Persistence of Engineering Transfer Students: Identifying Student-Influenced and Institution-Influenced Academic Success Factors

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Green, C. (2022). Persistence of Engineering Transfer Students: Identifying Student-Influenced and Institution-Influenced Academic Success Factors. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

COURTNEY SUSANNE GREEN. Persistence of Engineering Transfer Students: Identifying Student-Influenced and Institution-Influenced Academic Success Factors. (Under the direction of DRS. SANDRA DIKA AND XIAOXIA NEWTON) This correlational study utilized secondary, longitudinal data to examine the extent to which student-influenced and institution-influenced factors predict the academic success and degree completion of engineering transfer students at public four-year institutions in North Carolina. The sample included students who transferred from community colleges to pursue baccalaureate degrees at UNC System institutions that offered engineering or engineering technology programs from 2009 to 2016. Based on the data structure, regression analyses were utilized to examine the factors that predict first-semester academic performance and persistence to baccalaureate degree attainment at the receiving institutions. The hierarchical organization of student-influenced factors, institution-influenced factors, and factors influenced by both student and institution were based on a modified version of Smith and Van Aken’s (2020) literature-based conceptual framework on engineering transfer student persistence.Results indicated that first-term academic performance is impacted by student background, college/department of engineering characteristics, and attempted and earned hours in the first semester. Further, persistence was affected by age, the amount of transfer credit, college/department of engineering characteristics, and cumulative GPA and total earned hours at the receiving institution by the student. This study provides practical and actionable findings that will aid four-year engineering institutions in increasing the academic success and persistence of vertical transfer students pursuing baccalaureate engineering degrees.

Details
Author

Green, Courtney

Title

Persistence of Engineering Transfer Students: Identifying Student-Influenced and Institution-Influenced Academic Success Factors

Physical Description

1 online resource (154 pages) : PDF

Date

2022

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

COURTNEY SUSANNE GREEN. Persistence of Engineering Transfer Students: Identifying Student-Influenced and Institution-Influenced Academic Success Factors. (Under the direction of DRS. SANDRA DIKA AND XIAOXIA NEWTON) This correlational study utilized secondary, longitudinal data to examine the extent to which student-influenced and institution-influenced factors predict the academic success and degree completion of engineering transfer students at public four-year institutions in North Carolina. The sample included students who transferred from community colleges to pursue baccalaureate degrees at UNC System institutions that offered engineering or engineering technology programs from 2009 to 2016. Based on the data structure, regression analyses were utilized to examine the factors that predict first-semester academic performance and persistence to baccalaureate degree attainment at the receiving institutions. The hierarchical organization of student-influenced factors, institution-influenced factors, and factors influenced by both student and institution were based on a modified version of Smith and Van Aken’s (2020) literature-based conceptual framework on engineering transfer student persistence.Results indicated that first-term academic performance is impacted by student background, college/department of engineering characteristics, and attempted and earned hours in the first semester. Further, persistence was affected by age, the amount of transfer credit, college/department of engineering characteristics, and cumulative GPA and total earned hours at the receiving institution by the student. This study provides practical and actionable findings that will aid four-year engineering institutions in increasing the academic success and persistence of vertical transfer students pursuing baccalaureate engineering degrees.

Genre

doctoral dissertations

Subjects--Topics

Education, Higher
Engineering

Degree

Ph.D.

Keywords

Academic Success
Engineering
Engineering Education
Engineering Technology
Persistence
Vertical Transfer

Subject Area

Educational Leadership

Advisor(s)

Dika, Sandra
Newton, Xiaoxia

Committee Members

D'Amico, Mark
Tempest, Brett

Degree Note

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2022.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Green_uncc_0694D_13047

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2876