Education Commons^™

The Relationship Between Local Wealth And Dual Enrollment Participation In Virginia's Community Colleges: Rural, Urban, And Suburban Patterns And Subsequent Postsecondary Enrollment Status, Ellen Richardson Davenport

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

In Virginia, the availability of dual enrollment classes for high school students has varied, depending on the interest of the local school division and the community college's president in whose service region the school division is located. HB 1184, which passed in the 2012 session of the Virginia General Assembly, stipulates that the opportunity must be available for all high school students throughout the Commonwealth to be able to participate in dual enrollment and either receive a Uniform Certificate of General Instruction or an associate degree. Utilizing data from 2006 dual enrollment students, this study's purpose was to determine if …

Late Registration And Student Success In On-Campus And Online Classes, Patrick Tompkins

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The study examined the effect of late registration into on-campus and online classes upon student performance when accounting for completion of a college success skills course and the demographic factors of sex, race/ethnicity, age, and full-time/part-time enrollment status. The data source was 2010-2013 ex post facto data from 23 colleges in a large community college system in the southeastern United States. The statistical method of binary logistic regression was applied to the data. The regression models failed to yield strong predictions of the association between registration timing and student success. Coupled with previous studies, this study demonstrated that the presumed …

The Socialization Of Bullying Through Community College Nursing Education: A Multiple Case Study, Margaret M. O'Conner Machon

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Many recent studies propose that bullying in the workplace is prevalent and is a phenomenon which occurs in the nursing workplace as well as in nursing education. This qualitative study examined the effects of vertical bullying upon community college nursing students and graduates, and the effect of this behavior upon the socialization of those learning the nursing profession. The study is based on a theoretical framework based on the findings of Salin (2003) and Twale and De Luca (2008) adapting their theory of bullying in academia which incorporated enabling, motivating and precipitating factors leading to intensified bullying. The study investigated …

Gender Performativity In The Community College: A Case Study Of Female Backline Classified Staff, Samantha Rose Powers

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This case study explored the gendered performances of five female backline classified staff members who work in non-traditional fields within a community college. More specifically, this study defined gendered behaviors at a community college, and explored how these behaviors have affected the identities of women working in non-traditional fields at the community college. This study indicated through documents, observations, and interviews that there was mixed evidence of the degree to which gendered behavior is cultivated at a community college in Washington. Document review, interview, and observation findings showed that women at the community college reported expectations of gendered behavior, gender …

Striking A Balance: Managing Blogs In Loosely Coupled Systems, Troy A. Swanson, Dennis E. Gregory, Edward E. Raspiller

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

As the oldest implementation of Web 2.0 technologies, blogs present an opportunity to understand how community college administrators are addressing two conundrums: conundrum of control and the conundrum of adaptability. These problems arise from the need of leaders to put organizational controls in place even as these controls limit the tool's usefulness and the adaptability of the technology. The purpose of this study using a multiple case study method is (1) to further the understanding of how community college administrators and blog authors strike a balance between organizational control and adaptability when implementing and using blog technologies and (2) to …

General Education Requirements In A Community College Baccalaureate Rn-To-Bsn Program, Jason Bentley Krupp

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Increasing demand for nurses with bachelor degrees, the growing culture of accountability in higher education, and the community college baccalaureate phenomena provided the impetus for this study. This ex-post facto quantitative study examined the graduation rates and time to degree of 240 students who were enrolled in a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program at a community college in Florida between Fall of 2002 and Spring of 2004. The general education course enrollment patterns of the students were analyzed to determine if they impacted student graduation rates and time to degree. Graduation rates and time to degree of students …

From Homeschool To The Community College: A Multiple Case Study, Benjamin G. Kramer

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The number of U.S. homeschooled students has steadily risen from the 1980's to the present, and many eventually choose to attend community colleges (Cogan, 2010; Mason, 2004; Ray, 2004a; Sorey & Duggan, 2008a). Homeschoolers who make community colleges their first structured educational setting outside the home do so for various reasons: (a) to obtain skills to prepare for a chosen career path or educational goal; (b) for economic reasons; and (c) to stay close to home (Ray, 2004b; Sorey & Duggan, 2008a). Presently, limited research explores the homeschooled population's transition during the first year of college experience. Community colleges are …

Community College Student Learning In Phlebotomy Preceptor-Led Clinical Internship, Susan E. Phelan

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to describe how allied health preceptor-led clinical internship improves or expands community college student learning. There is a significant gap of information in the literature related to the importance of this clinical internship experience for the learning, socialization, and professional development of allied health students in general and community college students in particular. The absence of relevant data for these internships as a situated learning experience is evident in the literature review. The majority of the allied health work force is prepared by community colleges. Therefore, community college leaders need data to make data-driven …

An Ex Post Facto Study Of First-Year Student Orientation As An Indicator Of Student Success At A Community College, Amanda Ellis-O'Quinn

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this ex post facto study is to determine if a relationship exists between certain student success indicators and students completing an orientation course their first semester at a small, rural community college in comparison to those students who do not complete an orientation course their first semester. The study will compare three instructional methods used in teaching orientation; a two-day, ten-week, and distance learning format. This emphasis will identify the impact of the delivery format on success measures. The measures representing student success are retention from the fall to concurrent spring semester and grade point average (GPA). …

The Factors That Are Related To Native American Community College Students' Intent To Persist, Garnet Laureen Williams

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

More than half of Native American higher education students choose community colleges as their institution of choice. However, when compared with other ethnic groups, Native American/Alaska Natives (NA/AN) students earn the second-lowest number of associate degrees and the lowest number of bachelor's degrees. Despite this substantive gap, few studies have explored the factors related to Native American community college students' intent to persist. With the projected population surge of NA/AN residents over the next 15 years, more research on the factors related to Native American community college students' intent to persist in college is warranted.

This ex post facto study …

A Study Of Two Generations Of Culturally Diverse Community College Students Views On Leader Attributes In Self And Others, Paula Jeanine Hodkowski

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

One community college mission is preparing students for the expectations and opportunities of the workplace including roles as collaborators and leaders. Increasingly, representatives from “cultures” of generation, gender, and diverse ethnicities are gaining an education in community colleges. Research supports that cultural aspects and views of others impact an individual's leader identity.

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to determine if participants representing millennial and generation X self-report leader behaviors of “modeling the way” and “enabling others to act”; and rate leader traits in others responding to “fits my image of a leader;” And to determine if their …

Persistence Of Community College Transfer Students In A Private Liberal Arts University Nursing Program, Rita M. Amerio

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The United States is bracing for the largest shortage of registered nurses that the United States health care system has ever experienced. As the population of "baby boomers," those born between 1946 and 1960, turns 65 beginning in 2011, the nation will be faced with providing health care services to the largest group of elderly Americans in history. Unlike previous generations, this group has had the advantage of advanced medical care that will allow them to live well into their 80s and even 90s.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation to identify predictor variables that …

Student Perceptions Of Campus Safety Within The Virginia Community College System, Robert Chad Patton

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This research examined Virginia community college students' perceptions of campus safety. A survey of 11,161 students revealed the crimes students most feared being a victim of while on the community college campus and the areas in which they felt the most and least safe. The research also demonstrated the effect certain variables had on students' overall perception of campus safety. The variables studied included student demographics, the presence and type of security personnel, and the rurality of the campus setting. The campuses with the highest and lowest degrees of perceived safety were then further studied via case studies to gather …

The Utilization Of A Computer Assisted Guidance System In Academic Advising, Charles Van Vleck Pfautz

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Computer assisted guidance systems may adapt well to various models of academic advising, and they have the ability to address the challenge of meeting the diverse advising needs of community college students without sacrificing the integrity of academic advising (Fowkes & McWhirter, 2007). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to assess current advisor and student use of a specific computer assisted guidance system and to recommend strategies to effect optimum utilization of current generation software. The objective was to create a model for using the computer assisted guidance system as an academic and career planning tool for community …

Internationalization Efforts In United States Community Colleges: A Comparative Analysis Of Urban, Suburban, And Rural Institutions, Natalie Jean Harder

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Research demonstrates employers value international experiences when hiring employees. Community college students who do not have global or international experience risk being less valuable to employers than students who have such experience. With community colleges educating up to one-half of all U.S. undergraduates, more focus on internationalization is warranted in order to ensure student competitiveness in today's global labor pool. This ex post facto study of 2006 survey data from the American Council on Education (ACE) found a low level of internationalization occurring at most community colleges. Delineating community colleges according to their urban, suburban, or rural Carnegie classification found …

Implementer Perceptions Of Washington State's Integrated Basic Education And Skills Training (I-Best) Program, Robert W. Fox

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Basic skills instruction has had poor success in equipping adults with the training needed in today's global economy. The educational leaders in Washington State realized the necessity of rapidly equipping adults with career skills and developed the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program to meet workforce needs. In 2004, Washington State piloted the I-BEST program in ten institutions, but it has since expanded to all 34 of the State's community colleges. I-BEST is an instructional method which provides basic skills support to ABE and ESL students while they receive career training. I-BEST uniquely pairs a basic skills instructor …

Exploring Entrepreneurialism In Community Colleges In The Appalachian Region, Sharon Lynn Hatfield

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The combination of a weak economy with a corresponding decline in tax revenue has created deficits in state and local budgets which adversely affect the financial stability of community colleges. This leaves community colleges struggling to continue to provide education in support of their missions. To provide a source of alternative revenue, community colleges are embracing the spirit of entrepreneurialism and transforming themselves into profit-seeking businesses.

This quantitative study, using a web-based survey and descriptive and inferential statistics, focuses on factors perceived by college presidents and workforce development officers to affect the practice of entrepreneurialism in 71 community colleges in …

Moderator Effect Of Financial Aid On Predictors Of Community College Graduation Rate, Richard Wilt

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the resource allocation decisions community colleges make in order to gain insight into the relationship of those decisions to graduation rate and whether those relationships were influenced by the percentage of students at the college receiving financial aid. Much of the literature on persistence and graduation rate in higher education is based on student characteristics such as SAT scores, high school GPA, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, or on college selectivity. This study switches the focus to the characteristics of the college rather than the student.

The relative lack of literature on community college graduation rates and the …

Alumni Engaging Students From Under-Served Groups In Southern Appalachia, Mitchell R. Williams, Laura Leatherwood, Laura Byrd, Monica S. Boyd, Kevin Pennington

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

The study explores how alumni can help community colleges in Southern Appalachia to create greater access for people in groups which are traditionally under-served by higher education. Semi-structured interviews conducted with alumni program directors and admissions officers at seven community colleges in the Southern Appalachian Region explore how they use alumni to recruit and retain students from non-dominant groups as well as students from generationally poor families. Examples of "best practices" illustrate ways alumni can help recruit, motivate, and retain students from historically under-served groups.

The Philanthropic Motivations Of Community College Donors: A Study Of The Educational Foundation Of A Mid-Sized, Multi-Campus Community College In Virginia, Linnie Smith Carter

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the philanthropic motivations of the donors of a mid-sized, multi-campus community college in Virginia as part of a plan to enhance relationships with donors and increase the amount of private funds raised. Dependence on dwindling, traditional and limited funding sources leaves community colleges vulnerable and constantly struggling to fund the ever-increasing needs of their internal and external stakeholders (Sheldon, 2003). Community colleges are attempting to address the problem by enhancing their fundraising efforts and strengthening relationships with donors.

A mixed-method, multi-step approach was used for this research study. The approach in this study involved five steps. The …

Successful Community College Alumni Programs, Monica S. Boyd, Mitchell R. Williams, Kevin Pennington

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

As state funding for community colleges continues not to keep pace with programming needs, more community colleges are taking the initiative to seek funding from private sources. Four-year colleges and universities have long used alumni programs as major outside sources of funding. Since a high percentage of today's students embark on their higher education experience at the community college, it is natural for more two-year institutions to begin alumni programs. Based on in-depth interviews with directors of successful community college alumni programs, this article suggests "best practices" for community colleges that are considering the development of an alumni program. It …

An Examination Of The Use Of Portfolios For Faculty Evaluation At Community Colleges, Becky Sain, Mitchell R. Williams

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This study provides community college leaders with insights regarding how administrators and faculty members perceive faculty portfolios as an evaluation tool in two-year colleges. Utilizing a qualitative design, this study focused on perceptions of administrators and faculty members regarding the use of portfolios as the primary instrument for faculty evaluation. Overall, faculty and administrators found portfolios useful when the process encouraged and allowed for faculty self-reflection and honest feedback from administrators.

Emerging Workforce Trends And Issues Impacting The Virginia Community College System, Mary Greer Landon

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The mission of the Virginia Community College workforce development leaders is to expand their training and development services to new and emerging high growth occupational areas in support of Virginia's economic growth and changing workforce needs in each of their regions. This research was designed to identify: high demand occupational skill needs; current training services; the shifting and changing trends based on technology, competition, and workforce composition; and the need for partnerships. A survey, based on current and emerging trends and their impact on workforce development training services, was sent to the 22 Virginia Community College workforce development leaders. This …

Leadership Development Programs In Two-Year Colleges: Critical Components, Delivery Methods, And The Role Of Distance Learning Technology, Mary Clare Digiacomo

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Post-secondary education will face an impending shortage of leaders in the near future. Two-year colleges in particular are facing a dearth of leadership. Many administrators and faculty that were part of the great growth period in community colleges in the 1960's are near retirement. Therefore, developing or sustaining sufficient institutional leadership is a critical and urgent issue that must be addressed. Two-year colleges need to develop and implement leadership development programs in a timely manner to ensure a qualified pool of faculty and staff are ready to ascend to leadership positions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the …

The Impact Of Participation In A Virginia Community College Orientation Program Course On Student Engagement, Satisfaction, Academic Achievement, And Retention, Wendy L. Tighe

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Participation in an orientation program course and several student engagement and satisfaction factors have been identified as positively related to desirable student outcomes. This study explored student engagement, satisfaction, academic achievement, and retention for students based on their enrollment in an orientation course at Tidewater Community College (TCC) in Virginia. This study used a cross-sectional, static group comparison secondary data analysis approach to explore four research questions. The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) data used for this study came from the TCC spring 2005 Community College Student Report (CCSR) this study determined whether or not participation in an …

Evaluating Work Keys Profiling As A Pre-Employment Assessment Tool To Increase Employee Retention, Ruth Zimmer Hendrick

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Twenty-first century changes in the nature of work, the workforce and employment practices, along with increased employer need to select employees who will have the best "fit" with particular jobs in order to increase return on investment, are leading employers toward greater use of pre-employment assessments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of one of those tools, the Work Keys skill assessment battery, on employment retention. Research questions centered around the effects of Work Keys testing on employment.

Job applicant assessment scores and retention information were obtained from and interviews were held with 12 employers who …

An Examination Of Differences Between Occupational-Technical Student And Transfer Student Engagement At Small Community Colleges In Virginia, Janet T. Laughlin

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the differences in levels of student engagement between occupational-technical students and transfer students in an attempt to gain insight into why so many students fail to attain their educational goals. Students' engagement or involvement with their educational institution and program of study is considered a major contributor to persistence and graduation. Research on student engagement as it relates to persisters and leavers includes the five student engagement variables benchmarked by the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE): (a) active and collaborative learning, (b) student effort, (c) academic challenge, (d) student-faculty interaction, and (e) support for learners. …

Workforce Investment Act Services: Effect On Dislocated Worker Reemployment, Martha A. Walker

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The effect of WIA services on the gainful reemployment of Virginia's dislocated workers was explored using a mixed method, non-experimental, ex post factoresearch design. Analysis of variance with follow-up post hoc tests probed for statistically significant differences in hourly reemployed wage and weeks dislocated determined by (a) WIA service level, (b) impact of training, (c) characteristics of training completers and non-completers, and (d) impact of dislocated worker characteristics. Qualitative methods were used to search for trends and patterns defined by the perceptions of both dislocated workers and employers.

Between 2000 and 2004, Virginia's dislocated workers averaged 1.5 years of …