluations (or self-positioning) within the existing education system, and their plots structuring the narratives so as to see how far transfer and native students see it legitimate for them to study at university. While most native students feel entitled to a place at university, a lack of legitimacy is found for some transfer students; this may make it difficult for transfer students to get engaged with native students. This paper ends with policy and practical implications for educators and administrators of community colleges and universities.