Are Transfer Students Different?
First Year Grades and Course
Withdrawals
Jo Stewart
Brock University
Background
• Investigate concerns that transfer students
from community colleges or other
universities may be disadvantaged.
• Transfer credits for introductory-level Social
Science courses from community college
are not typically given at Brock.
• This means that all transfer students
captured in intro courses.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Background
• All transfer students in all 2008-09 full-year
(September to April) introductory courses
were identified.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Transfer Students Defined
• Transfer students defined as anyone who
had received at least 0.5 transfer credit from
another post-secondary institution.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Research Question?
• Do community college transfer students and
university transfer students perform as well
as those entering from high school in
introductory-level Social Science courses?
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Measures
• Course withdrawal
• First-term failing grades
• Final grades
• Improvement from first- to second-term
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Data
• 3,636 students enrolled in 11 intro courses
• 5,640 student-courses
• 261 community college transfer students
• 346 student-courses
• 92 university transfer students
• 119 student-courses
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Characteristics of Students
Percentage of Students:
Gender
Non-Transfer
Transfer from Transfer from
College
University
Male
37.23
37.04
44.57
Female
62.77
62.96
55.43
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Characteristics of Students
Percentage of Students:
Non-Transfer
Transfer from
College
Transfer from
University
15.9
18.52
9.78
2.52
2.31
1.09
Combined Major
0.51
0
1.09
Education
6.07
1.39a
2.17
General Studies
10.34
9.72
20.65a
Humanities
Mathematics and
Science
Social Sciences
14.36
11.57
14.13
2.55
2.78
30.47
40.74a
Undeclared
17.28
12.96
Faculty
Applied Health
Sciences
Business
a
p<.01; b b<.10
7.61a
33.7
9.78b
Characteristics of Students
Percentage of Student-Courses
Non-Transfer
Transfer from
College
Transfer from
University
Child and Youth Studies
10.67
13.01
10.08
Communication Studies
5.51
4.05
7.56
Film Studies
6.42
4.34
8.4
Human Geography
8.48
6.94
14.29a
Physical Geography
8.19
9.54
12.61b
Labour Studies
2.55
2.02
1.68
Popular Culture
3.25
2.31
0.84
Political Science
8.25
Psychology
21.95
24.28
15.97
Sociology
19.94
21.97
13.45b
Women’s Studies
4.79
6.07
8.40 b
Course
a
p<.05, b p<.10
5.49b
6.72
Results
Means of the dependent variables
Variable
Final Course
Grade
Withdrew
Failed First
Term
Improved
a
p<.01; b p<.10
Non-Transfer
Transfer from
College
Transfer from
University
63.99
64.95
66.56b
0.0812
0.078
0.0756
0.2162
0.1965
0.1513b
12.63
16.79a
8.31
Results
Means of the dependent variables
Variable
Final Course
Grade
Withdrew
Failed First
Term
Improved
a
p<.01; b p<.10
Non-Transfer
Transfer from
College
Transfer from
University
63.99
64.95
66.56b
0.0812
0.078
0.0756
0.2162
0.1965
0.1513b
12.63
16.79a
8.31
Results
• Community college students do not differ
from high-school entry students on:
• Final course grade
• Likelihood of withdrawal
• Receiving a failing grade in term one
• Results are robust when controls for gender,
course, faculty and previous credits are in
place.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Results
Means of the dependent variables
Variable
Final Course
Grade
Withdrew
Failed First
Term
Improved
a
p<.01; b p<.10
Non-Transfer
Transfer from
College
Transfer from
University
63.99
64.95
66.56b
0.0812
0.078
0.0756
0.2162
0.1965
0.1513b
12.63
16.79a
8.31
Results
• Among those students who failed the first
term:
college transfer students improved by more
than those of non-transfer students in the
second term.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Results
Means of the dependent variables
Variable
Final Course
Grade
Withdrew
Failed First
Term
Improved
a
p<.01; b p<.10
Non-Transfer
Transfer from
College
Transfer from
University
63.99
64.95
66.56b
0.0812
0.078
0.0756
0.2162
0.1965
0.1513b
12.63
16.79a
8.31
Results
• University transfer students received higher
final grades and were less likely to have
failed the first term of their courses than
both other groups.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Other Results
• Students with a declared major had higher
final grades than General Studies or
Undeclared students.
• Indirect evidence for “transfer shock”:
• Community college students must attain a
minimum 75% (B) average at the college yet the
average final grade for college transfer students
at the university was 65%, indicating a drop of
ten marks.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Implications
• Finding: College transfer students with
failing first term grades showed greater
improvement from mid-term to final grade.
• Community college transfer students have
the ability to succeed at university.
• Would a bridging course avoid first-term
failures?
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Implications
• Finding: Community college students
succeed at university.
• Resources allocated by universities to
community college transfer students will be
well-spent.
• Support may allow students to reach their
academic potential earlier.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Implications
• Finding: University students had higher final
grades and were less likely to fail at
midterm.
• University students may use previous
experiences to outperform their peers.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Implications
• Finding: Community college transfer
students showed no differences from other
students in final grades or withdrawal rates.
• College to university transfers should
continue to be encouraged.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Implications
• Universities that implement policies and
programs that facilitate transfer from
community college to university will be
recruiting a student group that is prepared
to succeed with university-level coursework.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Policies and Programs
• Programs to encourage transfer from
community college to university could
include:
• Bridging courses
• Assistance with major exploration
• Academic advising
• Student development/learning skills workshops
• Collaboration with colleges to offer preparation
programs
• Etc.
Jo Stewart
(jo.stewart@brocku.ca)
Acknowledgements
• Felice Martinello for his assistance with data
collection and analysis.
• Shelagh Towson for her valuable feedback.
• Dean Tom Dunk, Faculty of Social Sciences
for his support.