Understanding transfer student bachelor's degree attainment: using Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction

The purpose of this study was to examine and understand the relationship between factors that contribute to or inhibit bachelor's degree attainment utilizing Bourdieu's framework of social reproduction theory. Bourdieu's concepts of capital, habitus, and field were examined with regard to bachelor's degree attainment for students who entered postsecondary education at a public, 2-year or at a public, 4-year institution through a series of multilevel logistic regressions using the Beginning Postsecondary Longitudinal Survey (BPS) and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Bourdieu's framework was applied to develop an analytical understanding of social reproduction and the role of education in transcending class-based inequalities as well as implications for policy and practice for both 2-year and 4-year institutional sectors.