Education Commons^™

Campus Influence On International Students' Perceptions Of The United States

Dissertations

International students not only have an economic impact on the United States in the billions of dollars, they culturally enrich college campuses and play a critical role in fostering U.S. foreign relations (NAFSA, 2006). The purpose of this study was to examine international students’ perceptions of the United States as a result of participating in a short-term ESL program at three campuses of a community college district in the Midwest, and to explore the influence of campus cultural attributes (diversity of the student body, breadth of support for international students, and setting) on these perceptions. This was a mixed-method study. …

Economic Returns Of The Occupational Education Experience Based On Two Missouri Community Colleges, Dianna Parker

Dissertations

A commonly held belief is that formal education has a strong positive association with earnings (Sanchez, 1998). The motivation for individuals to pursue and complete an education beyond high school is likely founded in the hopes of higher paying jobs or a higher position. The “economic benefits” of a community college education can be defined as the gain in personal earnings over time because of the skills and knowledge acquired, as reflected in credit hours completed, at the community college. The purpose of this study was to determine how the skills, knowledge, and credentials obtained in community college occupational courses …

The Impact Of Community College Developmental Education Programs On Student Success, Melissa A. Batchelor

Dissertations

With more people enrolling in college today, community colleges face a higher percentage of students who do not have college-level skills. To meet the needs of the underprepared student, colleges established developmental education programs. This study examined the success of developmental programs through examination of secondary data using a z-Test for difference in means, Chi-Square test for Independence, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, and ANOVA. Through use of these statistical tests, the researcher analyzed the differences between the data and compared the variables from each institution to determine areas of strength and weakness in student outcomes to link with use …

Cao Perspectives: The Role Of General Education Objectives In Career And Technical Programs In The United States And Europe, Jennifer Ballard Schanker

Dissertations

Globalization is changing the way students prepare for careers in the United States and Europe as competition for highly skilled workers is increasing among companies, regions, and nations. Success in this environment requires skills beyond the ability to perform job-related tasks. Skills of this nature are described as “liberal arts,” “basic” or “soft” skills or more broadly, “general education.” This international comparative study examines the processes used to identify, embed, and assess outcomes related to general education within career and technical programs in selected institutions in Europe and the Midwestern United States through the perceptions of their Chief Academic Officers …

Data Gathering And Decision Making Among Community College Faculty Union Leaders, Mary K. O'Sullivan

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify how faculty union leaders gather data and incorporate past experience to prioritize decisions for new contract negotiations in Illinois community colleges. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 legalized collective bargaining in the United States, but state laws further regulate collective bargaining and make such agreements enforceable under state law. The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (IELRA) requires educational employers to bargain in good faith with the employees’ exclusive representative.

Specifically, this qualitative case-study research sought to identify the strategies undertaken by community college faculty union leaders to prepare for, and prioritize …

Exploring Successful Strategies For Integrating Academic Assessment And Strategic Planning In The Community College, Roberetta Young

Dissertations

This study is an exploration of the strategies employed by community colleges to facilitate the integration of their assessment and strategic plans. Because the strategic and assessment plans are major documents that guide the success of the institution, they are submitted frequently as evidence of meeting the accreditation requirement for institutional effectiveness. If the colleges’ success is based on the effectiveness and efficiency of their plans, then the assessment plan needs to be linked and integrated with the institutions strategic plan. The intent of this research study is to identify how community colleges integrate assessment and strategic plans to improve …

Education Is Like A Magic Carpet: Transfer Perceptions Of Urban Latino Community College Students, Catharine Mary Anne Penfold Navarro

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Latino students are the only ethnic group more likely to enroll in community colleges than four-year institutions. However, they transfer to four-year institutions at much lower rates than their white counterparts. This gap in transfer rates for Hispanic students is of significant concern to higher education researchers and policy makers because of its broad impact on overall educational attainment for Hispanics.

Research on Latino transfer rates has focused predominantly on quantitative data, which paints a clear picture of what is happening, but falls short in explaining why transfer rates continue to be low. Researchers have offered both structural (social reproduction …

Black Male Collegians In Public Two-Year Colleges: Student Perspectives On The Effect Of Employment On Academic Success., J. Luke Wood, Phd

J. Luke Wood, PhD

No abstract provided.

Developing Successful Black Male Initiatives, J. Luke Wood, Phd

J. Luke Wood, PhD

No abstract provided.

Falling Through The Cracks: An Early Warning System Can Help Keep Black Males On The Community College Campus, J. Luke Wood, Phd

J. Luke Wood, PhD

No abstract provided.

Leaving The 2-Year College: Predictors Of Black Male Collegian Departure, J. Luke Wood, Phd

J. Luke Wood, PhD

No abstract provided.

Successful African American Community College Students Perceptions On Sense Of Belonging In Three California Community College Districts, Nicole Yvette Wise

Doctoral Dissertations

Roach (2009) indicates that "only 31 percent of public community college students go on to complete either an associate or bachelor's degree in six years" according to U.S. Education Department data (p. 14). In California the gap is even wider and the statistics more scarce for students of color. Whereas only 15 percent of African American students compared, to 26 percent of white students, complete their degree in six years of enrolling in a California Community College (Roach, 2009, p. 14). College retention as it pertains to success is a challenging issue in the United States, and the California Community …

Appalachian Bridges To The Baccalaureate: The Influence Of Multiple Roles And Cultural Norms On The Baccalaureate Persistence Of Location-Bound Appalachian Women, Nancy Coldiron Preston

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Too few Kentucky community college students transfer and persist to earn baccalaureate degrees. This is particularly true in Appalachia Kentucky which has a high rate of poverty and a low rate of baccalaureate attainment. Scholars and economists agree that the fastest way to decrease poverty within a geographical region is to increase the educational level of the citizens. Policy makers in the Commonwealth have established a goal of doubling the number of baccalaureate holders within the state by 2020.

This study is framed by a collaborative study which examined the ways in which institutional and student characteristics impact the pathway …