Transfer Capital Research Articles

“To Make this Leap”: Understanding Relationships that Support Community College Students’ Transfer Journeys

For too many community college students, transferring to a four-year institution for a bachelor’s degree (i.e., vertical transfer) remains an unrealized aspiration. Prior research suggests that forms of capital can assist students in realizing their goals. Therefore, we sought to explore how relationships both within and outside of their institutions serve as sources of capital to support students’ vertical transfer journeys. Utilizing a qualitative research design, we applied Putnam’s (2000) two forms of social capital (bridging and bonding) and eight social support-related constructs from Moser’s (2013) expanded transfer student capital framework to data from focus groups and interviews with 33 pre- and post-transfer students. We found that participants actively constructed a patchwork of supportive relationships with both institutional agents and individuals external to the institution, which they utilized to search for, gather, and employ transfer capital. Our findings highlight that relationships outside of institutions are as crucial as relationships within the institution as sources of capital for vertical transfer students, suggesting a need to incorporate extra-institutional relationships into transfer capital frameworks and institutional initiatives to support transfer students. We also recommend institutions invest in programs designed to build students’ social and transfer capital.

Social Capital for Vertical Transfers: The Multidimensional Predictor of Post-Transfer Adjustment and Academic Performance

Vertical transfers, those who transferred from a 2-year institution to a 4-year institution, often face multifaceted challenges and lower success rates upon arriving at the receiving 4-year institutions. This quantitative study focused on three forms of social capital related to post-transfer adjustment, retention, and success for vertical transfers. The author administered an online survey to vertical transfers who successfully transferred from a 2-year college to a research-intensive, public, 4-year university located in a Southern state in the United States and matched the survey data with students' transcript data. A factor analysis discovered three distinct social capital constructs: transfer capital, 4-year faculty social capital, and 4-year staff social capital. Subsequent regression analyses revealed that 4-year faculty social capital positively predicted the post-transfer grade point average (GPA), while the transfer capital and 4-year staff social capital had a positive association with post-transfer social adjustment. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.

Transfer Capital or Transfer Deficit: A Dual Perspective of English Learning of ESL College Transfer Students

This research addressed a research gap in scrutinizing the language problems of English as a second language (ESL) transfer students (TSs) with regard to the aspects of “transfer deficit” and “transfer capital”, instead of simply labelling the use of English as a “transfer deficit”. One hundred and twenty-four TSs participated in this qualitative study. From qualitative content analysis, three main categories were identified: (a) English competence as transfer capital; (b) English competence as transfer deficit; and (c) transition from deficit to capital. Based on the results, educational practitioners are advised to pay attention to the specific implications of proficiency-based courses, with support measures not limited to essay-writing or referencing skills, but including advanced research writing genres such as the Capstone Project.

Formation of Social Capital for Community College Students: A Second-Order Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Objective: This quantitative study constructed a statistical model to measure family social capital and college social capital among community college students. The authors also examined influences of these two types of social capital constructs on degree aspiration. Method: This study utilized the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Student Success Literacy Survey (SSSL) to collect data in all 15 community college districts in Iowa. With more than 5,000 responses, the authors conducted descriptive analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. Results: College social capital was measured by three latent variables such as interaction with advisors, interaction with faculty members, and transfer capital. The three latent variables were further measured by 14 survey items. Family social capital was measured by six survey items that described parent–child interaction in high school. The SEM results indicated that college social capital had stronger direct influences on degree aspiration compared with family social capital. The impact of family social capital was delivered through the mediation of college social capital. Contributions: Findings contributed to the literature by emphasizing the important role of institutional agents in promoting degree aspiration. Intervention programs should be implemented to encourage interactions between institutional agents and underrepresented and disadvantaged students.

Predictors of Latina/o Community College Student Vocational Choice in STEM

ABSTRACTThis study confirmed appropriate measurement model fit for a theoretical model, the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) vocational choice (STEM-VC) model. This model identified factors that successfully predicted a student’s vocational choice decision to pursue a STEM degree for Latina/o and White community college students. The STEM-VC model is an adaptation of the theoretical framework of Social Cognitive Career Theory. The following factors are included for examination: Self-Efficacy, Vocational Interests, Social Capital, Academic Achievement, Transfer Capital, and Student Validation. Unique findings of this study include the identification of a predictive STEM vocational choice model for Latino/Latina and White students. Emergent constructs predictive of STEM vocational choice for both populations included student Self-Efficacy, Transfer Capital, and Student Validation; these were consistent between both student groups. Results of the study serve to inform community college practitioners of key programmatic emphasis areas to potentially influence STEM vocational choice prior to student transfer.