[- NC State University -]

1998 Entering Transfer Student Survey:
Introduction, Methods, and Student Demographic Profile
(Report No. 2)

 

Introduction

Since 1995, entering transfer students have been surveyed each year during the New Student Orientation sessions conducted in June and August. Students entering into all 11 undergraduate academic units, including the Agricultural Institute, are included.

This introductory report describes the survey's methodology, and provides a demographic profile of survey respondents in comparison to the Fall 1998 Transfer Student class. Specifically, it compares gender, race/ethnicity, and academic unit of survey respondents with the Fall 1998 transfer student population. This report is followed by an overview of all students who participated in the 1998 Entering Transfer Student Survey. Summary statistics are presented for each survey topic, including student background characteristics, the application process, educational intent and interests, and goals for undergraduate education. Tables of responses by gender, race/ethnicity, and college are available on the web at tr98toc.htm.

Survey Methods

Respondents

A total of 669 transfer students attended orientation sessions and returned completed surveys. All 669 surveys, which represents 64.6 percent of the 1,035 transfer students who were still enrolled in classes 10 days into the Fall 1998 semester, were usable for this report. As described below, there are no notable differences between respondents and the transfer class with respect to gender, race/ethnicity, or college.

Analyses

The data obtained from the transfer student orientation sessions were analyzed using standard statistical methods. In analyses not presented in these reports, responses were tested to determine whether there were significant differences between women and men, between white, African American, and other minority students, and between the different colleges. Questions requiring categorical responses were analyzed with chi-square tests, and questions with numerically coded responses were analyzed with either T-tests or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Duncan�s multiple comparison procedure.

These reports attempt to provide a level of detail that makes the data more accessible and interpretable to the novice data user. A primary purpose is to highlight patterns found in responses to related question items or between comparison groups. Such consistencies among items or between groups are usually more important for understanding the data than are the sizes of the differences between individual pairs of ratings or ranks or, to some extent, whether the differences are statistically significant. While some individual small differences might actually be statistically significant, they may not be substantively meaningful. On the other hand, when even relatively small differences yield consistent patterns within a similar series of questions, the results are potentially more telling.

Demographics of the Transfer Class and Survey Respondents

Gender and Race/Ethnicity (Table 2-1)

There are no noteworthy gender or racial/ethnic differences between the transfer students actually enrolled at NC State and those in the survey population. Women make up 45 percent of the student population, compared to 48 percent of the survey respondents. White students make up 85.7 percent of the student population, 6 percent are African Americans, and 8.3 percent are other minorities. Among survey respondents, 88.2 percent are whites, 4.5 percent African Americans, and 7.3 percent other minorities.

Table 2-1: Demographics of Transfer Class and Survey Respondents
Racail/Ethnic Group
              N 
              %
Transfer Class
Survey Respondents
Female
Male
Total
Female
Male
Total
African-American
24
2.3%
38
3.7%
62
6.0%
12
1.8%
18
2.7%
30
4.5%
Asian
26
2.5%
28
2.7%
54
5.2%
17
2.5%
14
2.1%
31
4.6%
Hispanic
17
1.6%
8
0.8%
25
2.4%
8
1.2%
6
0.9%
14
2.1%
Native American
3
0.3%
4
0.4%
7
0.7%
2
0.3%
2
0.3%
4
0.6%
White
396
38.3%
491
47.4%
887
85.7%
282
42.2%
308
46.0%
590
88.2%
Total
466
45.0%
569
55.0%
1,035
100.0%
321
48.0%
348
52.0%
669
100.0%
Note: Some percentage values do not sum to 100.0% due to rounding.
Note: Survey respondents are included in figures for the Transfer Class.

Academic Units (Table 2-2)

Table 2-2 shows enrollment of transfer students and survey respondents by academic unit. Again there are no notable differences between the transfer students actually enrolled and those responding to the survey. Almost half of all transfer students (48.8%) enrolled in the College of Engineering (23.8%) and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (25.0%). The smallest percentages are for the School of Textile (2.0%) and Physical and Mathematical Sciences (2.6%).

Table 2-2: Classification by Academic Unit
Academic Unit
Transfer Class
Survey Respondents
n
%
n
%
Agriculture and Life Science
186
18.0
131
19.6
Design
31
3.0
17
2.5
Education and Psychology
44
4.3
20
3.0
Engineering
246
23.8
173
25.9
Forest Resources
71
6.9
50
7.5
Humanities and Social Sciences
259
25.0
163
24.4
Management
121
11.7
87
13.0
Physical and Mathematical Sciences
27
2.6
17
2.5
Textiles
21
2.0
11
1.6
Subtotal
1,006
97.2
669
100.0
Agricultural Institute
29
2.8
0
0.0
Total
1,035
100.0
669
100.0

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For more information on the 1998 Entering Transfer Student Survey contact:
Dr. Nancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Planning and Research
Box 7002
NCSU
Phone: (919) 515-4184
Email: Nancy_Whelchel@ncsu.edu

Posted: December, 1999

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