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COMMUNITY:
Peer-reviewed article

The Role of Aspirational Experiences and Behaviors in Cultivating Momentum for Transfer Access in STEM: Variations Across Gender and Race

August 11, 2017 | Informal/Formal Connections
Objective: Although upward transfer in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields represents a prominent national policy concern, community college students’ aspirations for transfer in STEM are often impeded, resulting in lower transfer rates. This study investigated four aspects of community college STEM students’ aspirational experiences and behaviors with regard to transfer: support for transfer, transfer service usage, transfer-oriented interactions, and transfer information acquisition. Particular attention was paid to how these factors may impact students’ aspirational momentum differently based on gender and race/ethnicity. Method: The study drew upon survey and administrative records from 1,245 first-time students beginning in STEM majors or courses at three large comprehensive 2-year institutions in a Midwestern state. A logistic regression model with interaction terms was employed to explore whether and how the relationship between students’ aspirational momentum toward STEM transfer and their aspirational experiences and behaviors vary across gender and race/ethnicity. Results: Results indicate that, overall, students engaging in more frequent transfer service usage were significantly more likely to have aspirational momentum, but this relationship is weaker among female students, compared with males. Also, Black and Hispanic students’ aspirational momentum was significantly less affected by support for transfer than for White students. In contrast, the effect of transfer service usage on aspirational momentum for Black students was significantly stronger than for White students. Contributions: Our findings hold implications for how to cultivate aspirational momentum toward transfer in STEM, especially how to resolve potential gender and racial disparities within this unique and pivotal transfer pathway.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Xueli Wang
    Author
    University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Seo Young Lee
    Author
    University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Amy Prevost
    Author
    University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Citation

    DOI : 10.1177/0091552117724511
    Publication Name: Community College Review
    Volume: 45
    Number: 4
    Page Number: 311-330

    Funders

    NSF
    Funding Program: S-STEM:SCHLR SCI TECH ENG&MATH, IUSE, ADVANCED TECH EDUCATION PROG
    Award Number: 1430642
    Funding Amount: $1,486,736.00
    Discipline: Education and learning science | General STEM
    Audience: Undergraduate/Graduate Students | Administration/Leadership/Policymakers | Learning Researchers
    Environment Type: Higher Education Programs
    Access and Inclusion: Black/African American Communities | Hispanic/Latinx Communities | Women and Girls

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