A Meta-Analysis of Noncognitive Factors and Community College Transfer Student Success at Four-Year Institutions

• In Event: 16.061 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.061-9 - Community Colleges: Identity and Culture

Abstract

This meta-analysis examines the relationship between noncognitive or psychosocial factors and community college transfer student success at four-year institutions by synthesizing the results from 16 samples of students (N = 8,670). Informed by college persistence models and motivational theory, we statistically integrated past research on motivation, self-beliefs, and self-regulation and found small relationships (r = .09 to .10) between noncognitive and community college transfer student success. Our results indicated that although noncognitive factors may have weak relationships with students’ four-year institution GPA and persistence, they should not be overlooked when trying to stem transfer shock, given their malleable nature. Implications for research and practice are discussed in light of persistence models and psychological theory

Authors

• Carlton J. Fong, Texas State University

• Coreen Davis, The University of Texas - Austin

• DongMei Li

• Youngwon Kim, University of Washington - Seattle

• Catherine Hartman, The University of Texas - Austin