PROVIDING TRANSFER STUDENT CAPITAL TO VERTICAL TRANSFER-TRACK STUDENTS IN A VERTICAL TRANSFER STUDENT SUCCESS COURSE: AN ACTION-RESEARCH STUDY

Abstract

Nearly 40% of all first-time college attendees in the United States begin their post-secondary education at a community college. The community college has increasingly become the entry point for many students, especially those from under-represented populations, whose goal is to transfer to a 4-year institution to pursue a baccalaureate education. However, for numerous reasons, many of these vertical transfer-track students never accomplish their goal of earning a bachelor's degree. The focus of this study was to understand how the current vertical transfer student success course (ACA 122) at Wayne Community College provides Transfer Student Capital (TSC) to vertical transfer-track students, to identify and implement changes to ACA 122 to improve the ability of the course to provide TSC to vertical transfer-track students, and to understand and assess how the changes made to ACA 122 may affect the ability of the course to provide TSC to vertical transfer-track students. The results of the study indicate that vertical transfer-track students believe the topics of student support services and academic planning as the most useful types of TSC. In addition, faculty participants believe the topic of financial aid is of equal importance. The findings of the study have several implications for higher education practitioners who work directly with vertical transfer-track students. Recommendations for future studies are discussed.