Education Commons^™

First-Generation Community College Students And Their Sense Of Place: An Opportunity To Succeed; An Opportunity To Belong, Cheryl J. Williams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decades, community college attendance has continued to be the first stop and school of choice for over half of the college student population, particularly for first-generation students. However, despite their enrollment, degree attainment remains low for first-generation students. It is not enough to get them in the door—it is critical that they belong. A college experience that provides a sense of belonging and sense of place for first-generation students is crucial. Sense of belonging has been shown to contribute to a positive student identity and experience that leads to higher retention and graduation rates. Student belonging ...

Literacy Events And Practices That Position Hmong Women To Meet Academic Success In Community Colleges, Jody C. Koch

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the literacy events and practices of Hmong women achieving academic success at a community college. Three women participants were interviewed regarding their past and present literacy events and practices. In addition, each participant took photographs of their own literacy events for five weeks. The photographs provided additional material for further discussion during the interviews. The study was designed as a collective case study in order to explore each participant's literacy practices and compare across cases. Coding was first conducted deductively, separating literacy events from literacy practices. Then each primary code was subjected to a second around ...

A Case Study Of Early Alert Reports In Midwestern Community Colleges, Karen Reynolds

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Early alert reports are when faculty identify students at a midpoint in a college term to communicate unsatisfactory progress in order to intervene and aid in student success. The purpose of this case study is to research the timing of the early alert report at community colleges in the Midwest, as well as the different types of follow up, the policies and incentives for faculty and the perceptions of administration and faculty on using the report. The research is presented in two parts: the results of a survey of community college chief academic officers, and a case study of one ...

A Study On The Impact Of Funding On State-Level Community College Governance Systems, Jeffrey Alan Fletcher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Building on a 2015 national landscape research study of state-level community college governance systems, the purpose of this study was to determine if there were correlational relationships between revenue resource funds, state-level community college governance systems, and state funding distribution formulae. Many states had experienced change since 2000, and therefore, it was important to research the impact of funding. Although state funding distribution formulae emerged organically, they remain exposed to ever-changing technological, economic, and political developments. Similarly, state-level community college governance systems also remain susceptible to these technological, economic, and political dynamics. It has been noted that these two subjects ...

From International Deployments To An Iowa Community College: Experiences Of Veterans Who Have Made The Transition, Seth David Gilbert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of veterans who have made the transition from international deployments to an Iowa community college. The essence of these experiences was solicited by asking the question: How do veterans who have made the transition from international deployments to an Iowa community college describe their experiences? Constructionism provided the epistemological foundation for this study. An interpretivist perspective was used to analyze data collected via face-to-face interviews, participant observation, and document evaluation. Van Gennep’s liminality theory provided a theoretical lens through which to interpret that analysis. This interpretation revealed six ...

Comparative State Community College Return On Investment: State Funding, Local Funding, Tuition And Graduation Rates For Community Colleges, Christopher Neary

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

America’s community colleges have recently been thrust into the national spotlight as people look to retrain or find economic alternatives to higher education. This substantial increase in accountability is met with the constraints of financial resources and other limiting factors structured into community college systems. In this paper I examine community college return on investment by states, which govern the responsibility of educating America’s workforce through their diverse community college systems. To improve America’s postsecondary education competency is to optimize collective action of U.S. state community college systems. While colleges and universities contribute to national education ...

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 ...

The Intersection Of Social Capital And Finances On Intentions To Transfer In Stem Fields: A Study Of Community College Students In A Rural Midwestern State, Tracy L. Kruse

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine Iowa community college students' intent to transfer to a 4-year institution in a STEM field. Specifically, it examined the demographics of the study participants as well as financial variables, including number of hours worked, number of dependents supported, and amount of financial aid received, to determine if there was any statistical significant differences between the students who did not intend to transfer, those students who did intend to transfer into a non-STEM field and those students who did intend to transfer into a STEM field.

Secondly, this study used exploratory and ...

Math And Science Community College Faculty: A Culture Apart, Jane Bradley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This is a quantitative, survey-based study of Iowa community college faculty members. The survey was administered in the spring of 2011 to all faculty members identified by their colleges as being employed full time. This study compares the demographics of math and science faculty members to faculty within the arts and sciences who do not teach math or science. Comparisons of how the two groups interact with students and what they identify as barriers to student success are included, as well as their attitudes about mentoring, encouraging students, and their roles in student recruitment and student retention. Highly correlated variables ...

Perceptions Of The Other: Voices Of Adjunct And Fulltime Community College Faculty, William Wayne Backlin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The practice of hiring adjunct instructors was initially considered to be an anomalous event (Todd, 2004). Community college employment of adjunct instructors, however, witnessed a 50% increase during the 1970s (Cain, 1999) and, by 1984, adjunct instructor utilization in community colleges rose dramatically with an additional 80% growth. Over a 33-year period, 1970-2003, the employment of adjunct faculty in the academe increased 422% (Bouton, 2010). With such a strong adjunct presence within the community college, one question came to mind: How do adjunct and fulltime faculty perceive the other?

The purpose of this study was to investigate adjunct perceptions of ...