Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Abstract

This study analyzed the services that postsecondary institutions provided to freshman students to determine whether similar services were provided to transfer students. Additionally, this study investigated whether significant differences occurred between institutions based on institution size, institution type, and geographical regions. Postsecondary institutions in the United States invest numerous resources designed to help ensure the success of first-time full-time freshman students. Individual state governments, as well as the federal government, incorporate the institutions retention, persistence, and graduation rates when allocating funding to the institutions. These benchmarks tend to be the definition that institutions use in defining student success. Previously, this funding formula only accounted for these freshman students, but recently, this formula has also taken into account the transfer students retention, persistence, and graduation rate. As a result, this study sought to determine whether postsecondary institutions increased their focus on transfer students. A sample single sample of 60 postsecondary institutions was used in this study. In this study, services were defined as academic advising, peer mentoring, and housing. To be considered a service, it must have been provided at the institutional level and not the departmental, unit, division, or college level. Single-sample t tests and one–way analysis of variance were used to analyze the results. The results suggest that postsecondary institutions continue to focus their resources on the needs of freshman students. Nearly three-fourths of all services provided by the institutions used in this study were offered to freshman students. This study also suggests that there were not any statistically significant differences between services provided to freshman and transfer students and geographical regions, institution type, nor institution size. The results of this study support the need for postsecondary institutions to consider adding transfer student success to their strategic plan as a means to improve transfer student success. Investing in personnel trained in assessing the unique needs of transfer students, implementing peer mentoring programs for transfer students, and incorporating themed housing for transfer students are other measures that institutions should consider.

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