Soko S. Starobin

ADJUSTMENT OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS AT A FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITY: ROLE AND RELEVANCE OF TRANSFER STUDENT CAPITAL FOR STUDENT RETENTION

Community colleges play a critical role in the pathway to a baccalaureate degree for millions of students, especially among women and ethnic minorities. This study investigates the complexity of the transfer experience among students who began their postsecondary education at a 2-year college and transferred to a large 4-year university. Specifically, the goal of this study was to move beyond the “transfer shock” concept by examining the role and relevance of “transfer student capital” for student retention. Using the L-TSQ instrument, the 133-item online survey reported data from over 900 students regarding their demographic characteristics, community college experiences, and university experiences. Two hypotheticals were employed to understand the factors that influence academic and social transfer adjustment. The findings of this study inform student affairs professionals, admissions oficers, retention programs, students, and faculty.

Career and Technical Education as Pathways: Factors Influencing Postcollege Earnings of Selected Career Clusters

This study investigated the relationship between student characteristics such as gender, race/ethnicity, program of study, degree completion, and earnings outcomes for students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs within the business, information technology (IT), and marketing career clusters in community colleges to determine which variables lead to improved earnings for these students. It draws upon data from the Iowa Department of Education (IDE), Iowa Workforce Development (IWD), and the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). The study found that gender has the strongest influence on earnings for all three of the career clusters, with women earning less in all three. However, this plays out differently between the three clusters. Women who complete degrees in business and marketing earn less even than men who enroll in these programs without completing degrees. However, women who complete associate degrees in IT have an increase in earnings that is higher than that of men and have fifth year earnings that approach those of men. Completion of associate degrees had a positive influence on earnings for marketing and IT, but did not have a significant impact on earnings for the business cluster. The article concludes by addressing implications for research, policy, and practice.

Community Colleges in Japan and the Social Status of Japanese Women.

Historically, Japanese junior colleges have served as preparatory institutions for young Japanese women pursuing marriage. Under influences of American higher education systems during the post-World War II era, Japanese junior colleges have successfully attracted eighteen-year-old females and provided them with a terminal liberal arts education. This article investigates briefly the history of Japanese postsecondary education systems prior to the educational reforms of 1945 and the post-war development of junior colleges. Based on the historical development of Japanese junior colleges, implications for womens social status are examined. Recommendations are made for the future development of Japanese junior colleges and the academic and career advancement of Japanese women.

Predicting Community College Student's Intention to Transfer and Major in STEM: Does Student Engagement Matter?.

This study examined the influence of community college students’ engagement on their intention to transfer and major in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) field. The STEM Student Success Literacy Survey was used to collect data among all 15 community colleges in Iowa. The authors developed a measurement model for community college student engagement and used the model to predict students’ intention to transfer and major in STEM fields. The engagement measurement model consisted of four constructs: peer engagement, transfer engagement, faculty/staff encouragement/assistance, and faculty engagement on coursework. To predict the students’ intention, the logistic regression analysis was employed. The results suggested that students’ demographic and background characteristics contributed to predict their STEM aspirations. The study was concluded by implications for policy, practice, and future research.

Impacts of Intersection Between Social Capital and Finances on Community College Students’ Pursuit of STEM Degrees

This quantitative study examined how social capital and finances influenced community college students’ intent to transfer to a four-year institution within STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. Focusing on the community college students enrolled in a rural midwestern state, the authors employed a structural equation modeling to investigate a set of large-scale survey data. The authors identify the factors related to social and cultural capital, finances, and external factors that pull students away from their studies. This was done to determine the relationships among these predictors and their direct and indirect effects on transfer intentions. Cabrera, Nora, and Castaneda’s (1992, 1993) integrated model of student retention was utilized to build the hypothetical model for this study. Significant findings from the study included a strong direct effect on the transfer intention from social capital, and a smaller effect from family encouragement, work–study, and parent education. The final model also identified social capital factors related to parental education levels, family encouragement, parent involvement in high school, and access to institutional agents. Debt aversion did play a role in the model, although not a part of social capital as originally hypothesized. Implications for policy, practice, and future studies were summarized based on the findings.

Deconstructing the Transfer Student Capital: Intersect between Cultural and Social Capital among Female Transfer Students in STEM Fields

abstract This qualitative study explored the experiences of female transfer students majoring in STEM areas at a midwestern university by highlighting the role of Transfer Student Capital in their academic and social adjustment. The authors further deconstructed the notion of Transfer Student Capital by looking at how cultural and social capital intersect through the early background influences as well as the pre- and posttransfer experience of female community college transfer students in STEM disciplines. The findings highlight the importance of positive student-faculty interactions and positive and supportive classroom environments and the effect that the above factors have on female students’ self-efficacy and their view of their capabilities and abilities to successfully perform in STEM majors.

STEM aspiration: The influence of social capital and chilly climate on female community college students

ABSTRACT This quantitative study examined the predictive impact of a series of factors on female community college students’ intention to transfer in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The STEM Student Success Literacy survey (SSSL) was utilized to collect data from a large, diverse community college located in Florida. After the data cleaning and preparation, the authors first constructed a model that measures potentially predictive factors such as social capital, student engagement, and chilly climate. Then, a regression model including these factors and demographic characteristics was tested using a multinomial regression analysis. Findings generated implications for future research, policy, and practice to better serve and assist female students in their pursuit of a STEM degree.

Medical Simulation in the Community College Health Science Curriculum: A Matrix for Future Implementation.

As the nations healthcare education system struggles to keep pace with the demand for its services, educators are seeking creative and innovative solutions to meet the needs of a growing number of students. The integration of medical simulation technology into the community college health science curriculum is a creative solution that can meet the needs of healthcare educators and the students they serve, as well as of the healthcare community. This article provides a comprehensive overview of medical simulation, beginning with a review of literature regarding its history and efficacy, continuing with the current state of medical simulation usage, and concluding with implications for practice by offering a matrix for simulation integration and implementation. While Iowas community colleges are the focus of the current state of usage, the implications for practice are useful to all comprehensive community colleges offering health science education programs.

Predictors of Latina/o Community College Student Vocational Choice in STEM

ABSTRACT This study confirmed appropriate measurement model fit for a theoretical model, the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) vocational choice (STEM-VC) model. This model identified factors that successfully predicted a student’s vocational choice decision to pursue a STEM degree for Latina/o and White community college students. The STEM-VC model is an adaptation of the theoretical framework of Social Cognitive Career Theory. The following factors are included for examination: Self-Efficacy, Vocational Interests, Social Capital, Academic Achievement, Transfer Capital, and Student Validation. Unique findings of this study include the identification of a predictive STEM vocational choice model for Latino/Latina and White students. Emergent constructs predictive of STEM vocational choice for both populations included student Self-Efficacy, Transfer Capital, and Student Validation; these were consistent between both student groups. Results of the study serve to inform community college practitioners of key programmatic emphasis areas to potentially influence STEM vocational choice prior to student transfer.

Measuring and Examining General Self-Efficacy Among Community College Students: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

ABSTRACT This study examined a psychosocial mechanism of how general self-efficacy interacts with other key factors and influences degree aspiration for students enrolled in an urban diverse community college. Using general self-efficacy scales, the authors hypothesized the General Self-efficacy model for Community College students (the GSE-CC model). A Confirmatory factor analysis was used to establish a measurement model in which three general self-efficacies were confirmed along with other latent factors (e.g., social capital, transfer capital, etc.). The GSE-CC model was then tested and finalized via structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques. The results showed that general self-efficacy significantly impacted the degree aspiration both directly and indirectly. In addition, general self-efficacy may serve as a bridge between social capital and transfer capital for community college students. Based on the findings, community college practitioners can generate practical implications to promote positive general self-efficacy among students. Further studies were encouraged to adopt/modify the GSE-CC model and test it across different student groups.