Alex Rodriguez, Zahra Nikooaghideh, & Dr. Ryan Murphy
This study explores the field of transfer student experiences from individuals who transferred into the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics (MVS) at California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI). The initial phase of research consisted of six informational interviews with students of various backgrounds. The transcripts of all interviews then underwent two rounds of qualitative coding, resulting in 9 common themes of the transfer experience: time management, social skills, leadership, independence, persistence, professional experience, financial independence, and unique perspectives.
Armed with this knowledge, we developed two surveys via Qualtrics to assess students when they initially transfer into MVS and after they have settled into the school for a period of time. These survey responses will supplement the ongoing longitudinal study of informational interviews that will be conducted annually. We anticipate that both avenues of data collection will provide us with a wealth of information to understand the skills that business and economics students develop during transfer. The ultimate goal of this research is to use this transfer student capital paradigm to adjust the strategies in which business communication is taught within MVS.