Community College Leadership Commons^™

The Philosopher's Stone: How Basic Skills Programs Fare In Troubled Financial Times, Thomas P. Ray

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This mixed methods study examined the relative position of basic skills programs with transfer and career technical programs in a large suburban community college in California during the three-year period of budget reductions from 2009-2010 through 2011-2012. The budget line dedicated to part-time or non-contract instruction was analyzed along with supporting documents such as planning committee minutes and program review data. Knowledge of the budget data and the reduction strategies employed helped to establish a picture of the state of basic skills and the institution’s disposition toward them. The budget data proved to be an inadequate tool to measure investment …

Women In Nontraditional Occupations: A Case Study Of Worker Motivation, Katherine Wesley

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupation Act (WANTO Act) of 1992 highlighted an urgent matter facing the American workforce that persists today. The urgent matter in 2012 involves the precarious effect of demographics on the American labor market, placing women at the crux of engaging opportunity or maintaining status quo.

Women must be empowered and encouraged to seek employment opportunities they have never considered, e.g. male-dominated, nontraditional occupations, for the U.S. to keep pace with labor market needs. The need amplifies the myriad of issues for women in male-dominated, nontraditional occupations.

Among the barriers confronting women is the persistence …

The Neglected Minority: Interviews With Successful Community College Students From Poverty, Heather Hollifield-Hoyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poverty in the US is growing at an alarming rate. The current economic climate demands higher education to embrace the economic diversity of all students and to prepare them, regardless of economic class, for a globally competitive workplace. Unfortunately, the higher education community is not as adept at serving low-income students, as it is middle- and upper- income students. Low-income students are less likely than their more affluent peers to enroll in college or graduate. Employing qualitative narrative methods, this dissertation explores the factors that contributed to the persistence and success of 18, low-income, community college students. This study addresses …

Perceptions Of College Readiness And Social Capital Of Ged Completers In Entry-Level College Courses, Donalyn L. Lott

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Examining the efficacy of literacy improvement, general education development (GED) completion, and GED completers’ perceptions of college readiness and social capital was the purpose of this study. The participant sample (n=321), derived from the target population (N=1050), consisted of former participants of Adult Literacy Education (ALE)/GED programs in the Greater New Orleans area (GNO), who have earned the GED credential, and, are currently enrolled in entry-level courses at two community colleges in Southeast Louisiana; specifically, in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes. The study was framed by the social capital theoretical perspective.

The study used quantitative methodology, with …

Developmental Education Repeaters: Stories About Repetition, Jade J. O'Dell

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Developmental education students make up almost half of the community college population in the United States (Bettinger & Long, 2005). Approximately 42% of first-time freshmen at community colleges must enroll in at least one developmental education course in English, reading and/or math (NCES, 2010). Many developmental education students are unsuccessful in passing a developmental education course in their first and second attempts and retake the course sometimes five times before passing. There is substantial research on persistence among college students, but the research fails to link persistence to developmental education repeaters. My study sought to explore community college developmental education …

Raising The Bar: The Modern Community College Presidency, Meredith Noel Brunen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the largest challenges facing community colleges in the new millennium is identifying leaders who possess the necessary skills and competencies to successfully navigate the modern presidency. Facing a dynamic shift in the fiscal landscape, community college presidents are tasked with filling the gap between institutional needs and existing forms of financial support. The purpose of this study was to examine community college presidents with former fundraising backgrounds and to explore the impact of prior fundraising experience on their current roles. Because the president plays a pivotal role in the acquisition of alternative funding sources, the effectiveness of this …

Perceptions Of Full-Time Faculty Members Within A Community College Regarding Conditions That Impact Levels Of Engagement, Edward Matthew Foley

Ed.D. Dissertations

Community Colleges fulfill a vital role in society and in higher education, while constraints are expanding. Understanding and increasing the engagement of full-time faculty members could be critical to community colleges in meeting their challenges and advancing their mission. This quantitative study, with focus group follow-up, was conducted within the largest and oldest community college in Ohio. First, findings established an existing level of full-time faculty member engagement and perceptions. Next, the study examined variations of perceptions relative to engagement based on tenure status, academic discipline, length of service, and campus location. Lastly, the study examined the relationship between community …

An Analysis Of Institutional Policies And Practices Critical For Effective Leadership In Developmental Education Programs, Carolyn Gaughan Sizemore

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to identify the most critical institutional policies and practices deemed essential for the effective development and governance of systemic, effective developmental education programs in community colleges through the perspective of community college administrators. This study ranked community college leaders’ ratings of what policies and practices should be implemented to improve developmental education programs. Expert opinion by the participating developmental education administrators and college presidents were compared and ranked to identify priorities for change. The results could serve as guidelines for the improvement of developmental education programs for student success in community colleges. This non-experimental, …

Teacher Perspectives On Performance Based Student Assessment In Career And Technical Education In West Virginia Public Schools, Brenda L. Tuckwiller

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate career and technical education teachers’ level of knowledge and use of performance based student assessment practices in West Virginia’s secondary and post-secondary career education centers. In addition, this study sought to determine what relationships, if any, exist between levels of knowledge and use of performance based student assessment practices. Finally, this study described factors identified by respondents as supports or barriers to implementation of performance based student assessment. A researcher-developed survey was used to collect data. The study population consisted of engineering, hospitality and health occupations teachers in career and technical education …

Creating Pathways For Low-Skill Adults: Lessons For Community And Technical Colleges From A Statewide Longitudinal Study, Carol A. Perry

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the educational experiences and outcomes of low-skill adults in West Virginia’s community and technical colleges, providing a more detailed profile of these students. Data for the variables were obtained from archival databases through a cooperative agreement between state agencies. Descriptive statistics were utilized to examine momentum point attainment, milestone achievement, persistence, and pre- and post-educational mean wages of first-time students age 25+ who enrolled in a West Virginia community and technical college over a five year period beginning with the 2004-2005 academic year. Chi-square tests for independence were used as well as …

A Study Of Prior Learning Assessment In Degree Completion, Jean Marie Chappell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of prior learning assessment (PLA) in postsecondary degree completion for adult community college students at Mountwest Community and Technical College (MCTC). The study group consisted of 339 MCTC graduates, who applied PLA credits toward degree completion between the academic year 2006 and 2011. A comparison group was comprised of 321 MCTC graduates from the same time period, who did not apply PLA toward degree completion. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis found statistically significant relationships between time to degree completion and the application of PLA from military credits and institutional …