Community College Leadership Commons^™

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 …

College Senate Minutes September 13, 2012, Bronx Community College Senate

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the College Senate on September 13, 2012.

Senate Executive Committee Minutes September 10, 2012, Bronx Community College Senate Executive Committee

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the Senate Executive Committee on September 10, 2012.

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 …

Efficacy Of A Basic Public Speaking Course Delivered Via A Virtual Community College, Stephen Bradley Bailey

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: (a) determine if taking the basic public speaking course in face-to-face, hybrid, and online format statistically significantly reduces public speaking anxiety; (b) determine which course format, if any, reduces public speaking anxiety to the greatest extent; (c) determine if students’ satisfaction with learning is statistically significantly different in the three course formats; (d) determine faculty’s perceptions of students learning in the basic public speaking in the three course formats.

Pre- and post-data were collected from 263 participants taking the basic public speaking course in a virtual community college in January 2012 and in …

Motivating Factors For Young Adults In The Brattleboro Area To Start In Organic Agriculture For Their Career, Tomokazu Utsugi

Capstone Collection

Despite a worldwide push for the conversion of conventional agriculture to organic agriculture, organic farming itself is not a very popular vocational choice for young people. Brattleboro, one of the towns in Vermont, is no exception. Although several local organizations are promoting local agriculture and food security, in reality, not many young people in Brattleboro want to choose organic agriculture as their career.

With a total of 17 in-depth qualitative interviews with young adults in the Brattleboro area, this inquiry sought to identify a range of factors that would motivate them to choose organic agriculture as their career. The results …

Ua41 University College Connection, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

The Socialization Of Bullying Through Community College Nursing Education: A Multiple Case Study, Margaret M. O'Conner Machon

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Many recent studies propose that bullying in the workplace is prevalent and is a phenomenon which occurs in the nursing workplace as well as in nursing education. This qualitative study examined the effects of vertical bullying upon community college nursing students and graduates, and the effect of this behavior upon the socialization of those learning the nursing profession. The study is based on a theoretical framework based on the findings of Salin (2003) and Twale and De Luca (2008) adapting their theory of bullying in academia which incorporated enabling, motivating and precipitating factors leading to intensified bullying. The study investigated …

"Ag Ed 539 - Graduate Internship Project", Diane B. Friend

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship report contains documented evidence required in meeting the quality criteria used to evaluate Community College Programs. These criteria were established by the Agriculture/Natural Resources Advisory Committee and are used to evaluate Community Colleges throughout California. In addition to documented evidence, the internship report also includes a special project on Student Support Programs at College of the Sequoias. The project documents the development and implementation of a viable, organized and structured Ag Business Club to support student leadership programs.

Beyond The Dream:Improving College-Readiness Of Underprepared Community College Students, Joan L. Kindle

Dissertations

The majority of the nation’s first-year college students are not prepared to assume postsecondary level studies. Many are diverted to developmental education programs and most never attain postsecondary credentials. Educational reform is on the national agenda and challenges community colleges to address the growing lack of postsecondary achievement. The purpose of this instrumental multi-case study was to explore and analyze reformative strategies that effectively address college-readiness and achievement of underprepared community college students.

A qualitative methodology was employed in analyzing strategies implemented at community colleges to improve college-readiness. A criterion-based selection process identified six community colleges recognized by the Achieving …

Understanding Burnout And Promoting Engagement Among Adjunct Faculty In Community Colleges, Michael Alan Bates

Dissertations

This mixed methods study explored the phenomenon of job burnout among adjunct faculty at two suburban Illinois community colleges. The Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators’ Survey (MBI-ES) was administered to adjuncts at both colleges to determine overall levels of burnout for the three dimensions of burnout – emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment. The results of the MBI-ES also allowed differences in burnout levels based on selected employment characteristics and teaching disciplines to be examined. Qualitative methods, specifically semi-structured interviews and document review, provided further insight into these areas. Qualitative methods were also used to investigate the risk …

Expectations Of Improved Student Learning: General Education Assessment In Aqip Community Colleges, Alyssa Renee O'Brien

Dissertations

This qualitative multi-case study identified institutional structures and assessment processes that support general education learning outcomes assessment initiatives at three community colleges accredited by the Higher Learning Commission under the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). In support of this purpose, data collection involved semi-structured interviews with three types of positions – Chief Academic Officer, lead administrator for assessment, and faculty holding a leadership position in support of general education assessment. Documents related to assessment and accreditation status were also reviewed to allow for comprehensive collection of evidence and triangulation of data.

Primary topics within the five guiding questions for this …

Beyond Academics: Challenging Issues Facing Community College Non-Academic Support Services, Judith Lynn Mitchell

Dissertations

This research focused on identifying and exploring the significant current and emerging community college non-academic support service issues. These auxiliary services, not unlike academic or student affairs, support the community college mission and vision as well as students’ academic success. Since December 2007, Americans have been experiencing a lasting recession and community colleges are no different. Due to the dramatic decrease of financial support from Federal and state funding, many institutions are struggling to remain viable as they continue to serve the constituents in their districts. The purpose of this study is to explore significant emerging non-academic support issues …

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

LSU 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

LSU 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 …

College Senate Minutes May 10, 2012, Bronx Community College Senate

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the College Senate on May 10, 2012.

Senate Executive Committee Minutes May 7, 2012, Bronx Community College Senate Executive Committee

BCC Governance Archives

Minutes for the meeting of the Senate Executive Committee on May 7, 2012.

Community College Students' Perceptions Of Effective Communication In Online Learning, Donna Alice Hill Parker

Dissertations

This quantitative research project analyzed the application of instructional communication tools and techniques used by community college students to determine how they perceive communication in their online classes. Online students from a community college participated in this study by completing an electronic survey. Data analysis revealed that these participating students communicated primarily through written online communication tools such as posting of class notes, email, and discussions. Students lack exposure to more innovative communication tools such as teacher-made audio and video presentations or live conversations and demonstrations through the use of Wimba or other tools, which are readily available in the …

Women In Leadership: Factors That Affect The Achievement Of Women In Higher Education Administration At Four-Year Public And Private Universities In Texas, Dawn Liguez

Theses & Dissertations

Women in Leadership: Factors that affect the Achievement of Women in Higher Education Administration At Four-Year Public and Private Universities in Texas

By: Dawn Marie Ramirez

Dissertation Chair, Absael Antelo, Ph.D.

University of the Incarnate Word, 2012

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the factors that affect women administrators in higher education at four-year public and private universities in Texas. By comparing private and public universities, the research provided an assessment of similarities and differences of the factors impacting achievement of women in higher education. This study surveyed (N = 288) female administrators in higher education, …

A Study Of The Effect Of Appreciative Inquiry On Student-Course Engagement And Attendance In The Community College, Frances Virginia Turner Robbins

Dissertations

his mixed-methods research study investigated the effects of Appreciative Inquiry on student-course engagement and attendance in core academic classes at a community college in central Mississippi. In an increasingly competitive global economy, most individuals need education or technical skills beyond high school to secure employment offering self-supporting wages. However, graduation and completion rates at colleges and universities show many students who embark on the education journey do not successfully reach their goals. Researchers (Friedman, Rodriguez, & McComb, 2001) suggest poor attendance rates remain linked to lower student engagement and contribute to student attrition. Attrition, in turn, lowers enrollment, hinders institutional …