Momentum Through Course Completion Patterns Among Two-Year College Students Beginning in STEM: Variations and Contributing Factors

• In Event: 69.033 - Student Learning and In-Class Experiences

Abstract

Applying the academic momentum framework, we explore the course-completion patterns of first-time students beginning in STEM programs at public two-year colleges across the first two semesters of college, as well as factors predicting the persistence or changes in these patterns. We use latent transition analysis on a combination of student survey and transcript data. We found three and four major course-completion patterns in Fall 2014 and Spring 2015, respectively. About 60% of the students exhibit consistent patterns across both semesters. We further uncover some intriguing predictors for transitions in course-completion patterns across the two semesters. Our findings pinpoint the importance of a holistic understanding of how academic momentum develops and shifts over time, and what factors may underlie this process.

Authors

• Hsun-Yu Chan, Texas A&M University-Commerce

• Xueli Wang, University of Wisconsin - Madison