From Community College Attendants to Baccalaureate Recipients: A Planned Behavior Model for Transfer Students in STEM Fields of Study

Yi Leaf Zhang, Maria Adamuti-Trache and John Connolly

The Journal of Higher Education, 2019, vol. 90, issue 3, 373-401

Abstract: Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010), our study aims to understand how community college transfer students’ STEM degree attainment behavior is shaped by their beliefs, intentions, contextual factors and social-demographic characteristics. This study drew upon data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002). The sample includes 1,761 students who began postsecondary education at a 2-year institution and attended a 4-year university later in their academic career. We employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to develop a fully specified model of STEM baccalaureate degree attainment for the transfer students. The findings of the study highlight the significant impact of gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on STEM degree attainment. Additionally, we distinguished transfer students’ intention to pursue a STEM field of study from intention to obtain a bachelor’s degree and found both intentions had significant effects on STEM baccalaureate degree attainment. Finally, the study findings show that college variables, such as taking remedial math courses, college GPA, and student loans, have significant effects on STEM degree attainment.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1080/00221546.2018.1536935

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