Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of Student Academic Variables In Mixed Teaching Methods And Traditionally Taught Biology Courses At Participating Community Colleges In Tennessee, Elesha Goodfriend

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to compare academic variables from students participating in mixed teaching methods/course revitalization biology courses to those in traditional courses at two community colleges in Tennessee. A two-group comparison design using archived data was used, which evaluated differences in final grades, exam scores, and homework completion as indicators of the academic success between an urban institution and a rural college. A power analysis was performed using G*Power software to provide the needed sample size, indicating a size of 176. There were 227 students in the active teaching lecture classrooms, and 198 students in the …

Community College Students' Perceptions Of Sense Of Community And Instructor Presence In The Online Classroom, Marla Cartwright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this non-experimental, comparative, quantitative study was to determine if there were significant differences between the perceptions of male and female community college students about the importance of sense of community (SoC) in online classes and sense of instructor presence (IP) at eight southern, public, community colleges using survey data. It was the intent of the study to determine if there were significant relationships of students’ perceptions of the presence of sense of community in online classes among factors of age, race, grade point average, cumulative credit hours, credential type, major area of study, and number of previous …

College Commute Distance And Retention For First-Time, Community College Freshmen, Michael O'Hagan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative correlational study was to investigate whether any significant relationships existed between one-way student commute distance and retention for first-time, community college freshmen. Additional student success metrics such as three-year graduation rates, enrollment status, credit hours attempted and completed, and GPA were also analyzed for any possible relationship with commute distance.

Archival student data were collected from the participating institution, a public community college in the southeastern United States with four separate instructional site locations. This study followed the incoming class of 2016, entering in the fall semester, through the end of their third year, …

Learning Mindset Dimensions And Completion Status Of Tennessee Community College Students, Donna Sue M. Shellman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this nonexperimental, quantitative study was to analyze relationships between three learning mindset dimensions (growth mindset; purpose and value; and sense of belonging) to retention and persistence to graduation among first-time, full-time Tennessee community college student graduates and nongraduates who attended one of 13 institutions in Fall 2019. In addition to comparing Tennessee community college graduates and nongraduates’ learning mindset dimensions, I analyzed student subgroups to explore those dimensions with regard to gender and race. Additional analyses included correlations between students’ growth mindset scores; purpose and value scores; and social belonging scores.

Analyses included Tennessee Board of Regents’ …

Tennessee Promise And Two-Year Community College Retention And Graduation In Rural Appalachia, Tammy Dycus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to explore the relationship between the implementation of the Tennessee Promise scholarship program and the two-year Tennessee community college retention rates and graduation rates of first-time, full-time Tennessee students from rural Appalachian counties. Results from this study may help higher education stake-holders better understand the features of Tennessee Promise that are influencing an increase in community college retention and graduation rates for Tennessee students from rural Appalachian counties. The theoretical framework that guided this research was the social capital framework. Data including use of Tennessee Promise, county of origin, retention, and graduation …

The Relationship Between Academic Self-Efficacy And Academic Achievement Of First-Time First-Year Students Enrolled At A Technical College, Heather Marie Hoppe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student persistence, retention, and completion are continued concerns in higher education. While external influences contribute to persistence and retention, the focus of this research study was to determine the academic self-efficacy and self-regulated factors that influence the academic achievement of first-time first-year students who persist from the fall to spring semester at a Southeastern technical college. One hundred four first-time first-year students who persisted from fall 2021 to spring 2022 completed an Academic Self-Efficacy Survey. There were five significant predictors identified in the analysis. The three self-regulated learning tasks: “I can finish homework assignments by deadlines,” “I can organize my …

Impostor Phenomenon, College-Going Knowledge, And Staff Expectations: Ramifications On First Time In College Students Enrollment, Julia A. Vickery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A lack of technically trained, skilled, and educated workforce has become a critical issue in Texas. Furthermore, an educated workforce improves communities and individuals with economic, health, and personal benefits. Community colleges not only provide open-access admissions and low-cost tuition but are specifically aligned with educating the technical and industrial skilled workforce. Although a post-high school education has never been more accessible or necessary for obtaining high-earning jobs, post-high school college enrollment is declining, and conventional reform strategies do not appear to be effecting change. Graduating high school students aspire to attend postsecondary training by applying and being accepted but …

Exploring The Upward Transfer Advising Experience Of First-Generation Latinx Community College Students, Lizette Avalos-Morales

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the student experience of Latinx first-generation community college students who graduated from a community college and transferred to a 4-year university. The research examined if intrusive advising served as a mechanism to aid academic persistence despite the challenges of first-generation Latinx students. Eleven first-generation community college students who graduated from a Hispanic Serving Institution in southwest Kansas were interviewed. The thematic analysis conducted led to five themes emerging. The themes included family, meaningful relationships, belonging, independence, and embracing uncertainty. The theme of family was separated into two subthemes: family support and …

Transfer Articulation And Transfer Agreement Success: Student Transfer From Community College To Locally Governed, Public, 4-Year Universities In Tennessee, Kathi Horne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to investigate the success of students who use transfer articulation agreements to transfer from any of the 13 community colleges in Tennessee to one of the state’s public, four-year, locally governed institutions to complete a bachelor's degree. Data were collected from five 4-year public universities across the state of Tennessee. The Tennessee Promise initiative was created to allow students the opportunity to begin postsecondary college careers at little to no cost. When combined with either the Tennessee Transfer Pathways or transfer articulation agreements, the goal was to create a seamless transition from …

Organizational Communication In Community Colleges: Staff Members’ Perspectives, Sinthea Reynolds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine if there was a significant relationship between scores on the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) scale of effective managerial communication and scores on the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) scale of job satisfaction for non-faculty staff members at the participating community college.

A total of 75 non-faculty staff members from three separate community colleges in East Tennessee participated in the study. A modified version of the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) developed by Downs and Hazen (1977) was used to collect data. The instrument used a Likert-type scale with a 7-point scale with eight dimensions …

Perceptions Of Race, Status, And Instructional Modality As Predictors Of Degree Attainment For African American Male Community College Students, Roderick C. Lewis Sr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given the large number of students who begin their college education yet never graduate, it is essential that, as higher education leaders and policymakers develop student success strategies, they consider the persistence and degree attainment dynamics of all populations. This study focuses on the problem of degree attainment from the perspective of male, second-year, African American, community college students. A qualitative narrative case study approach was used to ascertain their perception of race, status attainment, and instructional learning modalities as predictors of degree attainment. Accordingly, those perceptions were then evaluated to determine their utility as predictors of degree attainment. Six …

The Impact Of Leadership And Institutional Priorities On Degree Completion Of Community College Students, Estelle L. Garza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored student perceptions of leadership and the impact they believed it to have on their ability to complete a degree at a community college district. Community college degree completion is both a statewide and national problem as most students who start a degree program will drop out before reaching the requirements to finish their degree, which can hurt their career opportunities and the economy. The purpose of this study was to determine how students perceive factors like leadership and their satisfaction with institutional priority factors to impact degree completion. This study used action research and a mixed methods …

Experiences That Support Persistence And Retention Of Latinx First-Generation College Students (Fgcs) At Community Colleges, Veronica Rios

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to describe experiences of successful Latinx first-generation college students that support persistence and retention toward graduation for Latinx first-generation college students at California community colleges. The study was framed using Tinto’s retention theory. Successful Latinx first-generation college students were defined as those who have attained graduation from a California community college. This study focused on Latinx first-generation college students not persisting toward graduation at California community colleges, a situation that extends to the national level. This case study included nine Latinx first-generation college students, and the researcher collected data through virtual semistructured …

Attitudes Of Community College Faculty Toward Online Foreign Language Courses, Erika Dale Stevens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the attitudes that Tennessee community college faculty hold toward online foreign language courses and the predictive correlational relationship between those attitudes and advising behaviors of the faculty in regard to online foreign language courses. According to the Reasoned Action Approach, formerly the Theory of Reasoned Action, attitudes, perceived social norm, and perceived behavioral control can be used to determine behavioral intention, which can predict future actions. The data collected from this cross-sectional descriptive and predictive correlational study was analyzed using a hierarchical multiple regression analysis to determine if there is a correlation between faculty attitudes, perceived social …

Udl And Motivation: Student Perceptions Of The Impact Of Universal Design For Learning On Motivation Of First-Year Community College Students In Rural East Tennessee, Jennifer Mayes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the perceptions of how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) impacts motivation in first-year community college students in rural East Tennessee. This study investigated the effects of UDL on motivation of first-year community college students in East Tennessee. This involved multiple sections of courses participating in a UDL pilot training program with the college’s Instructional Design department. Two of the courses were part of the UDL pilot, and two of the courses were teaching the Standard approved Master Curriculum. The study had a total of 109 participants, and 9 research questions were …

Perceptions Of Professional Development Needs Of Dual Credit Adjunct Faculty Instructors At A Community College In The Southwest United States, Allison Venuto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study determined the professional development needs of dual credit adjunct faculty at a large community college in the United States. As institutions of higher education increase their reliance on adjunct faculty due to budget constraints, adjunct faculty members instruct a growing number of students. In tandem with this, more community colleges partner with local school districts to offer dual credit classes so that students can earn high school and college credit at the same time. Previous research denotes that adjunct faculty desire greater connection to and support from their institutions of higher education; however, these institutions do not consistently …

Successful Factors For Native And Community College Transfer Students In Engineering Technology At A Four-Year University, Leendert Craig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students who attend community colleges often transfer to 4-year universities seeking to earn a degree typically not offered at the community college level. Tennessee has 2 programs: the Tennessee Promise and the Tennessee Reconnect programs that offer students tuition-free access to the state’s community college system. Previous studies have been conducted to compare transfer students’ performances to that of native students and typically compared the students in all disciplines. This study seeks to compare transfer students (students who enter the participating university with 40 or more credit hours) to native students (students who initially enrolled or transferred into the 4-year …

From The Periphery: A Case Study Of Aspiring Academics Journey Into Full-Time Faculty Positions Through The Lens Of Community Of Practice, Tracy Sadlak Mclaughlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The low number of aspiring academics who are able to secure full-time positions at colleges and universities is concerning. One way to address this issue is to investigate the experiences of former aspiring academics who have earned full-time positions. This case study explored the successes and challenges of a group of former aspiring academics as they pursued entrance into and joined a community of practice. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups were conducted to gather the experiences of the participants. These methods looked specifically at their experience related to a community of practice. Results of the study showed that the participants …

Exploring The Impact Of Mississippi Virtual Community College Academy Professional Development For Online Teaching, Terry Woodrow Pollard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As online courses and programs continue to grow in number across Mississippi’s community college system, an examination of the system which trains and supports faculty has gone largely unexamined. The aim of this research was to study the impact of the Mississippi Virtual Community College Academy, the state’s online professional development system, on faculty. Structured interviews were conducted with nine faculty in four community colleges across the state to determine conditions that helped or hindered faculty in their implementation of content learned in online professional development courses on credit-bearing courses they would later teach. Analysis of faculty transcripts indicate faculty …

A Qualitative Approach To Examining The Rules Of A Community College And Industry Partnership., Cara Dimattina-Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the governance structure of a successful community college and industry advisory board that collaborate to improve regional workforce development initiatives. The institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework was used as a lens to describe the partnership. The results determined that there were many informal rules that governed the relationship between the community college and industry partners, which led to successful implementation of decisions. The community college leaders created the informal rules with the purpose of encouraging involvement among industry stakeholders, sharing power among all the participants, and facilitating communication. The findings …

Institutional Conditions That Matter To Community College Students' Success: A Multiple-Case Study, Crystal L. Edenfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative and explanatory study utilized a multiple-case study to better understand the impact of institutional conditions that contributed to continuing students’ success at Georgia Highlands College (GHC) in terms of identifying and making progress toward or achieving educational goals from the student perspective. The researcher compared two locations at GHC in northwest Georgia, a nonresidential, limited-access state college within the University System of Georgia. This study was intended to ascertain students’ perspectives regarding what they need from institutions to succeed. The researcher examined the roles of campus environment and institutional agents (faculty, staff, and administrators) to …

Native And Community College Transfer Students In Biological Sciences At A Four-Year Institution: A Comparative Study, Nathanial Weber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences between native and community college transfer students and identify factors that predicted upper-level biology course grade-point average and final overall grade-point average at a four-year institution in biological sciences. The results of this study indicated four-year institution persistence was not significantly related to gender, high school grade-point average, or ACT composite score. Persistence was significantly related to transfer status; whether the student was a native or community college transfer student with native students persisting at a higher rate at the four-year institution than community college transfer students. Furthermore, ACT composite score, …

Influence Of Community Ties On Rural Single Mothers' Participation In Community College: A Qualitative Cross Case Study, Melanie Shea Austin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand how resources in the community impact rural single mothers' access, participation, and success in higher education. In particular, this study focused on how rural single mothers' community ties impact their social capital resources and perception of agency and achievement in pursuing higher education. The theoretical framework for this study inclduded a critical feminist social capital theory and utilized a community cultural wealth model, focusing on social capital, to highlight how rural single mothers navigate and develop social capital in rural communities to open up opportunities and provide them with social mobility. Research …

Communication Apprehension Among Community College Students: A Phenomenology, John R. Bragg Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore the phenomenon of communication apprehension among a purposeful sample of five community college students with high levels of communication apprehension. The phenomenon of Communication Apprehension (CA) is “an individual’s level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons” (Beatty, McCroskey, & Heisel, 1998, p. 197; McCroskey, 1970, p. 269). All individuals experience some level of CA, and between 30% and 40% of individuals are estimated to experience high levels of CA. For the community college student with high levels of CA, the introductory communication course …

Perception Of Factors That Facilitate Or Inhibit Associate Degree Completion At The Community College Level: A Case Study, Cathryn J-C Hughes Miss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of students, administrators, and faculty of one community college on the factors that facilitate or inhibit collegiate student success toward associate degree completion. Degree completion was defined as graduating with an associate degree. The following research questions guided this study:

1) What support systems or resources are in place at the community college to assist students with degree completion?

2) What factors in the college student success course at this community college facilitate or inhibit successful degree completion?

The case study was conducted in a single community college inNorth Carolina. …

Exploring The Liminal Space: Dual Enrollment At Maine's Community Colleges, Amy Lynn Hubbard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exploring the Liminal Space: Dual Enrollment at Maine's Community Colleges

Only 39% of matriculated students will earn a college degree or certificate in six years due to inadequate preparation in high school (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2016). Dual enrollment (DE) courses have been touted as one way to bridge the gap between high school and college (Hanson, Prusha, & Iverson, 2015; Harnish & Lynch, 2005; Johnson & Brophy, 2006; Karp, Calcagno, Hughes, Jeong, & Bailey, 2007; Morrison, 2008; Smith, 2007; Swanson, 2008). Dual enrollment is broadly defined as any course in which a high school student earns college …

Examining Community College Student Experiences With And Attitudes Toward Collaboration In Online Courses, James Lewis Barham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examined the experiences and attitudes of community college students toward using collaboration in online courses, as guided by four research questions: 1) What do community college students report as their experiences with collaboration in online courses regarding types and frequency of collaboration tools used? 2) What is the level of community college student agreement with how collaboration in online courses is helpful? 3) What is the level of community college student agreement with what inhibits collaboration in online courses? and 4) What are community college student attitudes toward collaboration in online courses? Data were collected with a quantitative …

Cultural Influences Of Resource Dependence: Community College Administrator Perceptions Of Implementing Initiatives Related To Tennessee’S Performance Funding Model, John Owen Driskill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the cultural influences of resource dependence for community college administrators responsible for the implementation of initiatives related to Tennessee’s new performance funding program. Tennessee’s funding formula, considered one of the most aggressive and robust in the country, is among a second generation of performance funding programs commonly referred to as performance funding 2.0. Cultural influences of resource dependence were defined as values, beliefs, and customs that influence administrator efforts to improve institutional outcomes and acquire additional resources through performance funding.

A top performing community college in terms of the performance …

A Comparative Study Of Instructor Status On Student Success And Retention At Motlow State Community College, Cheryl Hyland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics projects total enrollment in post secondary degree-granting institutions to increase 15% from 2010 to 2021 (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). National and state education efforts such as President Obama’s American Graduation Initiative, Tennessee’s Drive to 55, and Tennessee Promise encourage Americans to expand their educational pursuits in order to increase the number of individuals completing a post secondary degree. As states adopt funding formula measures tied directly to student success and retention, higher education institutions increasingly must rely on the effectiveness of academic and student service programs. Although the employment of adjunct …

Comparison Of Student Success By Course Delivery Methods At An Eastern Tennessee Community College, E. Ann Cunningham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare academic success based on methods of course delivery for students in a computer applications course at an East Tennessee community college. Additionally, the researcher examined demographic relationships of age, gender, and race to student academic performance in the different delivery methods. The researcher used final course grades as a determinant of academic success. The study was focused on students who took the INFS 1010 Computer Applications course during the academic years, 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14 at a southeast Tennessee community college. The population consisted of 1,177 students who took the INFS 1010 …