Education Commons^™

Community College Student Persistence: A Focus On Occupational And Academic Clubs, Catherine Jean Songer

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Community colleges have increased demands for data to substantiate their institutional effectiveness in financially challenging times to stakeholders and accrediting agencies. Tied to performance funding, North Carolina community colleges are focusing attention on policies and programs that encourage student persistence. The Community College Survey of Student Engagement indicated a strong relationship between student engagement and student success. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate student persistence as measured by student intent to persist as it related to participation in community college-sponsored occupational and academic clubs, to investigate the student-perceived level of participation as it related to student intent …

Exploring The Impact Of Classified Staff Interactions On The Student Experience: A Multiple Case Study Approach, Mary Ann Schmitt

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative multiple case study explored front-line classified staff interactions with students as a possible strategy for increasing student success. The study was based on the premise that too few students stay at a community college long enough to achieve their academic goals. Therefore, college leaders must identify new strategies to increase student retention and success. A literature review revealed positive student experiences increase the likelihood of student persistence. Since classified staff members interact with students throughout the college, the author examined their interactions as one potential strategy to increase the likelihood of student success.

The study explored classified staff …

Predicting Student Success In Passing The Exit Exam For Writing Proficiency, Cheryl Ann Latko

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the Exit Exam of Writing Proficiency (EEWP) and the variables that may impact the probability of a student passing the EEWP. The EEWP is one of the graduation requirements for all undergraduate students at a mid-sized four-year university in the mid-Atlantic region. The purpose of the EEWP is to ensure that undergraduates demonstrate clear, concise, and professional writing skills.

The literature discusses general issues with student writing skills specific to the field of human services, as they relate to teacher educators, developmental education, and the field of human services. Student demographics, such …

Attitudes Of And Behaviors Towards Academic Integrity Between Community College Students Who Enroll In Online Courses Versus Traditional Courses, Kristine Marie Christensen

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Advances in technology have allowed educators to use new methods for delivering education, students are finding new ways to leverage technology to learn, and online course enrollments are growing at a faster rate than traditional face-to-face courses. Using McCabe's Academic Integrity Survey, data was collected from over 1,700 students enrolled in online or traditional, face-to-face courses at a large Midwestern community college during the fall of 2008. The purpose of this study was to examine whether differences in the self-reported attitudes and behaviors toward academic integrity exist between community college students enrolled in online courses and those in traditional, face-to-face …

Faculty And Student Perceptions Of Students' Sense Of Community In Online Courses, William C. Fiege

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The Classroom Community Scale (Rovai, 2002b) was used to examine faculty and student perceptions of students' sense of community at two points during an academic semester. The study also examined the relationship between student sense of community scores and their final course grades. A non-experimental research design was used by the researcher to analyze pre-survey to post-survey score means of students' sense of community as perceived by students and faculty. Two hundred sixty-nine (269) students and 48 faculty members representing 56 online arts and science courses at a community college in Virginia completed the pre-survey and post-survey surveys.

Students' perceptions …

Financial Aid As Retention Predictor: The Relationship Of Financial Aid To Retention At A Virginia Community College, Eunice Rohrer Wine

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between student financial aid awarded, unmet financial need, and fall-to-spring student retention of students at a small, public, southeastern, U.S. community college. The research hypotheses drew upon past research on retention theory, employing economic persistence theory. This study focused on three areas: the amount of grant awarded per student, the amount of loan awarded per student, and the amount of unmet need per student. These variables were then used as the predictors for student retention.

The research methodology was an exploratory, non experimental quantitative study of ex post facto data using logistic regression. The participants …

Utilizing A Web-Based Career Development Workshop To Address Career Decision-Making Difficulty Among Community College Distance Learners, Johanna Michele Brown

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Career decision making difficulty, as it relates to undecided college students and career indecision, has been a concern for counselors and academic advisors for decades (Gordon, 2006; Mau, 2004). Individuals struggling with career indecision often seek assistance via career counseling, self-help tools, and/or computer-assisted career guidance systems (Gati, Gadassi, & Shemesh, 2005). The past decade has brought a large increase in the development of a number of web-based career guidance systems (CGS) (Bobek, Robbins, Gore, Harris-Bowlsbey, Lapan, Dahir, & Jepsen, 2005). Despite the rapid growth in the type and use of computer-assisted CGS, little empirical research has been conducted on …

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). …

A Cultural Approach To Understanding Professional Experiences Of Foreign-Born Faculty In U.S. Educational Leadership Preparation Programs, Iryna M. Khrabrova

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate professional experiences of foreign-born faculty members serving in U.S. educational leadership preparation programs utilizing a cultural approach to discern their lived experiences related to professional life. Cultural values reflected in professional life experiences were explored. The information gathered through phenomenological approach was used to analyze the influence of national background on the professional experiences of foreign-born faculty in educational leadership preparation programs.

Persistence To An Associate Of Applied Science Registered Nurse Degree: The Impact Of Placing Into Developmental Education Courses On Student Success, Caroline Clark Rivera

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Student retention and success in nursing school has gained favor in educational research due to an increasing shortage of Registered Nurses. The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of student placement recommendation into developmental education courses on persistence to an Associate of Applied Science Registered Nurse degree. Using ex post facto research methodology rooted in the retention theories of Tinto, Bean and Metzner, and Jeffreys, this study aims to measure the effect of high school diploma type, age, race/ethnicity, and pre-requisite courses on student placement recommendation in developmental education and persistence to an Associate of Applied Science …

Certification Of Financial Aid Administrators, Stacey A. Peterson

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The certification of financial aid administrators has been debated for over 37 years. A job satisfaction survey conducted by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA, 2008a) revealed that college and university administrators' perceptions of the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the services provided by the financial aid office have a direct effect on the job satisfaction of financial aid practitioners. The study also hinted at a possible link between these perceptions and the resources allocated to the financial aid office. Open-ended comments collected as a part of the survey suggested that while members of the financial aid …

Ethically Speaking: Academic Librarians' Perceptions Of Information Privacy, Intellectual Freedom, And The Usa Patriot Act, Alicia Carol Willson-Metzger

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study examined five research questions relating to U.S. academic librarians' perceptions of and attitudes toward intellectual freedom, information privacy, and the USA PATRIOT Act: 1) Do academic librarians' self-perceived levels of affiliation with the American Library Association affect their attitudes toward the USA PATRIOT Act (2001)? 2) Do academic librarians' self-perceptions of affiliation with the American Library Association affect their attitudes regarding intellectual freedom for librarians and, if so, in which direction? 3) Does the USA PATRIOT Act (2001) compromise intellectual freedom as practiced by academic librarians? 4) Does the USA PATRIOT Act (2001) make academic librarians rethink …

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 …

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 …