Access to the Baccalaureate: A Multilevel Model of Baccalaureate Completion for Associate in Applied Science Transfers

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Atwell, A. (2020). Access to the Baccalaureate: A Multilevel Model of Baccalaureate Completion for Associate in Applied Science Transfers. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

This study used multilevel modeling to examine the extent to which student, academic, institutional, and community-level characteristics impact the baccalaureate attainment of students who transferred with the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree. Given that AAS transfer students were nested within community colleges, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was insufficient to answer the research questions, and multilevel modeling was needed to account for this clustering effect (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002). Using the conceptual model for community college student success in occupational programs developed by Hirschy, Bremer, and Castellano (2011), the researcher found that baccalaureate completion was a function of student-level, institutional-level, and community-level variables. Findings suggest that a number of inequities exist among AAS completers along lines of race/ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status. Further, findings suggest that community college and county-level characteristics impact baccalaureate attainment for AAS completers. Policy implications include the need to create more bilateral articulation agreements between community colleges and public universities, in addition to seamless pathways to the baccalaureate via applied baccalaureate programs and community college baccalaureates.

Details
Author

Atwell, Adam

Title

Access to the Baccalaureate: A Multilevel Model of Baccalaureate Completion for Associate in Applied Science Transfers

Physical Description

1 online resource (112 pages) : PDF

Date

2020

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

This study used multilevel modeling to examine the extent to which student, academic, institutional, and community-level characteristics impact the baccalaureate attainment of students who transferred with the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree. Given that AAS transfer students were nested within community colleges, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was insufficient to answer the research questions, and multilevel modeling was needed to account for this clustering effect (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002). Using the conceptual model for community college student success in occupational programs developed by Hirschy, Bremer, and Castellano (2011), the researcher found that baccalaureate completion was a function of student-level, institutional-level, and community-level variables. Findings suggest that a number of inequities exist among AAS completers along lines of race/ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status. Further, findings suggest that community college and county-level characteristics impact baccalaureate attainment for AAS completers. Policy implications include the need to create more bilateral articulation agreements between community colleges and public universities, in addition to seamless pathways to the baccalaureate via applied baccalaureate programs and community college baccalaureates.

Genre

doctoral dissertations

Subjects--Topics

Education, Higher

Degree

D.Ed.

Keywords

Associate in Applied Science
Baccalaureate Attainment
Community College Transfer
Equity in Education

Subject Area

Educational Leadership

Advisor(s)

D'Amico, Mark

Committee Members

Flowers, Claudia
Dika, Sandra
Putman, Michael
Cox, Jeffrey

Degree Note

Thesis (D.Ed.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2020.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Atwell_uncc_0694D_12523

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2640