A Lens for Transfer: A History of the Theoretical Frameworks and Conceptual Models Applied to the Study of Transfer Students

Abstract

This literature-based study traces the emergence and application of theoretical frameworks and conceptual models applied to the study of higher education transfer students and practices. From the application of early theories in economics and anthropology dating back to the 18th century, to the development of transfer-specific frameworks as recently as 2016, this article reviews primary and secondary sources that apply the theoretical models that researchers have used to understand the complexities of this expanding area of study. Following a chronological approach, the researchers propose six distinct phases of research that have informed this topic. The article concludes with a discussion of the findings and important implications for both research and practice.

Keywords

transfer literature review frameworks history higher education

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Astin

A. W.

(1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25(4), 297–308.

Astin

A. W.

(1991). Assessment of excellence: The philosophy and practice of assessment and evaluation in higher education. New York, NY: American Council on Education and Macmillan.

Astin

A. W.

Antonio

A. L.

(2012). Assessment for excellence: The philosophy and practice of assessment and evaluation in higher education (2nd ed.). New York, NY: American Council on Education and Rowman & Littlefield.

Bandura

Estes

(1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215.

Bean

(1980). Dropouts and turnover: The synthesis and test of a causal model of student attrition. Research in Higher Education, 12(2), 155–187.

Becker

G. S.

(1993). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

Brandt

(1992). On outcome-based education: A conversation with Bill Spady. Educational Leadership, 50(4), 66–70.

Byrd

A. J.

(2017). Transfer student success: Latinx students overcoming challenges at two- and four-year institutions towards baccalaureate degree attainment (Doctoral dissertation). Loyola University, Chicago, IL. Retrieved from https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/2778

Cabrera

Nora

Castaneda

(1993). College persistence: Structural equations modeling test of an integrated model of student retention. The Journal of Higher Education, 64(2), 123–139.

10.

Castro

E. L.

Cortez

(2017). Exploring the lived experiences and intersectionalities of Mexican community college transfer students: Qualitative insights toward expanding a transfer receptive culture. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 41(2), 77–92.

11.

Crosta

P. M.

(2013). Intensity and attachment: How the chaotic enrollment patterns of community college students affect educational outcomes (CCRC Working Paper No. 60). New York, NY: Community College Research Center.

12.

Davis

C. A.

(2010). Noncognitive predictors of academic performance and persistence in horizontal and vertical transfer students by academic level (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. (UMI No. 375461032)

13.

Delgado

Stefancic

(2012). Critical race theory. New York: New York University Press.

14.

Duggan

M. H.

Pickering

J. W.

(2008). Barriers to transfer student academic success and retention. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory and Practice, 9(4), 437–459.

15.

Drury

R. L.

(2003). Community colleges in America: A historical perspective. Inquiry, 8(1), 1–6.

16.

Durkheim

(1951). Suicide: A study in sociology. New York, NY: The Free Press (Original work published 1897).

17.

Eckel, P. D., & King, J. E. (2004). An overview of higher education in the United States: Diversity, access, and the role of the market place. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.

18.

Flaga

C. T.

(2006). The process of transition for community college transfer students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 30(1), 3–19.

19.

Flowers

Luzynski

Zamani-Gallaher

(2014). Male transfer student athletes and Schlossberg’s transition theory. Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, 8(2), 99–120.

20.

Freeman

Huggans

(2009). Persistence of African-American male community college students in engineering. In Frierson

Pearson

Wyche

(Eds.), Black American males in higher education: Diminishing proportions (diversity in higher education) (Vol. 6, pp. 229–251). Bingley, England: Emerald Group.

21.

Goodman, J., Schlossberg, N. K., & Anderson, M. L. (2006). Counseling adults in transition: Linking practice with theory. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

22.

Gumm, J. E. (2006). Transfer transitions: First-semester experiences of transfer students at selected Texas Christian Universities. (EdD Dissertation). Retrieved from: https://baylor-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2104/4193/John_Gumm_edd.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

23.

Gurin, G., Newcomb, T. M., & Cope, R. B. Characteristics of entering freshmen related to attrition in the literary college of a large state university. Office of Education, U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Project No. 1938. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Re- search, University of Michigan, 1968.

24.

Hagedorn

L. S.

Cypers

Lester

(2008). Looking in the review mirror: Factors affecting transfer for urban community college students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 32(9), 643–664.

25.

Handel

S. J.

(2013). Recurring trends and persistent themes: A history of transfer. Retrieved from the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center: https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/advocacy/policycenter/recurring-trends-persistent-themes-history-transfer-brief.pdf

26.

Heller

D. E.

(1999). The effects of tuition and state financial aid on public college enrollment. The Review of Higher Education, 23(1), 65–89.

27.

Holland

(1985). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

28.

Institute of International Education. (2019). Total students: 1999/00-2004/04. IIE. Retrieved from https://www.iie.org/Research-and-Insights/Open-Doors/Data/Community-College-Data-Resource/Community-College—International-Students/Total-Students/2000-2005

29.

Ishitani

(2008). How do transfers survive after “transfer shock”? A longitudinal study of transfer student departure at a four-year institution. Research in Higher Education, 49(5), 403–419.

30.

Ivins

Copenhaver

Koclanes

(2017). Adult transitional theory and transfer shock in higher education: Practices from the literature. Reference Services Review, 45(2), 244–257. Retrieved from: 10.1108/RSR-08-2016-0048

31.

Jackson

(2013). Making the connection: The impact of support systems on female transfer students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Community College Enterprise, 19(1), 19–33.

32.

Jackson

Laanan

(2014). Desiring to fit: Fostering the success of community college transfer students in STEM. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 39(2), 1–18.

33.

Jain

Herrera

Bernal

Solórzano

(2011). Critical race theory and the transfer function: Introducing a transfer receptive culture. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 35(3), 252–266.

34.

King

(1993). Academic advising, retention, and transfer. New Directions for Community Colleges, 1993(82), 21–31.

35.

Laanan

F. S.

(2000). Beyond transfer shock: Dimensions of transfer students’ adjustment. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.

36.

Laanan

F. S.

(2001). Transfer student adjustment. New Directions for Community Colleges, 114, 5–13.

37.

Laanan

F. S.

(2004). Studying transfer students: Part I: Instrument design and implications. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 28(4), 331–351.

38.

Laanan, F. S. & Jain, D. (2016). Advancing a new critical framework for transfer student research: Implications for institutional research. New Directions for Institutional Research, 170, 9–21.

39.

Laanan

F. S.

Starobin

Eggleston

(2010). Adjustment of community college students at a four-year university: Role and relevance of transfer student capital for student retention. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, and Practice, 12(2), 175–209.

40.

Lent

R. W.

Brown

S. D.

Hackett

(1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79–122.

41.

(2010). They need help: Transfer students from four-year to four-year institutions. Review of Higher Education, 33(2), 207–238.

42.

McKenna

(2015). The globalization of America’s colleges. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/11/globalization-american-higher-ed/416502/

43.

McPherson

M. S.

Schapiro

M. O.

(1998). The student aid game: Meeting need and rewarding talent in American higher education. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

44.

Monroe

(2006). Non-traditional transfer student attrition. The Community College Enterprise, 12(2), 33–54.

45.

Moser

(2013). Exploring the impact of transfer capital on community college transfer students. Journal of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, 25(2), 53–76.

46.

Nadworny

(2018, December). Top colleges seeking diversity from a new source: Transfer students. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2018/12/04/667381514/top-colleges-seeking-diversity-from-a-new-source-transfer-students

47.

National Center for Education Statistics. (1993). 120 years of American Education: A statistical portrait . Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs93/93442.pdf

48.

Nehls

Smith

B. D.

(2014). The role of Facebook in fostering transfer student integration. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 51(4), 392–406.

49.

Oberg

(1960). Culture shock: Adjustment to the new cultural environment. Practical Anthropology, 7, 177–182.

50.

Oppenheimer

J. A.

(2010). Rational choice theory. In Bevir

(Ed.), Encyclopedia of political theory (Vol. 3, pp. 1150–1159). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

51.

Our Work. (2019). Complete College America. Retrieved from https://completecollege.org

52.

Owens

(2010). Community college transfer students’ adjustment to a four-year institution: A qualitative analysis. Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 22(1), 87–128.

53.

Pace, C. R. (1979). Measuring outcomes of college: Fifty years of findings and recommendations for thefuture. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

54.

Pace, C. R. (1984). Measuring the quality of college student experiences. An account of the development and use of the College Student Experiences Questionnaire. Los Angeles, CA: Higher Education Research Institute.

55.

Padilla

(1991). Assessing heuristic knowledge to enhance college students’ success. In Keller

G. D.

Deneen

J. R.

Magallan

R. J.

(Eds.), Assessment and access: Hispanics in higher education (pp. 81–92). Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

56.

Padilla

Trevino

Gonzalez

Trevino

(1997). Developing local models of minority student success in college. Journal of College Student Development, 38, 124–135.

57.

Pajares

(1996). Self-efficacy beliefs in academic settings. Review of Educational Research, 66(4), 543–578.

58.

Pascarella

(1980). Student-faculty informal contact and college outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 50(4), 545–595.

59.

Pascarella

(1985). College environmental influences on learning and cognitive development: A critical review and synthesis. In Smart

(Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 1, pp. 1–61). New York, NY: Agathon.

60.

Peters

(1992). Government reorganization: A theoretical analysis. International Political Science Review, 13(2), 199–217.

61.

Pickering

J. W.

Calliotte

J. A.

(1996). Using a freshman survey to identify at-risk freshman. In Banta

T. W.

Lund

J. P.

Black

K. E.

Oblander

F. W.

(Eds.), Assessment in practice: Putting principles to work on college campuses (pp. 250–253). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

62.

Pickering

J. W.

Calliotte

J. A.

McAuliffe

G. J.

(1992). The effect of noncognitive factors on freshman academic performance and retention. Journal of the Freshman Year, 4(2), 7–28.

63.

Pike

Smart

Ethington

(2012). The mediating effects of student engagement on the relationships between academic disciplines and learning outcomes: An extension of Holland’s theory. Research in Higher Education, 53(5), 550–575.

64.

Schlossberg

N. K.

(1981). A model for analyzing human adaptation to transition. The Counseling Psychologist, 9(2), 2–18.

65.

Schlossberg

N. K.

(1984). Counseling adults in transition: Linking practice with theory. New York, NY: Springer.

66.

Schlossberg

N. K.

(2011). The challenge of change: The transition model and its applications. Journal of Employment Counseling, 48(4), 159–162.

67.

Schlossberg

N. K.

Waters

E. B.

Goodman

(1995). Counseling adults in transition: Linking practice with theory (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

68.

Scott

Davis

(2007). Organizations and organizing: Rational, natural, and open systems perspectives (1st ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

69.

Solórzano

(1997). Images and words that wound: Critical race theory, racial stereotyping and teacher education. Teacher Education Quarterly, 24, 5–19.

70.

Solórzano

(1998). Critical race theory, racial and gender microaggressions, and the experiences of Chicana and Chicano scholars. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 11, 121–136.

71.

Spady

(1970). Dropouts from higher education: An interdisciplinary review and synthesis. Interchange, 1(1), 64–85.

72.

Starobin

S. S.

Smith

D. J.

Laanan

F. S.

(2016). Deconstructing the transfer student capital: Intersect between cultural and social capital among female transfer students in STEM fields. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 40(12), 1040–1057.

73.

Storen

L. A.

Arnesen

C. A.

(2007). Women’s and men’s choice of higher education—What explains the persistent sex segregation in Norway? Studies of Higher Education, 32(2), 253–275.

74.

Sweetland

(1996). Human capital theory: Foundations of a field of inquiry. Review of Educational Research, 66(3), 341–360.

75.

Taylor

J. L.

Jain, D.. (2017). The multiple dimensions of transfer: Examining the transfer function in American higher education. Community College Review, 45(4), 273–293.

76.

Terenzini

Pascarella

(1977). Voluntary freshman attrition and patterns of social and academic integration in a university: A test of a conceptual model. Research in Higher Education, 6(1), 25–43.

77.

The Alliance. (2019). Complete college America. Retrieved from https://completecollege.org

78.

Tinto

(1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89–125.

79.

Tinto

(1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

80.

Tinto

(2017). Through the eyes of students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 19(3), 254–269.

81.

Tobolowsky

B. F.

Cox

B. E.

(2012). Rationalizing neglect: An institutional response to transfer students. Journal of Higher Education, 83(3), 389–410.

82.

Valenzuela

(1999). Subtractive schooling: US-Mexican youth and the politics of caring. New York, NY: SUNY Press.

83.

Van Gennep

(1960). The rites of passage. London, England: Routledge & Paul.

84.

Weidman

(1989). Undergraduate socialization. In Smart

J. C.

(Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. V). New York, NY: Agathon Press.

85.

Whorton, S. S. (2009). Academic self-efficacy, academic integration, social integration, and persistence among first-semester community college transfer students at a four-year institution (Doctoral Dissertation). Clemson University, TigerPrints, No. 361. Retrieved from https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/361

86.

Yosso

(2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69–91.

87.

Young

Litzler

(2013). Confirmatory factor analysis of transfer student adjustment. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 37(11), 877–891.

88.

Younger

T. K.

(2009). The case for degree completion: African American transfer students at a traditionally white institution (Doctoral dissertation). University of Maryland, College Park, MD. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1903/9944