The Multiple Dimensions of Transfer: Examining the Transfer Function in American Higher Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason L. Taylor ◽  
Dimpal Jain
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Transfer Function ◽  
Low Income ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Transfer Policy ◽  
American Higher Education ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
State Transfer ◽  
Policy Argument ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: This article examines the literature on the transfer function in American higher education, and it reviews three primary dimensions of transfer: (a) the transfer function and pathways, (b) transfer access and experiences, and (c) state transfer policy. Argument: This literature review engages core transfer concepts and we argue that the literature is dominated by the vertical transfer pathway, despite multiple transfer pathways and definitions. The research also suggests that students’ transfer experiences and outcomes are not equal, institutional cultures and policies are not designed to support diverse students, and the inadequate transfer structures and policies need to be reformed to improve transfer outcomes for students of color, low-income students, and first-generation students. Finally, we argue that the nature and distribution of state transfer policies is uneven and the impact of state transfer policies on student outcomes is mixed, so we know little about their efficacy. Conclusion: We conclude the article with a set of priorities for future transfer research that address gaps and limitations of the existing literature.

The Impact of Wyman’s Teen Leadership Program on College Achievement and Retention

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Low Income ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Leadership Program ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Teen Leadership ◽  
Postsecondary Access ◽  
The Impact

Low-income, first-generation college students face a host of obstacles on their journeys toward degree completion. Providing effective supports for these students as they navigate their postsecondary experiences is an important determinant of success, the implications of which can be far-reaching. The purpose of the current study discussed in this article was to examine the impact of Wyman’s Teen Leadership Program (TLP) on positive college outcomes for low-income, first-generation students pursuing higher education at Missouri State University (MSU). TLP is a community-based, postsecondary access and success program comprising three developmentally progressive phases that begin when teens are ninth graders and ends after their second year of postsecondary education. During the postsecondary phase of the program, TLP works in close partnership with higher education institutions like MSU to effectively support students through caring relationships and coordinated services. Using a mixed-methods approach, the authors analyzed the college retention rates and grade point averages (GPAs) of 39 TLP participants attending MSU and 82 comparison students with similar background characteristics. Findings revealed statistically higher retention rates and GPAs for TLP participants compared to non-participants. Focus groups were also conducted to better understand the perceptions of TLP participants (n = 15) and TLP staff members (n = 6). Using Schlossberg’s (1989) theory of marginality and mattering as a framework, the authors analyzed focus group responses, from which three overarching themes emerged: relationships, intentional experiences, and self-efficacy. The study findings suggest that postsecondary access and success programs are most effective when their curricula and program experiences are supported by strong and consistent student-adult relationships.

scholarly journals Linked Coding: A Qualitative Investigation of the Impact of a College Transition Program

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Coleman-Tempel ◽  
Meghan Ecker-Lyster
Keyword(s):  
Minority Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
College Transition ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Transition Program ◽  
Cultural Mismatch ◽  
College Ready ◽  
The Impact

Limited college knowledge often impacts underrepresented students’ ability to navigate the college setting, creating institutional barriers for these students once arriving on campus. Students who are first-generation, low-income, and/or minority students have been shown to be less “college ready” than their peers. This discrepancy in preparedness can be conceptualized as a cultural mismatch between the student’s background knowledge and the higher education institution's expectations and norms (Lohfink & Paulsen, 2005). This qualitative evaluation provides an in-depth investigation into first-generation, low-income, and minority students’ perceptions and experiences with a yearlong college transition program. The study explores how a college transition program can impact students’ social development.

scholarly journals Widening access to higher education for low-income students: a Brazilian case study (1990s-2016)

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
LEONARDO CIVINELLI TORNEL DA SILVEIRA
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Student Loans ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Access ◽  
Widening Access ◽  
Education Participation ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT This article analyses the widening access policies implemented by Brazil during the 1990s and in 2016. It cites and evaluates the different strategies used by the government, such as student loans, needs-based and race-based quotas. In the context of a highly privatized sector, in which for-profit higher education institutions account for over half of the existing higher education institutions in Brazil, the results display a relative growth in higher education access based on minorities and needs-based communities. However, it also showcases some trends not achieved as originally planned by the government (specially increasing higher education participation in regions other than the south and the southeast) and serves as a point requiring further research to evaluate the influence on the lives of students and graduates. This study uses government and publicly available sources to analyse the impact of this strategy over time.

Validation and Living Learning Communities: An Evaluation Case Study

2020 ◽  
pp. 152102512097093
Author(s):  
Sophia Gehlhausen Anderson ◽  
Bob Blankenberger
Keyword(s):  
Learning Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Matched Pair ◽  
Living Learning Communities ◽  
Validation Score ◽  
The Impact

In this program evaluation study, we analyzed the impact of interpersonal validation and participation in living-learning communities (LLC) on retention and GPA via regression and propensity score matching. The LLCs were designed to improve outcomes for underrepresented, low-income and first-generation students at a Midwestern regional public university. Employing data from the widely used Mid-Year Student Assessment™, we created a validation score. This student validation score was significantly associated with retention in semester three, and third semester and sixth semester GPA. In the matched pair analyses, we found mixed results with significantly improved retention for participants in just one LLC compared to their matched peers, and significantly improved GPA for a combined group of LLC participants.

scholarly journals How COVID-19 Has Exacerbated Inequality in Higher Education in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Higher Education Policies ◽  
Retention In Higher Education ◽  
The Impact

Drawing on educational census data and a review of news articles and higher education policies in Brazil, this article examines the impact of COVID-19 on the access and retention of the low-income Brazilian population in higher education. Guided by the question, “What is the impact of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable population in Brazil in terms of access to, and retention in higher education?”, the paper is structured in two sections: the first offers a short historical overview of Brazilian higher education; the second examines the impact of the pandemic on student retention in higher education, looking at factors such as social isolation, job and income precarity, use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), internet access, and technological resources. I argue that distance education offered by private higher education institutions benefits the privileged students and that the effects of the pandemic are detrimental to the socially disadvantaged students since those who are in public universities do not always have access to technology, and those who study in private universities feel the impact of not being able to pay tuition fees, besides the loss of several jobs in different sectors. In conclusion, I recommend policy initiatives to improve access to higher education.

Voces de Resistencia: Exploring Salvadoran Students’ Experiences and Needs in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 388-403
Author(s):  
Janette Linares ◽  
Cara S. Maffini
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Students ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Grounded Theory Methodology ◽  
Demographic Survey ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to examine how historical and contemporary traumas, refugee experiences, and cultural adjustment affect first-generation Salvadoran students’ identities and experiences in higher education. Thirteen Salvadoran college students completed a demographic survey and a semistructured interview. Using grounded theory methodology, three selective, 11 axials, and 36 open themes were identified. Respondents reflected on the impact of trauma. They also discussed challenges of being first generation and navigating through higher education, though reportedly conceptualizing these as symbols of hope and opportunity for their own growth. Findings demonstrate ways institutions of higher education can better support Salvadoran students.

Complicating College-Transition Stories: Strengths and Challenges of Approaches to Diversity in Wise-Story Interventions

2021 ◽  
pp. 174569162110060
Author(s):  
Rebecca Covarrubias ◽  
Giselle Laiduc
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Low Income ◽  
College Transition ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Rigorous Theory ◽  
Perspective Drawing ◽  
Multicultural Perspective

In response to the growing numbers of minoritized students (e.g., low-income, first-generation, students of color) transitioning into U.S. systems of higher education, researchers have developed transition-assistance strategies, such as psychologically wise-story interventions. Through a rigorous, theory-driven approach, wise-story interventions use stories to encourage students to develop adaptive meanings about college-transition challenges, subsequently allowing students to persist. Yet there is one critical distinction between existing wise-story interventions. Well-known examples endorse a color-evasive message that all students, regardless of their demographic backgrounds, share similar struggles when adjusting to college. One variation in wise-story interventions ties transition struggles explicitly to students’ identities, adopting more of a multicultural perspective. Drawing from diversity frameworks, we offer in this article a comparative analysis of these variations; we outline under what conditions, for whom, and through which processes these varying approaches to identity affect student outcomes. In this discussion, we reflect on both the strengths and challenges of wise-story interventions and offer considerations for extending these approaches. Specifically, we ask whether integrating critical perspectives into wise-story interventions better addresses the experiences of minoritized students as they navigate institutions historically built for dominant groups.

Assessing the Impact of a Graduate School Preparation Program on First-Generation, Low-Income College Students at a Public Liberal Arts University

2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Ishiyama ◽  
Valerie M. Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Liberal Arts University ◽  
Graduate School Preparation ◽  
Mcnair Program ◽  
Low Income College Students ◽  
The Impact

This study assessed the performance of a federal program designed to serve first-generation, low-income (FGLI) college students—the Ronald E. McNair Program. Using data from a midwestern liberal arts university we found that FGLI program participants are far more likely to be retained to the university and successful in terms of timely graduation and placement into graduate school than FGLI non-participants, even when controlling for academic ability and ambition.

scholarly journals HIGHER EDUCATION: SUSTAINING THE FUTURE OF STUDENTS DURING A PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naziema Jappie ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Disadvantaged Students ◽  
The South ◽  
Digital Platform ◽  
The Future ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 challenge is unprecedented; its scale still is not fully understood. Universities in the South Africa do have plans in place to continue the academic year in 2021 but have no idea to what extent education will resume to normal face to face activity. Although the future is unpredictable, given the uncertainty in the epidemiological and economic outlooks, universities have to ensure quality and sustainability for the medium and long-term implications for teaching, learning, the student experience, infrastructure, operations, and staff. Amongst the range of effects that COVID-19 will have on higher education this year, and possibly into future years, admission arrangements for students is one of the biggest. It is also one of the most difficult to manage because it is inherently cross sector, involving both schools and higher education. There is no template in any country of how to manage education during the pandemic. However, there are major concerns that exist, in particular, regarding the impact on learners from low income and disadvantaged groups. Many are vulnerable and cannot access the digital platform. Post 1994, the South African government placed emphasis on the introduction of policies, resources and mechanisms aimed at redressing the legacy of a racially and ethnically fragmented, unjust, dysfunctional and unequal education system inherited from apartheid. Many gains were made over the past two decades especially, in higher education, two of which were access and funding for the disadvantaged students to attend university. However, the pandemic in 2020 disrupted this plan, causing the very same disadvantaged students to stay at home without proper learning facilities, poor living conditions or no access to devices and data. The paper argues that the tensions and challenges that dominated the Covid-19 digital educational reform have resulted in a significant paradigm shift focused on out of classroom experiences as expressed in the new ways of teaching and learning and possibly leaving certain groups of students behind. Consideration is given to three broad areas within higher education in South Africa. Firstly the current dilemma of teaching and learning, secondly, the access or lack thereof to the digital platform and challenges facing students, and the thirdly, the issue of admission to higher education. All three areas of concern represent the degree to which we face educational disruption during the pandemic.

scholarly journals The Impact of Cultural Values on Chinese Students in American Higher Education:

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Wang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Culture Shock ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
American Higher Education ◽  
Chinese Cultural Values ◽  
The Impact

Chinese students who pursue their higher education in America benefit from the high quality of education in this country, which includes a richness and diversity of subjects, facility of research resources, and high academic standards. At the same time, they are under pressure, which results from culture shock and includes fear of failing, the language barrier, lack of class participation, homesickness, and isolation from their host culture, resulting in mental problems such as depression, frustration, and students dropping out. This study reveals the negative influence of Chinese cultural values on these students in American higher education by making use of interviews, participant observations, and document analysis, which evidence Chinese students’ dependence on their family, the Confucian middle way, the concept of “mianzi,” and filial piety. These findings can help international administrators better understand how to assess and resolve the problems that Chinese students face, thereby minimizing cultural clash and the difficulties of acclimating to a new environment. By addressing these problems, American universities will be better able to accommodate the incoming multi-cultural students, the majority of whom are Chinese, and bridge the gap that separates them from their American counterparts in order to enhance the learning environment for all students.

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