An Examination of the Student Engagement Experiences of Transfer Students

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to report on transfer students’ engagement in college and compare the findings of those who transferred from a two-year college and those who transferred from another four-year college. The study focused on the importance of engagement in effective educational practices as measured by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The sample consisted of 899 senior transfer students of Auburn University. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) survey was administered to senior transfer students asking them about how much time and effort they devoted to studying or participating in co-curricular activities, how fully challenged and supported they feel by their college, and how students estimate their educational and personal growth since starting college (NSSE, 2015). The data from the years 2013, 2014, and 2015 were used in this study. The existing data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and all mean differences were tested at an alpha level of significance of .05. A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted in order to determine the effect of the four Engagement Indicators under the Level of Academic Challenge (LAC). These engagement indicators are Higher-Order Learning, Reflective and Integrative Learning, Learning Strategies, and Quantitative Reasoning. Student characteristics, such as gender and residency status are all found to be related with student engagement.