Exploring university-to-college transfer in Ontario: A qualitative study of non-linear post-secondary mobility

Abstract

In this study, we explored experiences of Ontario students who engaged in a university-to-college (UTC) transfer. Data was collected through qualitative interviews with 20 participants who began their post-secondary journey in a university program but left before completing it and subsequently pursued a college program. We focused on motivations for transfer, the decision-making process, and participants’ reflections on their decision to transfer. Framing the transfer decision within a model oeducational decision-making that draws on Rational Action Theory (RAT) and Bourdieu’s habitus, we argue that motivations for leaving university were distinct from, though related to, motivations for pursuing college. Reasons for leaving university were clustered around three themes: academic struggles, mental/physical health/special education need struggles, and future prospects. These were highly interconnected and characterized by difficulties, from mild to severe, coping with university. Motivations for pursuing college were more practical, relating to subject interest, college learning environment, location, and future prospects. Both decision processes showed evidence of rational cost-benefit analysis characteristic of RAT, but within a framework of habitus-influenced ideas about success and identity. While most participants reflected positively on their decision to transfer, there were some negative reflections related to a sense of personal failure and/or the negative reactions of others, particularly parents. Personal and external negative reflections were tied to cultural and societal expectations about high achievement and perceptions of university education as superior to college education, again showing the influence of habitus. We conclude with policy recommendations.