University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School January 2015 The Relationship of Pre-enrollment Timespans to Persistence and Time-to-Degree of Transfer Students at a Four-Year, Metropolitan University Michelle Denise Bombaugh University of South Florida, michellebombaugh@gmail.com Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education and Teaching Commons Scholar Commons Citation Bombaugh, Michelle Denise, "The Relationship of Pre-enrollment Timespans to Persistence and Time-to-Degree of Transfer Students at a Four-Year, Metropolitan University" (2015). Graduate Theses and Dissertations.edu/etd/5646 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact scholarcommons@usf.
The Relationship of Pre-enrollment Timespans to Persistence and Time-to-Degree of Transfer Students at a Four-Year, Metropolitan University by Michelle D. Bombaugh A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Higher Education Administration Department of Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education College of Education University of South Florida Major Professor: Thomas E. Robert Sullins, Ed. Young III, Ed.
Date of Approval: June 26, 2015 Keywords: Admission, Community College, Orientation, Transition Copyright 2015, Michelle D. Bombaugh DEDICATION To my parents, Dr. James and Roxanne Wilson, thank you for all of your continued support as I pursued this degree. Although I pursued an unconventional career path, I appreciated your encouragement throughout the process.
Thank you for spending extra time with our girl so that I could work and go to school. To my siblings (Jason, Rebecca, Meghan, and Matthew), you have all contributed to this success more than you know. You are each amazing in your own ways, and I admire you all. To my daughter, Sydney, you have no idea how much you have inspired and encouraged me to keep going.
You were born while I was on this journey, so this has always been your reality. Thank you for offering to write your own big paper with me and for prescribing me a “chill pill” to calm me down. Your constant question of, “Have you finished your big paper yet?” kept me motivated to finish. Thank you for understanding when I had to leave the house to write.
You are the best daughter I could ever have hoped for, and I am so glad that you were with me throughout. To my husband, Jason, I cannot believe that you have been by my side through three degrees. This journey has been the longest and toughest, but it is finally over. Thank you for supporting me when I made the decision to pursue this degree.
Thank you for encouraging me through the coursework, qualifying exams, and dissertation. Thank you for reserving judgment when I added extra responsibilities “just because.” Thank you for carrying extra parental responsibilities when I was in class or writing. This is a celebration for us both. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I want to thank the members of my committee.
Thomas Miller, you told me from the beginning that this doctoral journey would be a marathon…not a sprint. Thank you for sticking with me from start to finish even though my pace was slower than initially planned. Your encouragement and advice were invaluable. Thank you for serving as my major professor.
Donald Dellow, Dr. William Young, and Dr. Robert Sullins, I am truly blessed that you served on my committee and appreciative of your contributions to my doctoral education. Thank you to Miguel and Randa for providing the data.
I appreciate the time and care you put into compiling it. Thank you to Bill for clarifying the Admissions policies and Marnie for all of the Transfer Orientation information. Your input and insight were invaluable. Through my experience as an academic advisor, I was motivated to start this doctoral journey.
To Autumn, thank you for being such an understanding supervisor during that time. To Allison, thank you providing insight and feedback concerning the dissertation process. Both of you encouraged me more than you know. I would like to acknowledge my coworkers in the Office of Academic Advocacy, Kim and Leslie.
We brainstormed this topic over an informal lunch, and they have had to listen to me talk about it ever since. Thank you for your inspiration and support. I would not have made it through this without the support and encouragement of Sabrina and Laurie-Ann. Our writing sessions and celebrations kept me sane.
I am glad that we went through this process together. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .v CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .1 Statement of Problem .3 Purpose of Study .8 Significance of the Study .8 Definition of Terms.12 Organization of the Study .13 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .21 Transfer Student Transition .30 Persistence and Degree Completion .36 CHAPTER THREE: METHODS .38 Restatement of Problem .39 Setting and Participants.47 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS .49 Results of the Analysis.61 Research Question One .61 Research Question Two .62 Research Question Three .66 i Research Question Four .69 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION .71 Summary of the Study .71 Statement of the problem .71 Purpose of the study .72 Review of methods .80 Implications for Practice .82 Recommendations for Future Research .90 APPENDIX A: IRB Letter of Approval .96 ABOUT THE AUTHOR. END PAGE ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Variables and Research Questions .48 Table 2: Descriptive Statistics of Transfer Students in Sample .50 Table 3: Descriptive Statistics for Age at Enrollment .51 Table 4: Descriptive Statistics for Transfer GPA .52 Table 5: Frequencies of Pre-enrollment Timespans.52 Table 6: Descriptive Statistics for Pre-enrollment Timespans .53 Table 7: Frequencies of Persistence and Degree Completion .53 Table 8: Time Elapsed to Degree Completion .54 Table 9: Frequencies of Persistence by Admissions-to-enrollment Timespan .55 Table 10: Frequencies of Persistence by Orientation-to-enrollment Timespan .56 Table 11: Frequencies of Degree Completion by Admissions-to-enrollment Timespan .57 Table 12: Frequencies of Degree Completion by Orientation-to-enrollment Timespan .58 Table 13: Frequencies of Time Elapsed for Degree Completion by Admissions-to- enrollment Timespan .59 Table 14: Frequencies of Time Elapsed for Degree Completion by Orientation-to- enrollment Timespan .60 Table 15: Logistic Regression of Admissions-to-enrollment Timespan and Persistence .61 Table 16: Logistic Regression of Orientation-to-enrollment Timespan and Persistence .62 Table 17: Multiple Logistic Regression of Orientation-to-enrollment Timespan and Persistence Controlling for Gender, Age, and Ethnicity.63 Table 18: Multiple Logistic Regression of Orientation-to-enrollment Timespan and Persistence Controlling for FCSS and Transfer GPA .64 iii Table 19: Multiple Logistic Regression of Orientation-to-enrollment Timespan and Persistence Controlling for College in which Last Major was Declared .65 Table 20: Ordered Logistic Regression of Admissions-to-enrollment Timespan and Time Elapsed to Earn Degree .67 Table 21: Ordered Logistic Regression of Orientation-to-enrollment Timespan and Time Elapsed to Earn Degree .68 iv ABSTRACT This research study investigated the relationship to the pre-enrollment factors of admissions-to-enrollment and orientation-to-enrollment timespans to transfer student success as measured by persistence and the length of time taken to earn a baccalaureate degree. This quantitative study analyzed secondary data (N = 357) from a large, four-year, public research institution in the southeast United States.
A logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationships between the pre-enrollment timespans and persistence. The relationship between the admissions-to-enrollment timespan and persistence was not statistically significant. The orientation-to-enrollment timespan was found to have a statistically significant relationship to persistence (p <. This indicated that students who had increased orientation-to-enrollment timespans were more likely to persist.
To further explore this relationship, a multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to control for possible extraneous demographic, pre- enrollment, and enrollment variables. The relationship of orientation-to-enrollment timespan and persistence continued to be statistically significant. An ordered logistic technique was used to explore the relationship between the admissions- and orientation-to-enrollment timespans and time-to-degree completion. Neither timespan was found to have a significant relationship with time elapsed to complete the degree.
Implications for admissions and orientation timespans were discussed in relation to transfer student transitions. v CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Enrollment numbers at the community college level remain strong as evidenced by the enrollment estimate of more than 12 million students in the 1,123 community colleges across the nation (AACC, 2015; Lester, 2006; Mellow & Heelan, 2008). Furthermore, community college students represent half of the college enrollment in the United States (Mellow & Heelan, 2008). Statistically, one out of five students enrolled at a community college will choose to transfer to a four-year institution with the intent of earning a baccalaureate degree (Eggleston & Laanan, 2001).
As the nation responds to President Barack Obama’s call for an increase in college attendance and degree completion by the year 2020 (White House, 2009), this number is expected to increase (Handel, 2013). On February 24, 2009, President Obama challenged America to lead the world in the percentage of college graduates by the year 2020. In this same speech, President Obama noted that America was not producing enough educated citizens to fill positions in ¾ of the fastest- growing occupations (White House, 2009). A few years later, Carnavale and Rose (2011) asserted that there is a need to add 20 million college-educated people to the workforce by the year 2025.
Of this 20 million, 15 million workers will need to possess a baccalaureate degree to fill the increased demand from employers who have vacant higher-level positions. In order to produce an increase in the college-educated populace and to decrease vacancies in these specialized positions, higher education institutions need to ensure that they are providing an unobstructed path for students whose goal is to obtain a baccalaureate degree. As transfer students make up a significant part of the college student population, it is paramount that they have the support they need to persist and graduate in a timely fashion. 1 Statement of Problem Transfer students make up a large portion of the college and university system.
Current research reports that 77% of the 95,356 community college student respondents to the 2014 Survey of Entering Student Engagement reported that their reason for attending their community colleges was to transfer to a four-year college or university (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2014). Despite their successful tenure at the community colleges, transfer students do not always make a smooth transition into the four-year college. They may experience a decrease in grade point average, an increase in the time it takes to earn a degree, and/or a lack of persistence (Berger & Malaney, 2001). Furthermore, they face a variety of obstacles in the areas of admissions, articulation, housing, career planning, academic advising, financial aid, and student involvement.
This transition into the university can prove problematic to the new student; therefore, both community colleges and four-year institutions need to be prepared to assist these students as they transfer and begin to acclimate to the university setting. In response, universities have implemented myriad programs and practices to assist these students including living and/or learning communities, first year interventions, and transfer- specific orientations (Borland, 2004). In order to complete university business and understand the nuances of their new educational environment, transfer students need time to prepare for the transition from the community college to the four-year university. Applications for admission can typically be completed one year prior to the term for which the applicant is seeking admission.
Those who apply and are admitted several months prior to their enrollment term can use their time to prepare for their transfer by contacting academic advisors at the university, visiting the campus, setting up housing, and attending orientation. At some institutions, attendance at orientation is 2 mandatory before transfer students are permitted to register for classes. Those with greater timespans between admission and enrollment have the opportunity to attend an earlier orientation date, thus, allowing them to register for courses earlier. They also have the time to address any issues that may arise regarding the applicability of transfer credits into the university and their academic program.