Education Commons^™

Influence Of Student Characteristics, Class Size, And Instructor Characteristics In Online Student Success, Melody K. Edmonds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative case study was to compare the academic success of community college students over three academic years (2016-17 through 2018-19) before the onset of COVID-19 based on final grades and the influence of student factors, class size, and faculty characteristics using archival data from selected online and on-ground classes at a Middle Tennessee community college. Student factors reviewed include gender, full-time or part-time status, and age (traditional or non-traditional status). Instructor characteristics reviewed included full-time or part-time (adjunct) teaching status and tenure or non-tenure status of faculty. Institutional data for this study consisted of 44,568 …

Community College Grow Your Own Leadership: A Phenomenological Study Of Employee Perceptions Of Individual And Organizational Leadership Development, John Delozier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Community colleges often face challenges with leadership as a result of retirements and turnover. In reaction to these challenges some community colleges have developed Grow Your Own (GYO) leadership development programs. Although the topic of leadership and leadership development has been researched extensively, more research is necessary concerning GYO programs and their perceived impact on participants and their colleges. This study was designed to determine the perceived development of GYO participants as well as the perception of a GYO’s impact on the organization. Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC) in Greensboro, North Carolina has had a GYO program for 30 years. …

Tennessee Promise: Impact On College Choice In Upper Northeast Tennessee, Jennifer R. Barber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this correlational study was to explore the relationship between the new statewide two-year financial aid program, Tennessee Promise, and college choice among high school seniors in four counties in upper Northeast Tennessee. Independent variables included GPA, concern about ability to pay for college, and plans to attend a two-year or four-year institution. The dependent variables were scored on three dimensions: cost factors, social factors, and academic factors relating to college choice. Additionally, respondents reported perceptions of Tennessee Promise related to college choice. A 22-item survey was administered to high school seniors from four counties in upper Northeast …

Women In Recovery: Perceptions In Transition To Community College, Mandi Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Substance abuse is an area of concern for college administrators, and they have implemented campus programming in an attempt to address it. Additionally, prior researchers have studied substance abuse on college campuses in order to better understand how substance abuse affects student success. However, limited research exist that addresses the unique perspective of college students who are in recovery from substance abuse, and most studies were conducted in 4-year institutions rather than community colleges. This qualitative case study explored the transition experiences of female students in recovery who attend community college or have recently graduated. The sample included students from …

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 …

Suicide Prevention Strategies In Tennessee Community Colleges: A Case Study, Sandra Perley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students; annually approximately 1,100 students in institutions of higher education die by suicide. However, most research related to college student suicide was conducted using the sample of 4-year institutions. Community colleges have seldom been included in the sample of suicide research studies. This qualitative case study research explored the student suicide prevention strategies in the 13 community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents higher education system. Data were collected from surveys, institutional web sites, and interviews with institutional personnel.

Approximately half of the institutions offer suicide prevention information to …

Stress Levels In Tenure-Track And Recently Tenured Faculty Members In Selected Institutions Of Higher Education In Northeast Tennessee, Amanda R. Carr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare the stress, strain, and coping levels between pretenured faculty and recently tenured faculty in institutions of higher education in Northeast Tennessee. Aging faculty population combined with talented people leaving the area is common in rural parts of the United States. There is a need to better understand the occupational factors within the faculty roles in order to better recruit and retain faculty in this region.

Four different institutions of higher education in Northeast Tennessee, producing 92 responses, participated in this study. The Occupational Stress Inventory – Revised (Osipow, 1998) was used …

Self-Assessment And Student Improvement In An Introductory Computer Course At The Community College Level, Jama Spicer-Sutton, James Lampley, Donald W. Good

ETSU Faculty Works

Excerpt:The purpose of this study was to determine a student’s computer knowledge upon course entry and if there was a difference in college students’ improvement scores as measured by the difference in pretest and post‐test scores of new or novice users, moderate users, and expert users at the end of a college level introductory computing class.

A Study Of Persistence In The Northeast State Community College Health-Related Programs Of Study., Allana R. Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify factors that were positively associated with persistence to graduation by students who were admitted to Health-Related Programs leading to the degree associate of applied science at Northeast State Community College. The criterion variable in this study was persistence, which was categorized into two groups the persister group (program completers) and the nonpersister (program noncompleters) group. The predictor variables included gender, ethnic origin, first- (or nonfirst-) generation-student status, age, specific major program of study, number of remedial and/or developmental courses taken, grades in selected courses (human anatomy and physiology I and II, microbiology, …

A Study Of Persistence In The Walters State Community College Associate-Degree Nursing Program., Jeffrey Tom Horner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The WSCC ADN program had 66.57% persistence rate between the years 2000-2004. This retrospective study analyzed 28 demographic, pre-clinical, and clinical variables to identify correlates for persistence within the WSCC ADN program. The population size was 730 first-time candidates or the entire population of five consecutive clinical classes graduating between the years of 2000-2004. The candidates were identified and the variables tabulated using the WSCC student information system. SPSS 13.0 software was employed to conduct descriptive, frequency, multiple regression, multivariate analysis of variance, and univariate analysis of variance tests. The criterion variables included persistence within the entire population, gender-specific persistence …

Policy And Practice Concerning Essay-Grading Criteria In Developmental English And College-Level English Programs In Tennessee Community Colleges., Walter Paul Wolford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The criteria used to grade college essays have been the subject of research for over three decades. Using quantatative data, this study investigated the differences in essay-grading criteria and essay-grading policy among full-time faculty members who teach English composition in Tennessee's community colleges.

This study revealed beliefs about the importance of essay-grading criteria and beliefs about written and unwritten essay-grading policies among those who teach developmental English, college-level English, and those who teach both levels of English. This study hypothesized that there were no differences among the English composition teacher's beliefs about the importance of the twenty essay-grading criteria nor …

A Case Study Of Effective Teaching Techniques For Diverse College Populations: Generation Xers And Baby Boomers, Karen O. Fritz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify teaching techniques that could be used in college classrooms for effectively teaching two different age cohorts: Baby Boomers and Generation X students. Baby Boomers are those people born between 1946 and 1964. The subsequent generation, known as Generation X, was born between 1965 and 1981. A multi-case qualitative study was designed to include interviews with faculty, focus groups with students, and classroom observations at three different community colleges in east Tennessee. Thirty-one faculty, ranging in age from 29 to 65, comprised the faculty panel. There were 48 student participants. Half of the …

A Cohort Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Student Support Services Program At Southwest Virginia Community College, Michael J. Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Student Support Services Program is one of five federally funded “TRIO” programs provided for by Congress and administered by the Department of Education that are designed to improve grade-point averages and the retention and graduation rates of low-income individuals, firs t-generation college students, and students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine if the students who participated in the Student Support Services Program at SVCC achieved higher grade-point averages, retention rates, and graduation rates than did non-participants. There were no significant differences in grade-point averages between Student Support Services (SSS) Program participants and non-participants, The Student …

Comparison Of State Appropriations By Function And By Program To Actual Expenditures For The Two-Year Institutions In The Tennessee Board Of Regents System, Rosemary Y. Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to determine the extent to which the 14 two-year institutions of the Tennessee Board of Regents system expended funds in functional categories equal to the amount of funds provided by the appropriations funding formula for the same functional categories. The second purpose was to determine the extent to which the 14 two-year institutions expended funds for direct instructional purposes for each academic program equal to the amount of funds provided by the appropriations funding formula for direct teaching purposes for each academic program. Using an archival research design, appropriations …

Pre- And Post-Matriculation Correlates Of Student Retention Within A Community College Setting, Pamela E. Goodman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the 1990s, due in part to declining enrollment numbers and prolonged budget constraints, student retention became a primary focus in higher education. Aligned with the nationwide interest, this longitudinal, archival study focused on the correlates of student retention at Walters State Community College, located in Morristown, Tennessee. The population involved 17,497 students enrolled from the fall semester of 1992 through the fall semester of 1997. Four sets of variables were investigated--demographic variables, pre-matriculation variables, post-matriculation variables related to grades, and post-matriculation variables related to enrollment. The data were collected through the use of a computer program written to access …

Perceptions Of Tennessee Community College Leaders Regarding External Mandates, Institutional Effectiveness Practices, And Institutional Performance, Gary J. Skolits

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of academic and administrative community college leaders regarding the relationship between select external mandates and associated institutional effectiveness practices, institutional performance, and the use of assessment results for institutional improvement in Tennessee community colleges. Tennessee community colleges were selected for this study due to their decades long history with institutional assessments through the performance funding program. A primary assumption underlying this study was that Tennessee community colleges provide a historically unique assessment context for this study. The researcher developed a specific survey instrument for this study. The design of the …

Current Observations And Future Importance Of Leadership Attributes Perceived By Community College Presidents And Vice Presidents For Academic Affairs, E L. Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The pursuit of this study was to examine perspectives of select community college presidents and vice presidents for academic affairs regarding leadership attributes that were currently observed as being practiced by mid-level managers. The study also summarized these leaders' perceptions of the leadership attributes mid-level managers will need to possess to assume senior administrative positions, particularly the presidency, that will guide the institutions into the future. Based on an extensive review of literature, a list of 41 leadership attributes was established. The Community College Leadership Attribute Survey (CCLAS) was designed by the researcher and a pilot study was conducted. Sixty-five …

An Analysis Of Functional Budget And Expenditure Patterns And Revenue Sources Of Tennessee's Public Community Colleges From 1988--1989 Through 1997--1998, Charles J. Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how public two-year colleges in Tennessee internally budgeted and expended their unrestricted educational and general (E&G) funds from fiscal years 1988-89 through 1997-98. The primary focus was on the 14 Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) community colleges and the internal allocation of expenditures by function from 1988-89 through 1997-98. A limited functional expenditure comparison was made with data from the National Association of College and University Business Officers' (NACUBO) comparative financial analysis for fiscal years 1993-94 and 1994-95 as well as with the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) survey for the …

Identifying The Behavior, Attitudes, And Knowledge Of Tobacco Use Among Students Enrolled In Orientation Courses In Six Community Colleges In The Tennessee Board Of Regents System, G. E. Boone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the behavior, attitudes, and knowledge regarding tobacco use of students enrolled in orientation courses in Tennessee community colleges. The six community colleges selected for the study were members of the Tennessee Board of Regents system that offered mandatory orientation courses. Data were collected by use of the College Tobacco Behavior, Attitude, and Knowledge Survey . A response rate of (72.5%) from 700 students was analyzed. Three research questions guided the study and 17 null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the.05 alpha level of significance. Data were analyzed by using t -tests, …

Motivational Orientations Of Students With Disabilities In Western North Carolina Community Colleges, John H. Humphrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research focused on the motivational orientations of students attending community colleges in western North Carolina. The purpose of the study was to develop a profile of students with disabilities in degree, diploma, or certificate programs, to determine their motivations for enrolling, and compare the results to students without disabilities at the same colleges. Five community colleges were randomly selected from the colleges in the western counties of North Carolina. A stratified random sample of students, both with and without disabilities, was selected. Each student was mailed a copy of the Educational Participation Scale (EPS) modified to collect demographic data. …

The Nature, Scope, And Consequences Of Drug And Alcohol Use Of Students Enrolled At Three Southern Appalachian Community Colleges, Jewel D. Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the nature, scope, and consequences of drug and alcohol use by students enrolled at three southern Appalachian community colleges: Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) in Virginia, Northeast State Technical Community College (NSTCC) in Tennessee, and Southwestern Community College (SCC) in North Carolina. An additional purpose was to use this information to formulate recommendations for new and improved preventive substance-abuse programs. The design for this study was descriptive research. The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey (CORE) was selected as the appropriate instrument for use in this study. The 23-item questionnaire was designed …

Perceptions Of The Appropriateness Of The 1998 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Education Criteria For Assessing Virginia Community Colleges, Dixon B. Joyce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were: (a) To determine whether full-time teaching faculty and full-time administrators perceive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) 1998 Education Criteria for Performance Excellence (ECPE) to be appropriate for assessing Virginia community colleges, and (b) To determine if differences in perceptions exist regarding demographic variables among full-time teaching faculty and among full-time administrators in the use of these criteria to assess Virginia community colleges. Data were collected from a random sample of 129 full-time teaching faculty and 57 full-time administrators using the seven categories and 18 items of the 1998 ECPE. Demographic factors included …

An Analysis Of Workplace Violence Incidents In Virginia Community Colleges And The Major Employers, Betsy E. Summerfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The media during the past ten years has given considerable attention to the workplace violence in factories, service organizations, and the public school systems throughout the United States. This study compared patterns of workplace violence in the 23 member institutions of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) with the patterns of workplace violence in selected for-profit service and manufacturing employers in Virginia, to determine if workplace violence incidents occurring in the VCCS's member institutions reflect the workplace violence incidents experienced by business and industry within each member institution's service region. Chi-square analysis showed a significant difference in non-violent conflict training …

A Study Of Faculty Development At Fourteen Community Colleges In The Tennessee Board Of Regents System, James C. Lefler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the status of and need for faculty development in the 14 community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents System. The study examined the status of faculty development, importance of scholarship, perceived needs, preferred faculty development topics, and methods of instruction. A review of demographic characteristics was conducted to develop a profile of TBR community college faculty and to assess the relationship between these demographic variables and the need for and selection of faculty development topics. Data collection was conducted using the Faculty Development Questionnaire . A selective random sample was drawn …

A Study Of The Relationships Between Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Computer Ethics Among Computer Users In The Tennessee Community College System, Qing .. Yuan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to obtain information about the knowledge and attitudes of students, staff, faculty, and administrators in the community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) system about the ethical issues relating to the current policies and laws regarding the use of computers and software; to compare the knowledge and attitude of these users and to investigate any relationships that may exist between users, knowledge and attitude toward computer ethics. A total of 700 students (280), staff (140), faculty (140), and administrators (140) from the 14 TBR community colleges were surveyed. The total responses was …

Writing Center Practices In Tennessee Community Colleges, James E. Crawford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to develop a profile of writing centers in twelve community colleges governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents. This profile included how they were established, how they are funded and staffed, what services are provided and to whom, how training is provided for staff, and how technology is incorporated. More important than the profile itself, however, was an analysis of successful and unsuccessful practices, especially those related to governance, structure, and training of staff, as revealed through the perceptions and experiences of writing center directors. Because electronic technology has transformed the craft of writing, …

An Assessment Of Associate Degree Radiography Programs In Virginia: Comparison Between Traditional And Nontraditional Students, Ron E. Proffitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increase of non-traditional students in higher education has been a topic of discussion and examination for over a decade. This study compared the non-traditional student with the traditional student in radiography programs in Virginia's community colleges. The purpose of this study was to determine if differences exist between traditional and non-traditional student performance in a structured radiography program. The study hypothesized that there were no differences in academic performance, national board examination scores, and program completion. Focus-group interviews examined themes related to success factors. t-Test analysis indicated significant differences in academic success between traditional and non-traditional learners. Non-traditional learners …

A Comparison Of Teacher-Directed Versus Self-Directed Learning Preferences Of Students At Five Selected Community Colleges: Exploring The Relationships Among Age, Gender, And Academic Majors, Huiming Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the major priorities for community colleges is to focus on the pedagogical tools that will allow students to achieve excellence and quality in curriculum and instruction to meet the changing societal needs (Shearon & Tollefson, 1989). Rapid demographic, social, and technological changes demand that community colleges produce self-directed lifelong learners (Closson, 1996). The study of student learning preferences for more teacher-directed or more self-directed learning is one of the concepts that is important in enhancing teaching and learning practices. The purpose of this study was to examine students' teacher-directed versus self-directed learning preferences in specific courses. The possible …

The Educational Needs Of Welfare Recipients And The Role Of The Community College As An Agent Of Social Change, Carolyn L. Browning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate two underlying questions related to welfare reform and its impact on participants in the Cumberland Plateau Region: (1) What are the training and other noneducational needs of the participants in the VIEW program? and (2) What is the projected success of the impact of the training on the lives of the participants? The research study included 47 interviews with four distinct groups of individuals--VIEW participants, case managers, administrators, and trainers. Three focus group interviews were conducted with individuals who were participants in the VIEW program or professionals actively involved in the administration …

Perceptions Of Tenured Faculty Members About The Post-Tenure Review Process In Tennessee Community Colleges, Stephen W. Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if differences exist between tenured faculty members perceptions about what actually occurs during the post-tenure review process and what they believe should occur in the twelve community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents System. This study presents the status of higher education tenure from a historical and legal basis nationally and in Tennessee. The study also presents various models of faculty evaluation and post-tenure review practices in higher education nationwide, as well as in Tennessee. The data in this study are analyzed through descriptive statistics and presented the demographic data including …