Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Ryan A. Donlan

Abstract

This study examines credit hour accumulation among teacher education transfer students at three of the six institutions within the Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO). Oklahoma, like many states, is facing a critical teacher shortage. With half of undergraduate students beginning their postsecondary education at two-year colleges, the community college is an important piece of the teacher education pipeline and can assist with increasing the number of diverse PK–12 educators. Using a comparative quantitative research design, the study explores differences in credit hours accumulated at baccalaureate completion across transfer types (education and non-education), associate degree attainment, declared content areas (4x12 and non-4x12), and race/ethnicity. De-identified ex post facto data were collected from institutional databases. Findings reveal that teacher education transfer students accumulated 6.6 more credit hours than non-education transfers with a small to medium effect size. Teacher education associate degree earners accumulated 2.7 more credit hours than those without, with a small effect size. This study emphasizes the need for enhanced collaboration between two-year and four-year institutions, particularly to support teacher education transfer students and address Oklahoma’s teacher shortages. Implications include refining transfer pathways, increasing data-driven partnerships, and prioritizing recruitment and support of diverse teacher education transfer students to strengthen the teacher pipeline.

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