Abstract
Studying factors that predict bachelor’s degree attainment has generated considerable empirical interest over the past few decades. Relatively few studies, however, have focused on community college transfer students and the unique factors that predict their educational outcomes. Utilizing the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 and Postsecondary Education Transcript Study, this research tested logistic regression models to predict baccalaureate attainment and college persistence among high school graduates of 1992 who attended community colleges first and eventually transferred to four-year institutions. Results indicate that the probability of attaining a bachelor’s degree among these students is significantly associated with gender, SES, high school curriculum, educational expectation upon entering college, GPA earned from community colleges, college involvement, and math remediation. Perceived locus of control and community college GPA are significant predictors of persistence. Implications for policy and future research are also discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
This information is available in the fully-documented Electronic Code Book (ECB) that accompanies the PETS data CD.
Applying alternative methods such as mean substitution to address missing data did not produce substantially different results.
References
Adelman, C. (1999). Answers in the tool box: Academic intensity, attendance patterns, and bachelor’s degree attainment. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Adelman, C. (2006). The toolbox revisited: Paths to degree completion from high School through college. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Allison, P. D. (2002). Missing data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Astin, A. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Atkinson, J. W. (1957). Motivational determinants of risk-taking behavior. Psychological Review, 64, 359–372.
Atkinson, J. W. (1964). An introduction to motivation. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand.
Atkinson, J. W., & Feather, N. T. (Eds.). (1966). A theory of achievement motivation. New York: John Wiley.
Bailey, T. R., & Alfonso, M. (2005). Paths to persistence: An analysis of research on program effectiveness at community colleges [Monograph]. Lumina Foundation for Education New Agenda Series, 6(1), 1–38.
Bean, J. P. (1990). Why students leave: Insights from research. In D. Hossler, J. P. Bean & Associates (Eds.), The strategic management of college enrollments (pp. 147–169). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bean, J. P., & Metzner, B. S. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of Educational Research, 55, 485–540.
Berkner, L. K., Cuccaro-Alamin, S., & McCormick, A. C. (1996). Descriptive summary of 1989–90 beginning postsecondary students: Five years later (NCES 96–155). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Government Printing Office.
Braley, R., & Ogden, W. (1997). When failing indicates higher graduation potential. College Student Journal, 31, 245–250.
Cabrera, A. F., Nora, A., & Castaneda, M. B. (1993). College persistence: Structural equations modeling test of an integrated model of student retention. Journal of Higher Education, 64, 123–139.
Camburn, E. (1990). College completion among students from high schools located in large metropolitan areas. American Journal of Education, 98, 551–569.
Carter, D. (2002). College students’ degree aspirations: A theoretical model and literature review with a focus on African-American and Latino students. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 17, pp. 129–171). New York: Agathon Press.
Christie, R. (1999). The net effects of institutional type on baccalaureate degree attainment: A study of the sophomore cohort of the 1980 NCES high school and beyond data. Dissertation abstracts international, 59, 3750A.
Crook, D., & Lavin, D. (1989). The community college effect revisited: The long-term impact of community college entry on BA attainment. Paper presented at the meeting of the American educational research association, San Francisco.
Davies, G. (2001). Higher education is a public health issue. Chronicle of Higher Education, November, B16.
DesJardins, S. L., Kim, D., & Rzonca, C. S. (2003). A nested analysis of factors affecting bachelor’s degree completion. Journal of College Student Retention, 4, 407–435.
Dougherty, K. J. (1987). The effects of community colleges: Aid or hindrance to socioeconomic attainment? Sociology of Education, 60(2), 86–103.
Dougherty, K. J. (1994). The contradictory college: The conflicting origins, impacts, and futures of the community college. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
Dougherty, K. J., & Kienzl, G. S. (2006). It’s not enough to get through the open door: Inequalities by social background in transfer from community colleges to four-year colleges. Teachers College Record, 108, 452–487.
Ganderton, P., & Santos, R. (1995). Hispanic college attendance and completion: Evidence from the high school and beyond surveys. Economics of Education Review, 14, 35–46.
Gifford, D., Mianzo, F., & Briceno-Perriott, J. (2006). Locus of control: Academic achievement and retention in a sample of university first-year students. Journal of College Admission, 191, 19–25.
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam.
Grimes, S. K. (1997). Underprepared college students: Characteristics, persistence, and academic success. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 21(1), 47–58.
Horn, L. J., & Premo, M. D. (1995). Profile of undergraduates in U.S. postsecondary education institutions: 1992–93, with an essay on undergraduates at risk (NCES 96–237). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
Hosmer, D. W., & Lemeshow, S. (2000). Applied logistic regression (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Laanan, F. S. (2003). Degree aspirations of two-year college students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 27(6), 495–518.
Laanan, F. S. (2004). Studying transfer students: Part I: Instrument design and implications. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 28, 331–351.
Lee, V. E., & Frank, K. A. (1990). Students’ characteristics that facilitate the transfer from two-year to four-year colleges. Sociology of Education, 63(3), 178–193.
Lee, V. E., Mackie-Lewis, C., & Marks, H. M. (1993). Persistence to the baccalaureate degree for students who transfer from community college. American Journal of Education, 102(1), 80–114.
Lefcourt, H. M. (Ed.). (1981). Research with the locus of control construct (Vol. 1). New York: Academic Press.
Lefcourt, H. M. (1982). Locus of control: Current trends in theory and research. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Lefcourt, H. M. (Ed.). (1983). Research with the locus of control construct (Vol. 2). New York: Academic Press.
Long, B. T. (2005). The remediation debate: Are we serving the needs of under-prepared college students? National CrossTalk. San Jose, CA: The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
Martin, J. B., & Bowman, J. T. (1985). Predicting academic achievement of disabled college students. Journal of Rehabilitation, 51(2), 36–39.
McClelland, D. C. (1993). Intelligence is not the best predictor of job performance. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2, 5–6.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2001). High school academic curriculum and the persistence path through college: Persistence and transfer behavior of undergraduates 3 years after entering 4-year institutions. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2006). The Condition of Education 2006. NCES 2006–071. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Nora, A., Cabrera, A. F., Hagedon, L. S., & Pascarella, E. T. (1996). Differential impacts of academic and social experiences on college-related behavioral outcomes across different ethnic and gender groups at four-year institutions. Research in Higher Education, 37, 427–451.
Nora, A., & Wedham, E. (1991). Off-campus experiences: The pull factors affecting freshman-year attrition on a commuter campus. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.
Pascarella, E., & Terenzini, P. (1991). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pascarella, E., & Terenzini, P. (2005). How college affects students: Vol. 2. A third decade of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Peng, C. Y., So, T. S., Stage, F. K., & St. John, E. P. (2002). The use and interpretation of logistic regression in higher education journals: 1988–1999. Research in Higher Education, 43(3), 259–293.
Perry, R. (1991). Perceived control in college students: Implications for instruction in higher education. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 7, pp. 1–56). New York: Agathon Press.
Peter, K., & Forrest Cataldi, E. (2005). The road less traveled? Students who enroll in multiple institutions (NCES 2005–157). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Reason, R. D. (2003). Student variables that predict retention: recent research and new developments. NASPA Journal, 40(4), 172–191.
Roksa, J. (2006). Does the vocational focus of community colleges hinder students’ educational attainment? Review of Higher Education, 29(4), 499–526.
Rosenberg, M. (1986). Conceiving the self. (Reprint ed.). Melbourne, FL: Krieger.
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. In Psychological Monographs, 80, (1, Whole No. 609). Princeton: The American Psychological Association.
Rotter, J. B. (1975). Some problems and misconceptions related to the construct of internal versus external control of reinforcement. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43, 56–67.
Rouse, C. (1995). Democratization or diversion? The effect of community colleges on educational attainment. Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 13, 217–224.
Smart, J. C., & Pascarella, E. T. (1986). Self-concept development and educational degree attainment. Higher Education, 15(1/2), 3–15.
Swail, W. S., Redd, K. E., & Perna, L. W. (2003). Retaining minority students in Higher Education: A framework for success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Swing, R. L. (2000). Transfer student support programs. Brevard, NC: Policy Center on the First Year of College, Brevard College.
Thomas, S. L., & Heck, R. H. (2001). Analysis of large-scale secondary data in higher education research: Potential perils associated with complex sampling designs. Research in Higher Education, 42(5), 517–540.
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Velez, W., & Javalgi, R. G. (1987). Two-year to four-year college: The likelihood of transfer. American Journal of Education, 96(1), 81–94.
Wang, X., & Wharton, B. I. (2006). Any differences in patterns of involvement? A comparative study of transfer students and native students at a four-year public research university. Presentation at the 31st annual conference of association for the study of higher education, Anaheim, California.
Weissman, J., Silke, E., & Bulakowski, C. (1997). Assessing developmental education policies. Research in Higher Education, 38, 187–200.
Whitaker, D., & Pascarella, E. T. (1994). Two-year college attendance and socioeconomic attainment: Some additional evidence. Journal of Higher Education, 65, 194–210.
Wigfield, A. (1994). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation: A developmental perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 6, 49–78.
Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. (1992). The development of achievement task values: A theoretical analysis. Developmental Review, 12, 265–310.
Acknowledgements
This study is based upon work supported by the Association for Institutional Research, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Science Foundation, and the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative, under Association for Institutional Research Grant Number 07–417.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix
Appendix
See Table 6
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, X. Baccalaureate Attainment and College Persistence of Community College Transfer Students at Four-Year Institutions. Res High Educ 50, 570–588 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-009-9133-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-009-9133-z