Factors influencing successful student outcomes between transfer and native populations in a postsecondary environment

Institutions of higher education have experienced increased scrutiny. Legislative and policy developments rapidly impact institutional accountability and student access. While various accountability measures are available to assess institutional quality and student success, information currently collected is not sufficient for a broader understanding of the portrait of students that migrate through the higher educational pipeline. With increasing numbers of students exhibiting patterns of multi-institutional enrollment, the mechanics of assessment neglect to consider entire subgroups of students who do not fit metric profiles. Greater numbers of students are beginning their academic careers in the community college environment. These institutions have uniquely different missions and environments as compared to the four-year setting. In order to effectively increase educational attainment rates nationally, more students must successfully navigate through multiple environments in an effort to obtain a baccalaureate degree. This study aimed to investigate factors that characterize both the undergraduate student populations and their utilization of environmental resources in regard to their effect on successful student outcomes. The study employed Astin's I-E-O model and incorporated biological principle for the simultaneous study of entering student characteristics and environmental resource use on student success. Analysis was performed with a biological perspective to determine resource use with potential application for resource allocation. Findings indicated no significant differences between native and transfer populations in regard to resource use of academic and social resources but confirmed both of these resources as contributing significantly to student success.