THE ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGY 100 IN THE ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DIRECT TRANSFER DEGREE AND ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE IN NURSING AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PLANNING GUIDED PATHWAYS - May 15, 2018

Oct 15, 2026

This paper examines the role of Introductory Psychology, Psychology 100, in supporting degree completion for students in the Associate of Arts Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA) and in the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) context. It analyzes average grade decimals and grade distribution, enrollment timing, and patterns across first-time-in-college students and Guided Pathways cohorts. Data are used to compare transfer outcomes, Bachelor’s attainment, and four-year progress, informing planning guided pathways and identifying potential alternatives.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Psychology 100 in transfer and bachelor degree attainment

Transfer outcomes and grade differences

Guided Pathways analysis and cohort results

Progress, equity gaps, and credit attainment

Extending analysis to students interested in the ADN

Conclusion and planning implications

MAY 15, 2018 | 18-4 THE ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGY 100 IN THE ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DIRECT TRANSFER DEGREE AND ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE IN NURSING AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PLANNING GUIDED PATHWAYS Background The focus of this paper is a course that may be helpful to consider for its overall role in guiding students to degree completion: Introductory Psychology or Psychology 100. Our reason for focusing on Introductory Psychology is its commonality in both the Associate of Arts Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA) degree and the Associate of Nursing Degree (ADN) . The former is the largest degree that colleges award. The latter is the largest professional technical degree awarded and the third largest degree awarded overall. For the Psychology 100 courses, we analyze the average grade decimal earned and the grade distribution. We also look at when students enroll in Psychology 100, both for total college credits earned along with it and quarter of students enrolled in the course. We begin the analysis with the AA-DTA. Students can transfer this degree to any public university in Washington State and begin with junior standing, with virtually all general education credits fulfilled. While AA-DTA graduates can transfer into a variety of disciplines, the large majority will pursue majors in arts and letters or the social sciences. Our subjects 1 are first-time in college students (FTIC) . First we look backwards at students who earned their Bachelor’s degree after having transferred with an AA-DTA. Next we follow FTIC students as they start in community and technical colleges and progress towards their AA-DTA. These students are also the subject of our Guided Pathways Initiative. We disaggregate students who are awarded the degree and students who exit college with no award after four years. We also disaggregate the Guided Pathway cohort results by student’s precollege English status. Often times completion of the highest level of precollege English or eligibility for English 101 are prerequisites for 1 We use two different data sources for this paper. First we used the Mutual Research and Data Exchange (MRTE+) for looking backwards at Bachelor’s degree graduates. This data source links CTC and public 4-year student transcripts. MRTE+ is made possible through a partnership with the Education Research and Data Center (ERDC) Our main data source is SBCTC’s Guided Pathways new student cohorts that follows FTIC students through early college milestones in college credits earned to completions and post CTC employment and further education. Psychology 100 in college course catalogs. Next we extend our analysis by looking at another group- FTIC students interested in the ADN. We look at students who completed their two-year degree and program applicants who left college with no admission to the nursing program after four years. Finally, we conclude the paper with a discussion of the potential importance of Psychology 100 for helping students select and follow pathways, supporting them along the way and, in some cases, suggesting alternatives. Psychology 100 in transfer and bachelor degree attainment Students who earn their AA-DTA and transfer to a bachelor’s degree show different grades in Psychology 100 than students who exit college before completion In Washington State, the AA-DTA degree is already is a well-articulated pathway for transfer students. It is the largest degree awarded with nearly 15,000 degrees in 2016-17. In our Guided Pathways cohorts, we see that six in ten FTIC students who earn their transfer degree will transfer to a four-year institution within two years. This compares to just one in seven (14 percent) transfer students who leave college without their degree. A periodic study that has been repeated several times shows that CTC transfer students comprise 40 percent of every bachelor’s degree graduating class in Washington’s public colleges ([https://www.sbctc.edu/resources/documents/colleges-staff/research

FAQs

What is the main focus of the paper?

The paper studies the overall role of Introductory Psychology (Psychology 100) in guiding students toward degree completion, especially within AA-DTA and in implications for ADN-related planning pathways.

What does the analysis measure for Psychology 100?

It evaluates average grade decimals earned in Psychology 100, grade distribution, and when students enroll, including results across Guided Pathways cohorts and starting cohorts.

How is the Guided Pathways cohort used in the study?

The Guided Pathways cohorts track FTIC students through early college milestones, measuring progress toward completions and post-college employment and further education.

Oct 15, 2026

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