The success of Hopkinsville Community College graduates who transfer to Austin Peay State University and acquire a baccalaureate degree as assessed by grade point average and the perception of each student
Abstract
The primary purpose of this study is to survey graduates of Hopkinsville Community College who transfer to Austin Peay State University and obtain a baccalaureate degree. The major objectives of this study were as follows (1) Results of this research examined the students' perceptions of Hopkinsville Community College vs. Austin Peay State University. (2) Grade point averages of these students were examined and analyzed to determine if there was a significant difference between the results of previous research studies and the results obtained from the participants. (3) Examined results of study to determine if there was a difference in perception, grade point average and between genders, racial groups and age groups. There were 262 out of 322 graduates who were willing to receive correspondence from Austin Peay State Services. The response rate was 50.07 percent with 133 graduates returning the survey. Results indicated that Hopkinsville Community College graduates experienced a 0.373 drop in their grade point average the first semester at APSU and there was a 0.234 recovery by graduation. Females encountered a greater degree of transfer shock than males. At graduation from Austin Peay State University males had recovered to within 0.181 of their final grade point average at Hopkinsville Community College; whereas, females only recovered to within 0.253 of their final grade point average at Hopkinsville Community College. All racial groups experienced transfer shock, but Native-Americans was the only group to completely recover and increase their grade point average when they graduated from Austin Peay State University. Non-traditional students encountered less transfer shock than traditional students, but traditional students recovered more of their original grade point average than non-traditional students upon graduation from Austin Peay State University. All students perceived selected institutional characteristics to more indicative of Austin Peay State University by a margin of twenty two to seven. Students of color had the highest percentage of positive response and traditional students had a higher percentage of positive responses than non-traditional students.
Subject Area
Higher education|Community colleges
Recommended Citation
Billy Carl Boyd,
"The success of Hopkinsville Community College graduates who transfer to Austin Peay State University and acquire a baccalaureate degree as assessed by grade point average and the perception of each student"
(1998).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI9907837.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI9907837