Digital Commons Network^™

An Exploration Of Adjunct Faculty Preferences For Professional Development Opportunities At A Florida State College, Ashley M. Navarro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore adjunct faculty perceptions of factors that influence participation in faculty development at a multi-campus Florida state college. To improve Florida state college adjunct faculty participation in faculty development, it was necessary to examine their faculty development needs and the incentives and barriers that influence their participation in faculty development. This study extended the research on characteristics of adjunct faculty and their faculty development interests. This quantitative study addressed the gap in the literature related to the scheduling, format, and communication preferences of a Florida state college adjunct faculty, related to faculty development. …

Predictive Validity Of Florida’S Postsecondary Education Readiness Test, Alisa Murphy Žujović

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The role of the community college is constantly evolving. At its inception in the early 1900’s, the community college’s broad focus was to provide quality, affordable education to the members of the community the college serves. Today, that focus remains the same, but has also morphed into one that meets the specific needs of its students. One of these needs that is a critical issue for community colleges relates to developmental education.

The assessment of developmental education has been a contentious subject among higher education institutions. Defining college readiness, methods describing how to measure it, and instruments with which to …

Nontraditional Community College Students' Motivational Regulation In A Blended Core Technology Course, Jennifer Hart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a lack of empirical research on the motivational regulation and reactions of higher education students enrolled in blended courses. Studies that target this focus with nontraditional adult learners enrolled in the community college are even more difficult to locate. In this mixed-methods exploratory case study, I explored in what ways nontraditional adult learners' motivational regulation and their motivational reactions to course design relate to their perceived learning experience in a blended technology course with a flipped design. Specifically, I investigated how nontraditional community college students described their goals for participating in a blended course prior to the start …

Measuring Numeracy In A Community College Context: Assessing The Reliability Of The Subjective Numeracy Scale, Kate S. Wolfe, Sarah L. Hoiland

Numeracy

In this paper, our goals were to assess the suitability of the Subjective Numeracy Scale (SNS), developed for health-care use, in a new context with predominantly minority students at a South Bronx community college and to identify any race/ ethnicity, gender, and ESL enrollment effects. The scale assesses perceptions of quantitative reasoning skills and preferences for data presentation. This scale was given to a convenience sample of students in behavioral sciences classes. Results show that the SNS scale was reliable with our sample using the full thirteen-question scale or the shorter eight-item version. Gender, race/ ethnicity, and English as a …

Cultivating Philanthropy In Community Colleges: A Dual-Model Approach, Rachel Faith Pleasant

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study tests a model that combines relationship management theory and the theory of reasoned action. Through the collection of quantitative and qualitative data, this study provides deeper understanding of the relationship between community college students and the institution, and identifies aspects of the relationship that most influence behavioral intention to give to the institution. Using this information, public relations practitioners will be able to strategically improve areas of deficiency in the community college-student relationship, thereby increasing the likelihood that today’s students will become tomorrow’s philanthropic alumni.

Perceptions Of Hispanic Female Esl Students Toward First-Year College Writing Courses: A Phenomenological Examination Of Cultural Influences, Barbara B. Booker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The role of culture as a phenomenon guided this qualitative study, which examined the influence of diverse Hispanic cultures on the attitudes and perceptions towards college writing courses of female Hispanic students who are non-native speakers of English. With the increasing number of Hispanic immigrants coming to the U.S., the minority student population at our nation's colleges and universities has also risen. Community colleges have become the means through which many of these Hispanic immigrants obtain a college education.

The eight women who participated in this study self-identified as Hispanic. All were first generation college students who had been born …