ERIC Number: EJ1155286
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Oct
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0091-5521
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Role of Aspirational Experiences and Behaviors in Cultivating Momentum for Transfer Access in STEM: Variations across Gender and Race
Wang, Xueli; Lee, Seo Young; Prevost, Amy
Community College Review, v45 n4 p311-330 Oct 2017
Objective: Although upward transfer in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields represents a prominent national policy concern, community college students' aspirations for transfer in STEM are often impeded, resulting in lower transfer rates. This study investigated four aspects of community college STEM students' aspirational experiences and behaviors with regard to transfer: support for transfer, transfer service usage, transfer-oriented interactions, and transfer information acquisition. Particular attention was paid to how these factors may impact students' aspirational momentum differently based on gender and race/ethnicity. Method: The study drew upon survey and administrative records from 1,245 first-time students beginning in STEM majors or courses at three large comprehensive 2-year institutions in a Midwestern state. A logistic regression model with interaction terms was employed to explore whether and how the relationship between students' aspirational momentum toward STEM transfer and their aspirational experiences and behaviors vary across gender and race/ethnicity. Results: Results indicate that, overall, students engaging in more frequent transfer service usage were significantly more likely to have aspirational momentum, but this relationship is weaker among female students, compared with males. Also, Black and Hispanic students' aspirational momentum was significantly less affected by support for transfer than for White students. In contrast, the effect of transfer service usage on aspirational momentum for Black students was significantly stronger than for White students. Contributions: Our findings hold implications for how to cultivate aspirational momentum toward transfer in STEM, especially how to resolve potential gender and racial disparities within this unique and pivotal transfer pathway.
Descriptors: Community Colleges, Two Year College Students, STEM Education, Academic Aspiration, Occupational Aspiration, Transfer of Training, Gender Differences, Racial Differences, Majors (Students), College Freshmen, Student Surveys, Regression (Statistics), Equal Education, Statistical Analysis
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: DUE1430642
Author Affiliations: N/A