Investigating the Viability of Transfer Pathways to STEM Degrees: Do Community Colleges Prepare Students for Success in University STEM Courses?

Autor/inn/en	Bahr, Peter Riley; Jones, Elizabeth S.; Skiles, Joshua
Titel	Investigating the Viability of Transfer Pathways to STEM Degrees: Do Community Colleges Prepare Students for Success in University STEM Courses?
Quelle	In: Community College Review, 51 (2023) 4, S.567-592 (26 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Bahr, Peter Riley)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0091-5521
DOI	10.1177/00915521231181955
Schlagwörter	College Transfer Students; Guided Pathways; STEM Education; College Readiness; Community Colleges; Prerequisites; Regression (Statistics); Program Effectiveness; Educational Attainment; Academic Achievement; Outcomes of Education; Calculus; Physics; Chemistry; Gender Differences; Racial Differences; Michigan + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Hochschulwechsel; Schulwechsel; Studienortwechsel; STEM; Community college; Community College; Voraussetzung; Regression; Regressionsanalyse; Bildungsabschluss; Bildungsgut; Schulleistung; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg; Analysis; Differenzialrechnung; Infinitesimalrechnung; Integralrechnung; Physik; Chemie; Geschlechterkonflikt; Rassenunterschied
Abstract	Objective: Community colleges have considerable potential to grow the number of individuals who complete STEM baccalaureate degrees and to broaden access to educational opportunities in STEM. However, efforts to tap this potential have been hampered by nagging questions about whether community colleges prepare students adequately for advanced STEM courses at universities. In this study, we draw on data from four universities in Michigan to investigate differences in the course and degree outcomes of students who completed prerequisite STEM courses in community colleges versus students who completed prerequisites at the university. Methods: We use logistic and linear regression to control for several potentially confounding variables, including prior academic achievement as measured by high school grade point average. Results: In three of the universities, we did not find evidence of consistently weaker outcomes among students who completed STEM prerequisites at community colleges or among transfer students generally. In the fourth university, students taking STEM prerequisites in a community college had weaker course outcomes than did non-transfer students. Intersecting qualitative evidence points to differences in levels of support for transfer students as a probable explanation for the differences in students' outcomes, rather than inadequate rigor of community college STEM coursework. Conclusion: Our findings generally align with prior evidence of minor or inconsistent differences in outcomes for students who previously attended a community college, but also point to the probable role of institutional factors at universities in influencing the chances of success among students who utilize community college to complete STEM coursework. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	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: https://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01