An examination of transfer shock in academic disciplines

Abstract

Numerous studies have revealed that students experience declines in grade point averages (transfer shock) after transferring from 2‐year to 4‐year colleges or universities. The vast majority of these studies have analyzed data collected for a sample or population of 2‐year transfer students without regardto major or discipline. An American Council on Education policy statement on the transfer function (Palmer & Eaton, 1991) has called for research on the academic performance of community college transfer students in specific programs and disciplines. This study investigated whether the transfer shock experienced by a total sample of participants accurately represented the academic performance of discipline‐based groups within the sample. Participants included 100 students who transferred from a community collegeto Benedictine College over an eight‐semester time period. The sample was divided into five homogeneous groups on the basis of the student’s major: business, education, fine artsand humanities, mathematics and sciences, and social sciences. Results indicate that the transfer shock experienced by the total sample in the study did not accurately reflect the academic performance of transfers in the respective discipline‐based groups. Students transferring ineducation, fine arts and humanities, and social sciences realized post transfer grade point average increases. Moreover, students transferring in business and mathematics and sciences experienced a significantly greater amount of transfer shock when compared with the grade point average decline of the total sample. © 1997 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.