Transfer Students’ Perceptions of Science and Engineering Internships

Utilizing Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), we investigated the importance of identity‐based factors such as personal inputs and contextual affordances (e.g., having children, being married or employed, school‐family conflict, stress, participating in Native American cultural activities) in understanding Native American undergraduates' intentions and decision to major in STEM fields. Past studies have examined the role of SCCT in undergraduate students' major choice and the underrepresentation of certain marginalized groups in STEM majors. Yet few studies have examined if these relationships extend to Native American undergraduates or how the SCCT model may vary based on the complex identities Native American peoples may hold. The findings highlight the importance of contextualizing major choice through a Native American lens. For Native American students, we find being married or employed, having children, and family stress negatively impact intent to major in STEM fields. We also find support for several SCCT variables and intent to major in STEM disciplines. Specifically, we discuss fostering identity as a scientist as a fruitful avenue for increasing intent to major in STEM fields. Results are compared to a White undergraduate group and implications are discussed for institutions of higher education and Tribal governments and leaders.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused extensive disruption to higher education, highlighting the negative impacts of emergency shift to online instruction. As a result, advantages of intentionally designed, online programs in higher education were overshadowed during the pandemic. Furthermore, socioeconomic disparities were exacerbated during the pandemic which extended to STEM undergraduate transfer students, who are more likely to be low-income, from historically underrepresented groups, older, and first generation in their family to attend college. To better understand the impact of the pandemic on STEM undergraduates, including those in an intentionally designed online program, ordinal regression analysis of 352 student survey respondents enrolled in a life sciences major at a large, R1 institution in the United States spring 2020 through fall 2021 was performed. Three student types are compared: on-campus, first-time in college (FTIC); on-campus transfer (OC-TR); and online transfer (ONL-TR) students. The latter group receives all course delivery online, whereas on-campus student groups received predominately in-person course delivery prior to the pandemic. ONL-TR students were over six times less likely to report negative educational impact compared to on-campus students, FTIC and OC-TR, while controlling for parent education, income, gender, race/ethnicity, and GPA. Additional survey items further explored this result and were validated with academic records and thematic analysis of students’ text responses. A pre−/post-pandemic comparison revealed that students maintained a similar course load and GPA, despite increased perceptions of a lower GPA during the pandemic. OC-TR students were over two times more likely to express increased concern related to delayed graduation and higher frequency of feeling stress compared to FTIC and ONL-TR students. Meanwhile, low-income students were more likely to report stressors due to the pandemic’s impact on daily life, independent of student type. Taken together, students in this intentionally designed online program were more resilient to the educational and emotional impacts of the pandemic compared to on-campus students. The differences between student groups warn against generalization of student impacts and suggest further research into the positive role of online learning, not just for delivery of educational content and expanding access, but for academic and emotional stability for different student populations.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess the information literacy proficiency of transfer students. This assessment of skills was undertaken to improve the services provided to transfer students in academic libraries, with a particular focus on information literacy instruction.Design/methodology/approachThe Project Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) test was administered to assess the information literacy proficiency of a cohort of undergraduate students taking courses on two regional campuses of a four-year institution. In total, 114 students participated, and SAILS test scores were compared to several demographic characteristics using one-way and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).FindingsResults showed that undergraduate students generally lack information literacy skills, even at the junior and senior levels. Previous library instruction had a positive impact on scores for two of the Association of College and Research Libraries information literacy standards, suggesting that library instruction programs can be effective at improving these skills. When examining performance across the board on the various information literacy skills, there was no significant difference between transfer and native students in this result set.Research limitations/implicationsThis study had a limited sample size, and only tested students taking courses from two regional campus locations. Follow-up studies could broaden the scope to include main campus transfer students to form a larger sample size.Originality/valueIt was difficult to find original research within the library literature that directly addressed information literacy skills in a mixed population of transfer and native students. Further research in this area can serve to improve the services offered to all students within academic libraries.

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the academic library’s role in supporting transfer student success, specifically by providing information literacy (IL) instruction. This paper examines whether IL instruction contributes to a transfer student’s sense of academic integration.Design/methodology/approachThe author designed and distributed a survey to incoming undergraduate transfer students at Valparaiso University, gathering information about students’ IL instruction experiences, their attitudes and their preferences for receiving information about the library at their new university. Inferential statistics were used to test correlations between IL instruction and students’ attitudes.FindingsIn all, 38 students completed the survey. The t-test results show significantly higher levels of confidence among those students who had participated in formal IL instruction. IL instruction is shown neither to contribute to transfer students’ sense of academic integration nor to benefit students during the transfer process. Respondents believed that transfer students do need information about their new library. They preferred small group settings or private communications for receiving this information, and the critical window is the period from when they arrive on campus through the second week of class.Practical implicationsThis study provides guidance into librarians’ outreach efforts to transfer students, including the desirability, format and timing of this information.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to situate IL instruction as a factor in transfer success.

Despite the demand for Computer Science (CS) related jobs that women in computing can join, there has been a decline in the number of women earning a bachelor's degree in the United States from 27% in 1997 to 19% in 2016. To reduce this gap, promote gender diversity in computing and retain students, a mentorship program was created within a computing program in a university with high research activity in the southeastern US. In this program, women undergraduate CS students are paired with corporate mentors for career guidance and support. This study focuses on understanding students' experiences, including transfer students, when participating in this mentorship program. The women transfer students' perspectives are especially critical as there are a limited number of studies highlighting their experiences, which may vary from traditional women students. In spring 2020, we implemented an IRB-approved phenomenology study. We conducted semi-structured interviews with five women undergraduate CS students, among which four were transfer students. The inductive analysis of the data shows that the mentorship program impacted students' personal as well as professional spaces. Within each of these spaces, students are impacted by the program, their mentors, and their peers in the program. The program impacts are presented here.

This manuscript presents an empirically tested model of entrepreneurial intentions based upon social cognitive career theory (SCCT). Our study consisted of 320 undergraduate business students at a large U.S. university and emphasizes the important influences of prior exposure to entrepreneurship, as well as social support mechanisms on formation of entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial outcome expectations. We offer strong theoretical support to the entrepreneurial intentions literature through the lens of SCCT. Additionally, our manuscript highlights the important role of entrepreneurial attitude in mediating the relationship between entrepreneurial motivation and intention. SCCT offers additional explanation to the existing underspecified model and complexity of entrepreneurial intentions. In this manuscript the authors identify attitude as an important precursor to entrepreneurial intent.

Clinical psychology is a prominent career goal among psychology undergraduates, yet the mechanisms shaping this preference remain understudied. Guided by Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), this study examined how personality traits, psychological distress, and motivational dimensions influence students’ intentions to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology within the Turkish context. A total of 1,072 undergraduate psychology students (86.6% women; M = 21.97, SD = 3.08) completed an online survey assessing their motivations for pursuing clinical psychology, personality traits (as measured by the Big Five), and psychological distress (GHQ-12). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to identify motivational dimensions, followed by Pearson’s correlations to examine associations among variables. One-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to find the prevalent motivating themes and compare students intending to specialize in clinical psychology with those preferring other subfields. EFA showed eight motivational factors (e.g., personal growth, helping others, professional prestige, becoming a psychotherapist). MANOVA indicated significant group differences in personality traits and psychological distress. Higher psychological distress among those interested in clinical psychology did not translate into a self-healing motivation but may reflect heightened empathic sensitivity. Preliminary construct validity of the newly developed Reasons for Choosing Clinical Psychology Questionnaire (RCCPQ) was supported through theoretically consistent correlations with personality traits and distress. Results underscore the interplay of personality dispositions, contextual factors, and goal-oriented motivations, consistent with SCCT. Clinical psychology appears to attract students not merely for self-oriented reasons but for culturally and socially shaped aspirations related to caregiving and professional meaning. Findings refining the wounded healer conceptualization, revealing a more complex and non-linear approach toward becoming a psychotherapist, are discussed.

The themed Fall 2024 issue of Scholarship & Practice of Undergraduate Research (SPUR): Career Readiness features content addressing career skills obtained through undergraduate research. The collection offers two open-to-read articles that contribute to our understanding of the current state of career readiness as achieved through undergraduate research and transferable skills. It also includes four additional articles, including writing skills, career readiness from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs, mentoring; and transfer students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

IntroductionDespite increasing rates of graduate school attendance, students from historically underrepresented backgrounds enroll in graduate programs at lower rates than their peers. Although there is a growing body of research on current graduate students' perspectives on what impacted their decision to pursue graduate education, few studies have examined the intention to pursue graduate education specifically among second- and third-year undergraduate students from first-generation, rural, and/or low-income backgrounds.MethodOur study investigated the predictive roles of self-efficacy, outcome expectations, mentoring, and belongingness on students' intentions to pursue graduate education. Participants included 179 undergraduate students who were low-income, rural, and/or from a first-generation background. Participants completed online surveys to answer the research questions related to social cognitive beliefs and graduate school intentions.ResultsOnly the two social cognitive variables, self-efficacy and outcome expectations, emerged as significant predictors of graduate school intention. Belongingness and mentoring did not significantly impact graduate education intentions. Participants who identified as rural, low-income, and first-generation had lower mentoring support scores compared to their peers. Participants with higher graduate school self-efficacy and outcome expectations demonstrated higher graduate school intentions.DiscussionThe results suggest that social cognitive variables, specifically graduate school self-efficacy and outcome expectations, impact graduate school intentions in underrepresented college students. Also, the additive effects of multiple marginalized identities appears to negatively impact beliefs about attending graduate school. Therefore, Social Cognitive Career Theory can be a powerful tool in helping rural, first-generation, and low-income students increase their beliefs about being able to successfully attend and complete graduate school. Focusing on these social cognitive variables may help increase the number of students from these historically excluded backgrounds to pursue more schools after their undergraduate career.

Academic achievement of students transferring from community colleges to 4-year institutions has been a topic of interest to educational researchers globally. However, local empirical evidence remains limited on how transfer students’ learning approaches and the teaching-learning environment relate to their academic achievement in Hong Kong’s universities. The study aims at exploring the relationship between transfer students’ approaches to learning, their perceptions of the teaching-learning environment and academic achievement. The participants were 617 undergraduate students transferring from community colleges to an university in Hong Kong. Students’ approaches to learning and perceptions of the teaching-learning environment were measured using the HowULearn questionnaire. Analyses were carried out using factor analysis, Pearson correlation and linear regression. The results confirmed positive relations between students’ perceptions, approaches and achievement. Students studying in an organised manner achieved better academic performance, whereas those using a surface approach poor performance. Others might also adopt an intermediate approach to learning. The results indicate that promoting awarenesses of choosing and using appropriate learning approaches is important for fostering academic success among students.

ABSTRACTCommunity colleges have long been recognized as pivotal institutions for broadening educational opportunity for a variety of marginalized populations, including first-generation students. These institutions are also an important starting point for students desiring to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics discipline. Our qualitative study explores the experiences of 15 first-generation community college transfer students majoring in engineering. We use the theory of community cultural wealth and the concepts of experiential capital and transfer student capital as lenses for analyzing and interpreting our semistructured interview data and for formulating recommendations to improve the transfer experiences and educational outcomes of this population. This sample of students enacted several types of community cultural wealth and experiential capital when navigating the engineering transfer pathway and in their engineering studies. They were less likely to enact the elements of transfer student capital, however. Instead, our results indicate that the participants attribute their successful transitions to their self-motivation and initiative associated with community cultural wealth and experiential capital, rather than institutional interventions associated with transfer student capital. We conclude with recommendations for strengthening institutional programs directed at first-generation engineering transfer students.

Although degrees are awarded to students individually, often the processes by which students accomplish this feat are a communal effort. Transfer students, in particular, face a unique set of challenges when transitioning from community college to a four-year university. For this study, three focus groups were conducted with a total of 14 students who recently transferred to a four-year university. Sessions centered on the challenges of transferring, and the relationships and resources they found supportive during the transition. Three areas of support emerged: emotional support, practical support, and campus capital. Parents and friends provided emotional support (verbal encouragement) as well as practical support (i. e., financial support or cooking meals). Faculty and staff at the university were found to provide campus capital, or the campusspecific information needed to successfully navigate the university. Recommendations for supporting transfer students are provided.

Engineering transfer students experience diverse pathways and unique challenges on their way to earning a degree. Some of these challenges include phenomena like transfer shock and fewer opportunities to build community and receive support. In this work in progress, we explore differences in learning strategies between engineering transfer students and non transfer students with particular focus on transfer students who are part of an NSF-funded S-STEM program. The S-STEM program supports low income engineering transfer students from diverse backgrounds through co-curriculum cohort activities and peer and faculty mentoring with the goal of reducing the negative impact of transfer shock and improving their academic success and persistence. We analyze self-reported quantitative survey data from students in three upper division mechanical engineering courses, comparing the learning strategies of transfer students, S-STEM scholars, and non transfer students. Generally, non transfer students report better learning strategies than transfer students, and S-STEM scholars report better strategies in some areas of peer learning and effort regulation than other transfer students.

Female university graduates tend to have less career success than their male counterparts. Career optimism is considered a crucial predictor of future career success, but little is known about predictors of career optimism. Based on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), we hypothesised that both perceived lecturer support and perceived career barriers impact career optimism via students’ self‐efficacy, and differentiated the model along gender lines using a subgroup path analysis. Two hundred and thirty‐two undergraduate psychology students from German universities answered an online questionnaire. Results revealed that the expected indirect effect of perceived lecturer support and perceived career barriers on career optimism via self‐efficacy was only identifiable in women. For men, we found a direct connection between perceived lecturer support and career optimism, as well as that an increase in perceived career barriers reduced males’ self‐efficacy. We were unable to identify any sex differences in career optimism.

Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, and Hackett 1994, 1996) proposes that career interests, goals, and choices are related to self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations. It suggests that peopleʼs self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations with regard to self-employment would predict their goals to become selfemployed. This study explores the ability of SCCT to predict goals for self-employment in a sample of 115 undergraduate business students. Results indicated that students with higher entrepreneurial self-efficacy and higher self-employment outcome expectations had higher intentions to become self-employed. These findings imply that educators and policy-makers may boost student entrepreneurial intentions by (1) enhancing studentsʼ confidence to succeed in an entrepreneurial career and (2) enhancing studentsʼ expectations of strong positive outcomes resulting from an entrepreneurial career