Investigating writing performance and institutional supports among teacher candidates who transferred from community colleges

Abstract

To provide a snapshot of the skills of community college students as compared to senior college students in the United States, this exploratory study investigated the writing performance and college experience of initial 2-year enrolled (community college transfer students, n = 17) versus initial 4-year enrolled students (n = 12) in a teacher preparation program. Results of independent samples t-tests on in-class writing, research paper, and final score were non-significant (p = .28, p = .54, p = .15, respectively) indicating that 2-year and 4-year start teacher candidates did not differ in their performance on these assignments nor overall in the course. Qualitative data indicated that while both 2-and 4-year start teacher candidates had a positive writing identity during their first 2 years of college, the personal support that 2-year starts had may have enabled them to succeed and have a positive writing identity once they transferred to a 4-year college. Implications regarding how to coordinate supports for transfer student teacher candidates will be discussed, as this is the very population of diverse students needed as PreK–12 teachers.