“Everything is Bigger and Different”: Black Engineering Transfer Students Adjusting to the Intensity and Academic Culture of the 4-Year Campus

“Transfers tend to be an afterthought”: The role of institutional support for staff in creating a receptive culture for transfer students of color.

“…For example, there is a lack of institutional agents (i.e., a faculty or staff member at the institution who advocates for educational resources for underserved students) and institutional practices that can facilitate a successful transfer of students of color (Dowd et al, 2013; Nuñez & Yoshimi, 2017; Pérez & Ceja, 2010). Previous research has highlighted the importance of faculty and advising and programming staff on students’ academic success (Alcantar & Hernandez, 2020; Bensimon & Dowd, 2009; Buenaflor et al, 2022; Urias et al, 2016). Connecting CC students to advising staff at the receiving institutions can increase students’ transfer preparation and aspirations (X.…”

“…However, students of color report negative experiences with staff who give incorrect academic information and invalidate their experiences (Dowd et al, 2013). Furthermore, academic invalidation by instructors who doubt Latinx and Black CC students’ ability to learn and succeed in courses can decrease students’ aspirations, confidence, and self-efficacy (Acevedo-Gil et al, 2015; Buenaflor et al, 2022). Instructor and staff assumptions that transfer students must have previous knowledge that nontransfer students possess can negatively impact the experiences of transfer students of color (Buenaflor et al, 2022).…”

“…Furthermore, academic invalidation by instructors who doubt Latinx and Black CC students’ ability to learn and succeed in courses can decrease students’ aspirations, confidence, and self-efficacy (Acevedo-Gil et al, 2015; Buenaflor et al, 2022). Instructor and staff assumptions that transfer students must have previous knowledge that nontransfer students possess can negatively impact the experiences of transfer students of color (Buenaflor et al, 2022). For Black students in STEM, faculty assumptions that transfer students are unprepared due to not taking courses as first-year freshmen at the university affects students’ confidence and reinforces the idea that CC courses are not challenging (Buenaflor et al, 2022).…”

“…Instructor and staff assumptions that transfer students must have previous knowledge that nontransfer students possess can negatively impact the experiences of transfer students of color (Buenaflor et al, 2022). For Black students in STEM, faculty assumptions that transfer students are unprepared due to not taking courses as first-year freshmen at the university affects students’ confidence and reinforces the idea that CC courses are not challenging (Buenaflor et al, 2022). Similarly, for Latinx CC students, academic and interpersonal validation influence their academic motivation and decisions for continuing their education (Alcantar & Hernandez, 2020).…”

“…However, deficit attitudes toward transfers students and students of color have prevailed in educational spaces. For example, transfer students face stigmas about being less capable of academically performing well because community college is viewed as inferior and less academically rigorous (Alcantar & Hernandez, 2020; Buenaflor et al, 2022; Carales & López, 2020; Laanan et al, 2010). Such views affect perceptions of who belongs in CC and who does not.…”