Narrative Analysis of a Woman's Experience Transferring from a TYC Reveals Impact of Supporting Characters

In this paper, we use narrative analysis to examine the case study of "Nicole" (pseudonym), a student in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program who transferred from a 2-year college (TYC) to a 4-year college (FYC). We draw from longitudinal qualitative data that...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CBE - Life Sciences Education 2022-09, Vol.21 (3), p.ar53-ar53
Main Authors: Wood, Laura A. H, Sawtelle, Vashti
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
College Environment
College Faculty
College Students
College Transfer Students
Females
Institutional Cooperation
Self Efficacy
Social Support Groups
Special Issue on Community College Biology Education Research
STEM Education
Student Adjustment
Student Attitudes
Student Experience
Teacher Influence
Teacher Role
Teacher Student Relationship
Two Year College Students
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Summary:In this paper, we use narrative analysis to examine the case study of "Nicole" (pseudonym), a student in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program who transferred from a 2-year college (TYC) to a 4-year college (FYC). We draw from longitudinal qualitative data that follow Nicole's experience pre- and posttransfer, while acknowledging the impact of her experience at the TYC. We use an anti-deficit lens by highlighting the role of supporting characters for Nicole, especially at the TYC. Narrative analysis of Nicole's experiences highlights differences in her sense of community at the two different institutions. Organizing our data in these narrative components revealed how impactful supporting characters are in Nicole's story and how drastically they can shape the outcome of scenes in her story. Instructors and programmatic staff at FYCs who aim to better support transfer students in their transition can learn from the kinds of scenes Nicole cited as helpful in her time at the TYC as well as the FYC. It is our aim in sharing Nicole's story to provide guidelines for how faculty and program directors could be impactful supporting characters to create welcoming settings for transfer students.
ISSN:1931-7913
1931-7913
DOI:10.1187/cbe.21-09-0253