Utilizing Schlossberg’s Transition Theory · Utilizing Schlossberg’s Transition Theory for...

Student Affairs On Campus The Journal for the Texas Association of College & University Student Personnel Administrators (TACUSPA) Spring 2017 – Volume 3

Utilizing Schlossberg’s Transition Theory for Student Success: A Case Study of Underrepresented Transfer Students in a Predominantly White Teacher Education Program

David A. Byrd, Ph.D. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio ABSTRACT

The researcher of this study examined the experiences of three African American and four Hispanic community college transfers studying in a predominantly White institution (PWI) teacher education program. Extant literature has demonstrated that there is an increasing shortage of public school teachers of color. To address this pervasive crisis, universities must recruit, retain, and graduate larger numbers of underrepresented students from America’s community colleges to fill the gap. Findings from this case study suggest that the University in this study should improve the marketing of academic support resources and provide narrowly tailored services to meet the needs of underrepresented transfer students. Additionally, a proposed amendment to Schlossberg’s Transition Theory is suggested to better represent the assets and liabilities utilized by these populations in this particular PWI.


Introduction

Americafacesacriticalshortageofteachersofcolor(Tenore,Dunn,Laughter,&Milner,2010).Diverseteachershaveadramaticimpactinincreasingtheculturalcompetenceofourclassroomsandserveasarolemodelforourincreasinglydiverseschoolchildren(NationalEducationAgency,2004).Withourschoolsbecomingincreasinglydiverse,thequestionmustberaised,whoisteachingourchildrenandwhatcanbedonetodiversifyourteachingforce?TheNationalCenterforEducationStatistics(NCES)(2013)foundthatinthe2011-2012academicyear,81.9%ofallteacherswereWhite,6.8%wereBlack,and7.8%wereHispanic.Thedataareshockinglyclearthatteachersrarelylooklikethestudentstheyinstruct.Thisstudysoughttofindapossiblesolutiontothiscatastrophe.Theteacherproductionpipelinecontainsmanyleaks.Collegesofeducationcanstruggletofindqualifiedstudentsandcanlosestudentsduetoattritiononcetheyareinthepre-servicetrainingprogram.Additionally,studentscaneitherfailtogaincertificationaftergraduation,or,moreoften,thesegraduateswillleavetheprofessionratherearlyintheircareer.Researchhasdemonstratedthatthereisashrinkingpoolofqualifiedunderrepresentedstudentsapplyingforadmissionintofour-yearuniversitiesandaremorecommonlyfoundinAmerica’scommunitycolleges(Cohen&Brawer,2008).Ofnotetothisstudyistheresearchthatindicatesthesepopulationscansuffertransfershockoncetheymatriculatetotheuniversitysettingandthiscancauseincreasedattrition(Berger&Malaney,2003).Thestudywasdesignedtoaddressthelackofresearchregardingthesuccessoftransferpre-serviceteachersofcolorwhomatriculatetoapredominantlyWhiteuniversity.Schlossberg’sTransitionTheory(Evans,Forney,Guido,Patton,&Renn,2010;Schlossberg,Waters,&Goodman,1995)providesamechanismtostudyunderrepresentedcommunitycollegestudentsastheymatriculateintoandthroughafour-yearuniversityenvironment.Itisthroughthistheoreticalframeworkthatstudentperceptionsoftheirowntransitionsinto,through,andoutoftheuniversityenvironmentwereanalyzed.ResearchQuestions Theresearchquestionsforthisstudywere:

• HowdounderrepresentedtransferpopulationsattendingapredominantlyWhitepre-serviceteachertrainingprogramperceivetheireducationalenvironmentandwhataretheirperceptionsoftheservicesprovidedbytheuniversitytoensuretheiracademicsuccess?

• WhatarethecriteriathatmustbeinplaceforstudentsofcolortosucceedinapredominantlyWhitepre-serviceteachertrainingprogram?


ReviewofLiterature

Today’sK-12schoolsarebecomingincreasinglymorediverseandunderrepresentedstudentscanoftenreceiveoutstandingmentorshipandlearningfromteachersfromsimilarbackgrounds.AccordingtotheNationalCenterforEducationStatistics(NCES)(2007),one-thirdofAmerica’sstudentpopulationinpublicschoolsin2005wasaracialorethnicminority.Hispanicsaccountedfor14%while12%ofstudentswereAfricanAmerican.NCESpredictedthatbytheyear2020,theminoritypopulationinschoolswillincreaseto39%ofthetotalpopulation.Shockingly,Lewis,Bonner,Byrd,andJames(2008)reported,“theresearchliteraturereportsthatAfricanAmericanmalescompriseapproximately2%ofthoseenrolledinthe1,300teacherpreparationprogramsacrossthecountry(AmericanAssociationforCollegesofTeacherEducation[AACTE]),and1%oftheUnitedStatesK-12teachingforce”(p.225).Toaddresstheshortageofteachersofcolor,communitycollegesmayserveasthesolutiontoincreasingteacherproduction–especiallyfordiversepopulations–ifthematriculationandgraduationratesoftwo-yeartransferscanbeimproved.TheexponentialgrowthofcommunitycollegeenrollmentinAmericawaswellchronicledbyCohenandBrawer(2008).Theauthorsproposedseveralcausesforthisdramaticincreaseinenrollment:therehasbeenanincreaseincollege-agedpopulations,thereismorefinancialaidavailableforminorityandeconomicallydisadvantagedstudents,andtherearemorestudentswantingtoworkandenrollpart-timethanyearspast.Regardlessofthecause,thefactremainsthatover50%ofallstudentswhocompletedabachelor’sdegreein2014-15previouslyattendedatwo-yearcampus(NationalStudentClearinghouseResearchCenter,2015).Toadequatelyservethesestudents,institutionsmustworkcollaborativelytoenhancethetransferabilityofcourses(Monaghan&Attewell,2015)whileunderstandingthesestudentswilltakelongertocompletethebaccalaureatedegree(NationalStudentClearinghouseResearchCenter,2015).Althoughdiverse,two-yearcampustransferstendtooriginatefromdiversebackgroundswithdifferentlevelsofpreparationcomparedtotheirfour-yearpeers(Eggleston&Laanan,2001).Tolumpalltransferstudentsfromcommunitycollegesintoonecategorywouldbemisguidedforuniversities,however,workmustbedonetoaddresscommonobstaclesfacedbythisuniquesubpopulation.Althoughthesestudentsmatriculatefromadiversebackground,theauthorssuggestedthatinstitutionsmustcontinuetoinnovativelydevelopretentionstrategiesandintentionalprogramstoservetheiruniqueneeds(Eggleston&Laanan,2001).Throughoutthepasthalf-century,researchhasbeenconductedontransfershocktofindthegreatestinfluencesontransferperformance.Forexample,mostlyquantitativestudieshavelookedatstudents’major,(Cejda,Kaylor,&Rewey,1998),theirrace/ethnicity(Berger&Malaney,2003)andtheirsocioeconomicstatus(Melguizo&Dowd,2009).Cuseo(1998)examinedmuchoftheresearchontransfershockandthetransitioncommunitycollegestudentsundergoaftermatriculatingtothefour-year


universityenvironment.HeexaminedtheworksofAstin(1975),RichardsonandBender(1987),andPascarellaandTerenzini(1991)anddiscoveredthattransferstudentswerereportedtosuffertransfershockand“haveanattritionratethatis10-15%higherthannativestudents”(Cuseo,1998,p.8).HealsohighlightedPascarellaandTerenzini’s(1991)findingsthatAfricanAmericanmaletransfersaremoreinhibitedfromobtainingabachelor’sdegreeaftertransfertoafour-yearuniversity.Laanan(2001)providedaconciseoverviewofresearchrelatedtothetransitionofcommunitycollegetransfersaftertheygainedadmissiontofour-yearcollegesanduniversities.HespecificallyreviewedtheresearchofTinto(1975),BeanandMetzner(1985),Pascarella,Smart,andEthington(1986),BennettandOkinaka(1990),Hurtado(1992),andHurtado,Carter,andSpuler(1996)toresolvethat“transferstudentsarelikelytoexperienceacomplexadjustmentprocess–academically,socially,andpsychologically–becauseoftheenvironmentaldifferencesbetweentwo-andfour-yearinstitutions”(Laanan,2001,p.11).Itwastheseacademic,social,andpsychologicaltransitionsthatthisstudysoughttoinvestigatefromthestudents’pointsofview.

TheoreticalFramework

ThisstudyinvestigatedthetransitionprocessasviewedthroughSchlossberg’sTransitionTheory(Schlossberg,1981;1987;Schlossbergetal.,1989;Schlossbergetal.,1995).Throughthistheoreticalframework,“anexaminationofwhatconstitutesatransition,thedifferentformsoftransitions,thetransitionprocess,andfactorsthatinfluencetransitions”(Evansetal.,2010,p.214)canbededuced.Initssimplestform,transitiontheoryisamodelthatallowsresearcherstobetterunderstandtheprocessindividualsundergoastheymovefromreactiontoanevent(transition)toincorporatingtheeventintotheirlife(adaptation).Schlossbergindicatedthattransitioncancomeinthreedifferentforms;anticipatedpredictablechanges,unanticipatednon-predictedorscheduledchanges,andnon-eventtransitionsthatareexpectedbutneveroccur(Schlossbergetal.,1995).Lifetransitionscanhaveprofoundeffectsonhowoneperceivestheirsituationinlifeanddifferentpeoplewillexperiencethetransitionsindifferentways.Schlossberg’smodelalsoprovidedawayofappraisingtheindividual’scopingresourceswhicharecategorizedbytheFourS’s–Situation,Support,Self,andStrategies(Schlossbergetal.,1995).TheFourSVariablescanbeutilizedtoanswerthequestionsofwhatishappening,towhomitishappening,whathelpisavailable,andhowdoesthepersoncope.EachSdeterminestheresourcesanddeficitsstudentswillexperiencethatwillimpacttheirperceptionofthetransition.


Figure1.Schlossberg’sCopingResources–TheFourS’s,(Schlossbergetal.,1995,p.48)Eachofthephases(movingin,movingthrough,andmovingout)ofthetransitionprocessforcollegestudentsdemandseparateresponsesfromhighereducationadministratorsandfaculty.ThistheoreticalframeworkprovidedtheopportunitytoshapetheresearchprotocolaroundthethreephasesoftransitionandtheFourS’sofsupport(seeFigure1andFigure2).

Figure2.Schlossberg’sIntegrativeModeloftheTransitionProcess,(Schlossbergetal.,1995,p.44)

MOVING IN New Roles, Relationships, Routines, Assumptions Learning the Ropes; Socialization Hang-over identity

MOVING OUT Separation or Endings Role Exit Disengagement from Roles, Relationships, Routines, Assumptions

MOVING THROUGH: BETWIXT OR BETWEEN Period of Liminality Groping for new: Roles, Relationships, Routines, Assumptions Neutral Zone: Period of Emptiness and Confusion


Methods

Thisstudyutilizedqualitativeresearchmethodsfordatacollectionandanalysisallowingforthesocialreconstructionoftheparticipant’sviewsofreality(DenzinandLincoln,2005).TheresearchstrategiesemployedforthisstudycreatesathickdescriptionofstudentsofcolorwhohadtransferredintoapredominantlyWhiteteachereducationprogram.Phenomenology(Holstein&Gubrium,2005)wasutilizedtocomprehendtheexperiencesofsevencommunitycollegetransferswhohadmatriculatedintoapredominantlyWhitepre-serviceteachereducationprogram.Thephenomenoninvestigatedwasthestudents’relationshipwiththeuniversitytogainanappreciationforhowthatrelationshiphashelpedorhinderedthestudents’transitioninto,through,andoutoftheuniversityenvironment–inotherwords,didtherelationshipwiththeinstitutionassistthestudentsastheyadaptedtotheirnewenvironment? StudyDesignEmbeddedsingle-casestudydesign(Yin,2009)helpeddevelopathickdescriptionthatdetailedthepastexperiencesofthestudentswhohadmatriculatedintoapre-serviceteachereducationprogram.Thecasestudyapproachfacilitatedtheemergenceofstudents’perceptionsofthephenomenonwithintheirenvironmentthroughparticipant-observation.WithinthecontextofPWIteachereducationprograms,multipleunitsofanalysis–theparticipantsofthestudy–werechosenwithinasinglecase–identifiedinthisstudywiththepseudonymSouthwestUniversity.Thestudywasnotdesignedtoberepresentativeofallinstitutionsandtheresponsibilityofdeterminingthetransferabilityofthefindingsisleftsolelytothereader.SiteofStudyandParticipantPopulationSouthwestUniversityisalargeresearchuniversityintheAmericanSouthwestthatpossessesarobustpredominantlyWhitepre-serviceteachereducationprogramwithanunderrepresentedHispanicandAfricanAmericansubpopulationandservedasarepresentativecaseasdefinedbyYin(2009).Theinstitutionenrolledatotalstudentpopulationofapproximately48,000–81%ofwhomidentifyasWhiteatthetimeofthestudy.Purposefulsamplingwasutilizedtoidentifytheinstitutionandthestudentstoselectforthestudy.TheselectioncriteriafortheparticipantsandtheUniversitywerebasedonpredeterminedcriteria:studentparticipants(seeTable1)wereingoodacademicstanding(minimumofa2.75GPAona4.0scale),identifiedasAfricanAmericanorHispanic,andwereintheirsenioryearofateachereducationcurriculum.ThesecriteriawereprovidedtogatekeepersattheUniversityastheywereaskedtopre-identifyeligiblestudentstobeinterviewed.


Table1ParticipantBiographicalBackgroundSummary

Student Race/Ethnicity Age Gender Major

Amy Hispanic 22 Female EarlyChildhood

Cindy Hispanic 21 Female EarlyChildhood

Hope AfricanAmerican 29 Female EarlyChildhood

Julie AfricanAmerican 22 Female MiddleGrades

Mathematics/Science

Lulu Hispanic 24 Female BilingualEducation

Mario Hispanic 22 Male BilingualEducation

Rae AfricanAmerican 33 Female SpecialEducation

Academiclevelofthestudentswasimportanttohaveabetterfitintothetheoreticalframework.Studentswereneededwhowerenearingthegraduationstagesotheycouldreflectontheirexperiencesofthemovingoutstageaswellasthemovinginandmovingthroughstages.Additionally,studentswhowerenotacademicallyqualifiedtopursueteachercertificationduetoacademicslikelywouldnotbeavailableduetoprobationanddismissalpoliciesoftheuniversity.Informationaboutthestudentswasgatheredfromthestudents’advisorsandprofessorsandinstitutionalrecordsmadeavailabletotheresearcher.Allbutoneparticipantwerefemaleandgenderoftheresearchparticipantsisalimitationtothisstudy.ThepseudonymsandcharacteristicsoftheparticipantsarelistedinTable1.DataAnalysisDocumentspertinenttothestudents’transferexperience(e.g.,catalog,degreeplans,andcollegepublications)wereanalyzedtoprovideathickerdescriptionofstudentexperiences.Additionally,datacollectedthroughparticipantjournals,interviews,andstudentbackgroundsweretriangulatedaftercollection.Theinterviewdatacontributedthestudent’sdescriptionoftheirpastexperiencesastheyadaptedtotheUniversityenvironment.Finally,studentjournalsprovidedtheirabilitytoreflectontheirexperiencesaftertheinitialinterviewtocontributetheirnarrativeastheymoveoutoftheUniversityenvironment.Thesepromptsforthejournalsincludedweeklypromptsthatoriginatedfromtheparticipantresponsestotheinformalconversationalinterviewquestionsandsoughtinformationwhereadditionaldatawasrequiredorfurtherexplanationsregardingthethemesthatemerged.Standardizedopen-endedinterviewquestionswerecreatedtoensuretheyfitwithinthetheoreticalframeworkand


reflectedthetheoriesfoundtoberelevantduringthereviewofliterature.Followingtheformalinterviews,informalconversationalinterviewswereconductedtocontinuedatacollection.Standardizedethnographicinterviewswereconductedbecauseitallowedthequestionstobemorepersonalandallowedthequestionstobetailoredtotheimmediatesurroundingsandcontextinwhichtheparticipantfindshisorherself(Patton,2002).Triangulateddataprovidedtheopportunityforconstantcomparisonofthefindingstohelpdevelopmyfindingsintoatheory.Theuseofemergentdesignprovidedtheflexibilitytochangethedesignofthestudyastheresearcheridentifiesnewperspectivesoftheparticipantsthatshouldberesearchedfurther.Thisstudywasdesignedtoallowthedatatoinformandanswertheposedresearchquestions.ThisstudyutilizedtheconstantcomparativemethodofanalysisasdescribedbyLincolnandGuba(1985)becauseitprovidedtheopportunityforthemestodevelopasincidentsarecomparedandcontrastedandconnections–betheyattributes,cause-effect,orspecial–canbemadebetweenandacrossthereportedincidents.Datawerecollectedandanalyzedusingstandardqualitativeanalysistechniquesandfindingswereorganizedintoaconceptuallyclusteredmatrix(Miles&Huberman,1994)todemonstratestudentexperie4ncesnavigatingthroughthetransitionprocess.

FindingsAnalysisofthedatacollectedledtotheemergenceoffivekeythemes.Thethemesandcorrespondingsub-themesfromthisstudythatwereparticularlyinstructiveforthismanuscriptareincludedinTable2.IntimateSupportStructuresEachstudentclearlydemonstratedthedifferentformsofsupporttheyutilizedwhilestudyinginthecommunitycollegeenvironment.Often,thesesupportmechanismsonwhichtheyrelieddidnotchangeaftertheymatriculatedtotheuniversityenvironment.SimilartotheintimatesupportstructuresmentionedbySchlossbergetal.(1995),thestudentstypicallyindicatedthattheirsupportcamefromthreesourceswhicharediscussedassub-themes(friends,family,andfaith)andeachwereperceivedtohaveprofoundeffectontheirengagementandpersistence.Fornontraditionalstudentswithchildren,thefamilycouldserveasaninfluenceontheirundergraduateexperience.Thesestudentsalsofeltthepressureofsucceedingsotheycouldserveasanexamplefortheirchildrenanddemonstratethatcollegewasaccessibleandattainable–amessagethatwasnotalwaysconveyedtothemastheyweregrowingup.Interestingtonoteisthatintimatesupportstructuresservedadualpurposeofbeingasupportmechanism,butsimultaneouslyincreasedthepressuresstudentsfelttonotdisappointfriendsandfamily:

• Itwasdefinitelythefriendships[thathelpedwiththetransitiontoSouthwestUniversity].Peoplehadalwaystoldme,“you’regonnamakeit,youcandoit,”becausewhenIwasinhighschool,Imadegoodgrades,Ididprettywell.That


kindaaddedalittlepressuretoo,butitwasstillkindof...IknowpeopleknewthatIwasgonnabeabletomakeit–thatwasactuallyahelp.

• Andsoit’slikeIwannabreakthatgenerational[cycle]....Yes,andsoIdon’tknow,it’slikeIneedmychildrentoseethatgoingtocollegeisattainable.It’snotsomethingthatyoujustseeorreadaboutontelevision.

Table2EmergentThemesandSubthemes

Themes

TheRoleofIntimateSupportStructures

TheRoleofInstitutionalizedSupportStructures

TheSituationalFactorsFacedbyStudents

ThePerceptionoftheTransition

TheStrategiesStudentsUtilizedtobeSuccessful

Sub-Them

es

TheRoleofFriends

TheReluctancetoUtilizeInstitutionalSupport

ThePerceptionsoftheEducationalEnvironment

TheRoleofFacultyandStaffAdvisors

StudentResponsetoSetbacks

TheRoleofFamily

TheExperiencewithinthePre-serviceTeacherEducationProgram

RecommendationsforInstitutionalStrategiestoAssistStudentsinTransition

TheImportanceofPursuingManageableGoals

TheRoleofFaith

ChallengesAssociatedwithUpper-divisionMathematics

Thesearchforafaithcommunityservedasbothaconnectiontosupportresourcesandasasourceofinspirationforsomestudents.StudentsheldtheperceptionthatprayerandahigherpowerplayedanintricateroleinguidingthemthroughtheUniversityandultimatelytoacareerfield.Theroleoffaithasbothaspiritualguideandaconnectiontosupportresourceswasacommonthemeforthestudentswhowereinterviewed:

• Idon’tknow,God’smercyreally[isthereasonformysuccess].Ifitwasn’tforGod,Iwouldn’tbeinthisschool,that’sforsure.Becauseofthatandjustmy


mindset,it’sjusttopersevere.IfIdidn’thavefaith,Idon’tknowwhereI’dberightnow.

• OnceIgotintotheBiblestudyhereoncampusandactuallymadeitmychurchaswell,definitelytheyhelpedoutaswelltoowithprayer.Andtheytoowereactuallystudentshereorhadbeenstudentshere.Sotheyactuallyhelpedaswell.

InstitutionalSupportStructuresStudentsinterviewedtypicallydemonstratedthattheyrarelyutilizedtheacademicsupportresourcesofferedbytheUniversity.Itisplausiblethatstudentsfailedtousetheseservicesbecausetheywereacademicallysuccessfully–bothatthecommunitycollegeandattheUniversity-anddidnotdeemthemnecessary.However,studentnarrativesalsoindicatedthatstudentswerenotfamiliarwithmanyoftheservicesandwereconcernedabouthowtheywouldbeperceivediftheytookadvantageoftheinstitutionalsupport:

• Idon'tthinkit[amountofservicesprovided]isoverwhelming.Ilikethattherearesomanyresourcesavailable,butIdothinkitisintimidatingandIfeelself-consciouswhenIneedtousethem,soIdon'tusethem.

• IthinkasfarastheUniversityacademicresources,becauseit’sdefinitelyanintimidationfactor whereIfeeldumbgoinginthere,orthatIthinksometimestoo,theysaytheycandoallthisstuff,butwhatifIgointhere,andIreallydon’tfeelhelpedafterwards,anditwasawasteoftime?.

Tosummarize,studentreluctancetoutilizeservicescanstemfromavarietyofsources,somestudentssimplydonotfeeltheservicesmatchtheirscheduleswell,whileothershavefamilialresponsibilitieswhichpreventtheirparticipation.Asseveralstudentsindicated,askingforhelpcanbeanoverwhelming,humbling,andoftenintimidatingtask.Forthisstudy,aresearchquestionguidinginquirywaswhatadditionalservicesdoestheUniversityneedtoprovidefortransferstudentsofcolortobesuccessful?Fromtheanalysisofthestudents’commentsandjournals,itisclearthattheservicesarelikelybeingprovided,butarenotbeingpresentedinaneffectivemannerthatfacilitatestheirbestusage.SituationalFactorsAmajorfactorinhowstudentsexperiencetheUniversityenvironmentisshapedbysituationstheyconfrontthroughouttheundergraduateyears.ThestudentsofcolorinterviewedexpressedtheyenteredthePWIwithexpectationsthatwereoftenunmet.Studentsexpectedtoencounterahostilecampusclimateandpleasantlysurprisedatthefriendlyatmospheretheyentered.However,thepositionalityoftheresearcherdictatesthattheparticipantsmayhavefeltresistanttosharenegativeexperiences.Thestudentsalsofaceduniqueexperiencesthatwereshapedbybeinginateachereducationtrainingprogram.Acrossthespectrumoftheinterviews,studentspointedtoseveralaspectsoftheirteachereducationprogramaschallenging,butrewardinginits


abilitytopreparethemfortheircareerfield.Althoughthestudentshaveanarrayofultimatecareerdestinations,theyeachfelttheprogramwasadequatelypreparingthemfortheirfutureandcitedthefield-basedcomponentoftheprogramasthekeytotheirstrongpreparation.

• I’velearnedsomuchabouteducation,andit’sstillsomethingIwannabeapartof.AndImeantheeducationprofessors,they’reallamazingthatI’vehad,andhavejusttaughtushowtoapplythethingsinreallife,andlikehadjustdifferentdiscussionstoopenoureyes.

• Whenpeopleaskteacherswhatitistheydoforaliving,themajorityofthemwillsay,"Oh,I'm'just'ateacher"butIdon'tthinkadoctor,lawyer,orevenaprofessionalfootballplayerwoulddownplaytheircareersinsayingthattheyare'just'adoctor,lawyer,etc.Also,asIstartedstudentteachinglastweek,Ibegantothinkhowwhileitshouldnot,racedoesplayafactorinhowstudentsrespondtoeducationandIdon'twanttojustreachthestudentswhosharethesamecultureorethnicityasIdo,butIwonderhowIcouldreachthosewhodon't.

• Youknow,[Ifeel]nervous,butIfeelconfidentthatthissemesterandthensometeachingwillreallypreparemeforallthat’sgonnacome.Itwon’tpreparemeforeverything,butitwillpreparemealotforit.

Aftertransferintotheprogram,studentsfacedchallengesinvolvingthecompletionofupper-levelmathematicscourseswhichservedasamajorsetbackformostofthoseresearched.Eachofthesesituationalfactorsprovidedadescriptionofboththeeducationalexperienceasawholeandservedaschallengestowhichstudentslearnedtoadaptandovercome.Perhapsmostrelevanttothisarticlearethestudent’sthoughtsregardingtheupper-levelmathematicscoursestheyfacedaftermatriculation–oftendescribedasweed-outcourses:

• Forthemostpart,IhavefeltpreparedtohandleSU'scurriculum,however,mybiggeststrugglehasbeenandcontinuestobethemathematicscoursesrequiredofearlychildhoodeducationmajors.

• Yeah,whenIwasinthose[Mathematics]classes,IwaslikeamIreallygoingintotheright,youknow,shouldIchangetolanguageartsandsocialstudies.

ThesecommentsareparticularlysalientbecausetheydemonstratehowfailuresinmathematicscanshaketheconfidenceofastudentsstudyinginaSTEMeducationfield.Ifconfidencecontinuestobeshakenandstudentsfeeltheycannotgrasptheconceptsofupper-levelmathematicsandscience,theymaychoosetochangecertificationareastoaprogramthatislessindemand.Addressingmathematicsconfidenceiscriticaltokeepunderrepresentedstudentsinthishigh-needteachingfield.


PerceptionoftheTransitionItbecameclearasstudentswereinterviewedthattheirperceptionsofthetransferprocesswereshapedbytheprocessitself.Forstudentswhohaddifficultyinobtaininginformationtobesuccessful,thetransferprocesswasseenasapainfulandintimidatingordeal.However,forthosestudentswhohadtheforethoughttoseekoutresourcesattheUniversityearly,thecommentsregardingthetransferprocessaremuchmorepositive.Themostsalientpointregardingpre-universityadvisingwasthatstudentsperceivedtheadvisingtobemuchmorepositiveifitwasprovidedthrough“specialadvising”suchasVeteransAffairs(VA)orDisabilityServices.However,studentswhowereadvisedthroughtheorthodoxacademicadvisingformattendedtobefrustratedwiththeprocessandtheservicestheyreceived:

• It[VAAdvising]wasprettygood.IhadaladybythenameofRebeccaoverthere,andshe'sgonenow,butshewasreallygood.IwasabletogetclosetohertowhereIcouldtalktoherone-on-one.AndwhateverIneeded,ifIwenttoher,shecalledWacoandcoordinated.

• It’s[communitycollegeadvising]awful–itwasridiculous.Ijustremembergoingin,andthey’relike,‘Yeah,you’regonnadothis,this,andthat’andthenIleftlikefeelingIdon’treallyknowwhatI’mdoing.

• Asfarasadvisingwent,theydidn’thelpatall.IwentandsawanadvisorandtoldthemthatIwantedtoultimatelyendupatSouthwestUniversity,andIwastoldtotakethewrongclasses.SothenIfoundanadvisoratSU,andthenItalkedtothemeversincethen.

Apossiblerivalexplanationfortheperceptionofthenegativeadvisingisthatcommunitycollegeadvisorsareplacedinadifficultsituationwheretheymustadvisestudentsformanydifferentmajorsatcountlessnumbersofuniversities.Thisarduoustaskmaybeanexplanationforthe“bad”advicethatisprovided.Thesestudentsalsodevelopedtheirnegativeperceptionsoftheadvisingexperienceratherearlyintheirundergraduatecareersandsubsequentlymaynothavearticulatedtheirgoalsordesirestotheadvisor.Regardlessofthecauseofthenegativeperception,itisclearthatasstudentsfeeltheyarebeinggivenbadinformation,theyarepursuingalternativemethodstobecomeinformedofthetransferrequirements,courseselections,andothernecessaryinformation.Participantsalsoprovidedinsightfulcommentsthatserveasrecommendationsforfuturestudentshopingtotransfertoalargeresearchuniversity.Thecommentsarebestsummarizedasstartingwiththeenddestinationinmind.Thesecommentsindicatedthatoncetheysettledontheirintendedmajorandtheirtransferdestination,theywereabletoconstructaplanfortransferandmakedecisionsthatultimatelysavedthemmoneyandtime:

• Itwasn’tuntilIrealizedwhatIwantedtodoatSUthatIcouldfigureout,okay,thisiswhatIneedtotakebeforeIcangettoSU.Itwasn’tuntilIwasadvisedbySUthatIrealizedthisiswhatIneedtostartfocusingoverhere.Itmademoresense.Which[usingcommunitycollegeadvisors]isalsokindofhardbecausein


thebeginning,Ididn’treallyknowwhatIwantedtodo.Andonceyoudothat[informadvisorstowhichuniversityyouwishtotransfer],youunderstandwhatclassyouneedtotake.

• MyadvicetoaprospectivestudentthathastheultimategoalofattendingSUtobecomeacertifiedteacherwouldbetokeepthatgoalalwaysinmind.Havingagoalsetinmindalwayshelpsformotivation.Thingsmightgettough,butalwaysthinkpositiveandthateverythingispossible.

WhendescribingthetransitionfromthecommunitycollegetotheUniversity,manyofthestudentsdescribedasenseofbeinglost.Whencommentswereexamineddeeper,participantsexpressedtheywereoftencomfortablewiththecurriculum,theacademicrequirements,andthedegreeplansoftheUniversity.However,theymentionedtheywereoftenphysicallylostoncampusandadjustingtothelogisticsandnavigationfromonebuildingtothenextwasdifficult.Onestudentcommentedthatithelpedto“walkherschedule”beforeclassesstartedtobecomemoreacclimatedtothecampus.Mostparticipantsfeltmoreattentionshouldhavebeenpaidbytheuniversitytoassistingwithcampusnavigationandthatacampustourshouldhavebeenapartoftheirnewstudentconference.ItwasclearafteranalyzingtheinterviewsthatthestudentswereinitiallyintimidatedbythesizeoftheUniversityandexpectedmorefromtheinstitutiontoeasetheiranxiety:

• I’mgonnagooutonalimbandsaythatmosttransferstudentsareolderanyway,soit’slikeIwouldliketoseesomeclubsformedwhere,youknow,perhapstherecouldbeaclubwherethere’smommies.OrsinceI’mnotthetypicalcollegestudent,it’sliketherearen’tanyclubsthatI’mjustreallyinterestedinjoining,youknow,duetotimeconstraints.Andsoit’slikethat’swhatsetsmeapart–it’slikewhenIcometocampus,I’mnotinterestedinmakingfriendsorexchangingphonenumbers.AndonlybecauseI’mnot…it’slikeIcan’tplugintothosepeople.Ineedtoknowwherethesepeopleare.Iknowthatthereareotherpeoplelikemeoncampusthatyouknow.

EmployedStrategiesTheprimarystrategiesemployedbythesuccessfulunderrepresentedtransfersinterviewedweretodevelopasenseofpersistencewheretheywouldrespondtosetbackswithrenewedgritanddetermination:

• Istruggledmyfirstsemester,andthenlateronIpickedupalittlebitmoreandmoreandrealizedittakesmoretimeandcommitmenttothematerial.

• Youjusthavetokeeptrying.Anotherstrategyemployedbyunderrepresentedtransferstudentsisbreakingtheprocessofpursuingtheundergraduatedegreeintosmallermanageableandattainablegoals.AdescriptionofthisapproachinSpanishis,pocoapoco,sevalejos.Thisphrasetranslatestolittlebylittle,yougofar.Thisphraseisdescriptivebecauseitdescribeshowstudentsintheteachereducationprogramapproachedtheirprogresstowardscompletion.Ratherthanbecomingboggeddowninthemireofthenumerousupper-


levelcoursesoftheirprofessionalphaseandtherequirementsforcertification,thesuccessfulstudentsinsteadapproachedeachcourseandeachsemesterasaseparatechallengethatwastheirmostimmediateconcern:

• Right,andI’mjustsohappywheneverIfinish.Likelastsemester,Itook18hoursagain,whichwasdifficult.AndIhadtodolikeallmyupper-levelSpanish–thatwas15hoursofupper-levelSpanishandthestatisticsclass.AndIwasjustreallyhappythatIgotdonewithallthatSpanish,becauselikeIhadtotaketheseclassessothatIcanteachproperly.

• [DisabilityServicestaughtmeto]makeoutwhatevertheygiveus,thelittlecoursepacketorwhatever,what’sgonnahappen,orwhat’ssupposedtohappen.Theyalwayschangeit,soImakeoutalittlescheduleofwhatIneedtodoonthisdayandthatday.

Discussion

Theanalysisofthesethemesledtothefollowingconclusions:

• Participantsperceivedtheretobealackofinstitutionalsupportthatpreventsthemfromthrivingintheprogram,butenoughtoallowthemtomerelysurvive.Theyfeeltheareasofmathematicstutoringandchildcarethatisprovidedcanbeimproved,butthisiscausedmorebypoormarketingbytheCollegeofwhatisavailablethanalackofservices.

• Althoughfamilyisoftenseenasasupportmechanism,theresponsibilitiesfacedbyoldernontraditionalstudentswithchildrencanimpedeprogressincoursework,andultimately,thedegreeitself.

• Thetransitionfacedbystudentsaftertransferforcesthemtoadoptnewstrategiesforacademicsuccessthattheymaydevelopatvaryingratesandinnumerouswaysandthesestrategiesultimatelyinfluencethewaysinwhichthestudentchangesbothpersonallyandacademicallythroughouttheirundergraduatecareer.

Theinteractionofthefivethemes(seeFigure3)andtheirimpactonthetransferstudent’sprogressionthroughtheacademiccareerledtotheamendingofSchlossberg’sTransitionTheory(Schlossbergetal.,1995).Withinthismodel,thereisadeviationfromSchlossberg’sFourSModelbyseparatingtheintimatesupportandtheinstitutionalsupport.Analysisdemonstratedthatinstitutionalsupporthasaverydifferentimpactinsupportingstudentsacademically.Studentrelationshipswithfacultymembersandadvisorswereoftencitedasamajorreasonforstudentsuccessintheprogram.Althoughintimatesupportmechanismscanserveasanassettodegreecompletionbyboostingstudentmoraleandfinancialstability,familycanalsoserveasalimitationduetotheaddedresponsibilitiesandcommitmentstheydemand.Anexampleofthisliabilityisthecostofchildcareforsinglemothersstudyingintheprogram.Whileparticipantsdemonstratedtheywantedtosucceedtobeanexamplefortheirchildren,theyalsoindicatedthatthefinancialcommitmentofpayingfordaycarewasadrainonlimitedfinancialresources.


Figure3.AmendedTransitionModelforUnderrepresentedTransfersRecommendationsforPracticeBasedontheseconclusions,thefollowingrecommendationsforpracticeatSouthwestUniversitycouldbeimplementedtoaddresssomeofthemajorobstaclesexpressedbystudents.Theserecommendationsarepresentedinthreestages:improvingthepreadmissionprocessfortransfers,improvingtheorientationtocampus,andincreasinggraduationrates.ThesefindingsaresummarizedinFigure4.


Figure4.RecommendationsforImprovedTransferStudentRetentionStudentsdemonstratedthattheyperceivedthetransferadvisingtheyreceivedfromthecommunitycollegeasinadequate.Asindicatedpreviously,thisperceptionislikelyinfluencedbythetimelinebywhichstudentsselecttheiracademicmajorandultimatetransferdestination.Workingwithacademicadvisorswheneitherofthesegoalsisunclearwillleadtoinconsistentadvicewhichmaynothelpstudentsachievetheirultimatecareergoal.However,increasedoutreachfromtheUniversityandimprovingrelationshipswithfeedercommunitycollegesthatultimatelyassistinthetrainingoftheadvisorsonthetwo-yearcampuscanservetobenefitprospectivetransferstudents.ParticipantsperceivedthatalltheresourcestheyneededtoacademicallysurvivetheprogramwerebeingprovidedbytheUniversity,buttheywerebeingpresentedinsuchawaythatwasconfusingandoverwhelmingandthispreventedstudentsfromthriving.Thisinformationoverloadthestudentsmentioncanberedefinedasinformationcamouflage.Whenconsideringhowcamouflageworks,onecolormixesinwithagroupofsimilarcolorstohelphideanobjectinthelargerenvironmentalcontext.Inasense,thisiswhatinstitutionsaredoingtotheirundergraduatestudents–studentsarereceivingmultipleandsometimesmixedmessagesfromvariousUniversityofficesthroughemailandsocialmediaplatforms.Studentsexpressedthattheyarehavingdifficultydecipheringwhichcommunicationsfromtheinstitutionarehelpfulandimportant.TheUniversitymustbecarefulthatitdoesnotinundateandoverwhelmstudentswithmessagesthatcauseconfusionasstudentsseekoutinstitutionalsupport.Thefollowingrecommendationsareprofferedtoimprovethetransitionprocessfortwo-yeartransferstudentsofcolorseekingmatriculationtoauniversity:

• Implementacollegeadvisingworkshopforcommunitycollegeadvisorstointeractwithprofessors,administrators,andadvisorsonthefour-yearcampusthatcoincideswithscheduledtrainingsduringoff-peakadvisingperiods.

Pre-Admission - Increased Outreach - Improved Community College Partnerships - Re-train Community College Advisors

Orientation - Improve representation of Academic Resources at New Student Orientation -Create a Transfer Student Organization

Pre-Graduation - Improve advertisement of tutoring - Develop Academic Resource Ambassadors - Increase financial aid for pre-service teachers


• Developanambassadorprograminwhichacademicsupportservicescanberepresentedatorientationprogramsbystudentswhohavereceivedtheirbenefitpreviously.

• Createaclearinghouseformarketingprogramsandcommunicationswithstudents.Emailcommunicationswithstudentsshouldbeevaluatedfortheirnecessityandimportancetominimizeunnecessaryinformationthatonlyservestoclutterstudentinboxesanddetractfromtheimportanceofothermessages.

Conclusion

AmericamustremainvigilantinaddressingtheshortageofdiverseteachersinK-12educationtoensurethesuccessofourmostvulnerablestudents.Therecruitmentandretentionofdiversetransferstudentscanserveasasolutiontothiscriticalproblem.Althoughthereisnomonolithicexperiencefortransferstudentsofcolor,emergentthemesfromthisstudysuggestcommonalitiesthatcontributetoourknowledgeofthetransferexperienceforstudentsinpre-serviceteachereducationprograms.Theunderrepresentedtransferstudentswhoparticipatedinthisstudyindicatedthattheyrelieduponbothinstitutionalsupportmechanismssuchasadvisorsandfaculty,butwerereluctanttoutilizetheformalacademicresourceservicesoncampus.Toimprovestudentperformance,theuniversitiesmustaddressthestudentperceptionsassociatedwithseekinghelpthroughimprovedmarketingandadvertisingoftheprovidedprograms.Anambassadorgroupwhichallowsstudentstorelatetotheexperiencesofthosewhohavepreviouslyusedtheservicescouldaddresstheanxietythatwasmentionedinthefindings.Additionally,improvedcommunicationthroughaninformationclearinghousethatmitigatesinformationcamouflagemayincreasethelikelihoodofstudentengagementwithacademicresources.

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