Traditionally, research promoting diversity within postsecondary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has focused on identity markers such as race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status in relation to student success. Fewer studies investigate the experiences of transfer students−a population that encompasses the identities previously investigated and whose enrollment in four-year institutions is growing exponentially. Using qualitative methods, this study explores post-transfer experiences of students who intended on majoring in a STEM discipline but subsequently graduated with a non-STEM degree. Drawing from Phenomenological Variant Ecological Systems Theory, this study highlights students' post-transfer challenges, coping responses, and influential relationships and associations that informed their decisions. Implications for improving transfer students' success in STEM at four-year universities are provided.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Corwin et al. (2020) studied this question.