Education Commons^™

Stopping Out: Experiences Of African American Females At A Midwestern Community College, Shanna Latisha Fountain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the experiences of African American female community college students who stop out, and interpret how their gender and race have influenced these lived experiences. Based on the research questions, a constructivist, narrative analysis was used to capture the experiences of the participants of this study as well as analyze the environment of their personal lives as the institution in which they have all attended.

A total of six participants were interviewed. Three semi-structured interviews were held to provide a clear understanding of each participant's experiences. When combined and analyzed, the narratives ...

The Influence Of Self-Efficacy On Degree Aspiration Among Domestic And International Community College Students, Yu Chen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The global economy requires the U.S. higher education develop a well-educated workforce with international perspective. One way to accomplish this goal is to focus on community colleges' role in expanding the pool of domestic and international graduates with college degrees. This study aimed at investigating how self-efficacy interacts with other key factors to function as a psychosocial mechanism that affects community college students' degree aspiration and how such a mechanism functions differently for international and domestic students. The purpose of this study can be specified in two aspects: a) to examine how self-efficacy influences community college students' degree aspiration ...

Get Engaged: An Investigation Of Rural Community College Faculty's Experiences With Work Engagement, Jennifer Kate Burrell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand rural community college faculty members' experiences with work engagement. As community college enrollments grow, it becomes increasingly important to have faculty who are engaged in their work. Recent research suggests engaged students require engaged faculty (Kezar, 2011). One of the most significant factors in student learning and graduation are the interactions and relationships students develop with faculty members (Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, & Whitt, 2010). This study addressed how rural community college faculty members perceive, experience, and sustain work engagement, as well as why work engagement is important in rural community college faculty.

Two rural community colleges, one small and one mid-sized, were investigated. While these colleges differed in size, they shared similar characteristics in course offerings, programs, and extracurricular activities. Data collection consisted of one-on-one interviews of both full-time faculty members and faculty administrators; in addition, documents and websites were reviewed. There were a total of eight participants between the two colleges, six of which were faculty members. The faculty members were ...

Predicting Transfer Students' Selection Of A Stem Major And Academic Adjustment: A Study Of Community College Students At A Midwestern University, Terry Burdell Gaalswyk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research project investigated differences between transfer students choosing STEM- and non-STEM-related majors, determined the factors affecting a transfer student's choice of a STEM- or non-STEM-related major, and examined differences in academic adjustment between STEM and non-STEM students.

The results suggest differences in the background characteristics of students with non-STEM and those with STEM majors. Parental income of students with STEM majors was lower and students with STEM majors were primarily male. Students in STEM-related majors at Iowa State University (ISU) had more credits in calculus, chemistry, and environmental science. Furthermore, this academic preparation was a significant predictor of ...