Community College Leadership Commons^™

Measuring Academic Momentum: A Quantitative Study Of Supplemental Instruction As A Community College Student Support Strategy, Cornelia Slater

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

MEASURING ACADEMIC MOMENTUM: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION AS A COMMUNITY COLLEGE

STUDENT SUPPORT STRATEGY

Cornelia Vanessa Slater, Ed.D.

Department of Counseling and Higher Education

Northern Illinois University, 2026

Quortne R. Hutchings, Director

Community colleges serve as critical access points to higher education for diverse populations of students where completion rates are an ongoing challenge. Supplemental Instruction have been used as an academic intervention to improve success largely in four-year institutions. This quantitative study, guided by Xueli Wang’s momentum theory analyzed two research questions: (1) how supplemental instruction (SI) participation is associated with student academic success, course retention …

"This College Is Run By Women": The Narratives Of Overburdened And Burnt-Out Community College Women Faculty, Lindsay Spence Carson

Dissertations of Practice

At community colleges, a noticeable gender divide exists among faculty who participate in college operations, such as committee and service work, department chair and other leadership positions, as well as unpaid labor. This narrative inquiry explored how tenured community college women faculty experience the gendered division of labor and privilege. I was particularly interested in the ways in which their experiences influence burnout and how community college structures, policies, practices, and social norms perpetuate gender differences in labor distribution. Ten participants who represent three midwestern community colleges, a variety of academic divisions and departments, and who are in different stages …

Quality Control: How School Districts Define, Recruit, And Retain High-Quality Teachers, A Qualitative Case Study, Tandalaya White

Dissertations of Practice

This research investigates how school administrators define, recruit, and retain highquality teachers and examines the implications of these efforts on student outcomes. Emphasizing the distinction between teacher quality: skills, abilities, and dispositions and teacher qualifications: certificates, degrees, and credentials, the study explores their overlap and importance in meeting the unique needs of districts, particularly in high-needs areas such as English as a second language (ESL) and special education. The presence or absence of such teachers critically impacts academic performance and social-emotional development, disproportionately affecting students of color and those in impoverished areas. Inadequate practices may contribute to the misidentification of …

"Oh, I Am A College Student. This Is Good!": A Case Study Of The Validation Experiences And Resiliency Of Foster Care Alumni In Community College, Candida Mumford

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

“OH, I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT. THIS IS GOOD!”: A CASE STUDY OF THE VALIDATION EXPERIENCES AND RESILIENCY OF FOSTER CARE ALUMNI IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Foster care alumni navigate complex barriers while attending community college, including trauma from their previous experiences with the foster care system, lower academic and social preparedness, and challenges navigating basic needs and mental health supports. Despite this adversity, foster care alumni are also remarkably resilient, often relying on their self-reliance and inner strength to achieve their goals in college. This case study examines the experiences of foster care alumni at Sagebrush Community College (pseudonym), …

Vamos A Pláticar Sobre Nuestra Historia: De Mi Relación Con Mi Familia Al Éxito, Ana K. Pizano

Dissertations of Practice

This plática qualitative study explored how family engagement influences the college experiences of Latino/a/x students at a two-year public community college in the Midwest. This research was guided by Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth Model to help provide insights into how familial capital assists in navigating the college journey for Latino/a/x students using an asset-based perspective. This research aimed to help better understand the lived experiences of Latino/a/x students and their families at the 2-year Midwest public community college and to challenge the deficit-oriented views of Latino/a/x family engagement in Western culture through the sharing of Latino/a/x students' and families’ stories. …

Serving Scholarly Practitioners: The Role Of Faculty And Pedagogy In Community College Leadership Edd Programs, Lindsey Nemcek

Dissertations of Practice

The purpose of this research was to explore the different ways instructors teach in community college leadership doctoral programs. This qualitative study used case study methodology to understand how faculty participants from different universities develop their pedagogy. Eleven faculty participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences teaching doctoral students on their journey to developing a scholarly practitioner identity. Three themes emerged: participants viewed their role in the learning process of doctoral students through co-creating learning environments where faculty recognized the expertise students brought to class, building scholarly confidence so students began trusting their critical thinking abilities from a research perspective, …

“No Regrets, Just Adjustments”: The Role Of Mental Health Services In Redefining Community College Student Success, Leslie Wester

Dissertations of Practice

Mental health concerns have gained attention over the years especially with college students. As mental health concerns grow, mental health services have been increasing made available to students in community colleges in many areas of the United States. In Illinois, the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act was implemented in 2020 to ensure services are available to students.

With more community college students utilizing mental health services, what influence do those services have on students’ personal higher education journeys, specifically the goals that they have regarding their own success? How do these goals align with community college indicators of …

Exploring The Relationship Between Margin In Life And Preferred Enrollment Status Of Adult Learners In Nursing Programs, Katherine Hodur

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARGIN IN LIFE AND PREFERRED ENROLLMENT STATUS OF ADULT LEARNERS IN NURSING PROGRAMS

Katherine Quintana Hodur, Ed.D.

Department of Counseling and Higher Education

Northern Illinois University, 2025

Gudrun Nyunt, Director

As the nursing shortage in the United States continues, there is an urgent need to graduate more registered nurses. Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs within community colleges play an important role in addressing this shortage by offering a more affordable option compared to traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs. As more adult learners seek out nursing as a new career, ADN programs …

Guerreras (Women Warriors): Latina Faculty Utilizing Their Cultural Capital To Advance Transformative Change, Dora E. Escobar

Dissertations of Practice

This qualitative study embedded the Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework within the critical counter-narrative methodology to examine the lived experiences of 11 Latina faculty from CA community colleges as they navigated their campuses in the quest to transform their institutions. Drawing from their cultural capital and the methodological approach, four distinct themes emerged from their counter-narratives: (1) through critical reflection, their awakening to the oppressive educational system that marginalizes communities of color afforded them the opportunity to use their transformative resistant capital and aspirational capital as the driver for transformative change; (2) in challenging the status-quo, they encountered barriers centered …

Can High School Gpa Predict College-Level Course Success At Community Colleges?, Joseph M. Bergman

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

CAN HIGH SCHOOL GPA PREDICT COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSE SUCCESS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE?

Joseph M. Bergman, Ed.D.

Department of Counseling and Higher Education

Northern Illinois University, 2024

Xiaodan Hu, Director

In an effort to find a more convenient, lower-cost college readiness measure to increase access to college-level courses for more students without increasing student stress and sacrificing student success, Aurum Community College piloted the use of high school GPA as a college readiness measure while continuing to use the established standardized placement exam. Based on the placement measure used, this quantitative study examined student success in an introductory college-level composition course, …

A Qualitative Case Study Of The Equity-Minded Institute Faculty Reflections: Designing Transformative Faculty Learning Communities, Maria Aguilar Beltran

Dissertations of Practice

A promising professional learning practice that supports faculty transformation are Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) which have the potential to cultivate a deeper sense of self-awareness, holistic critical reflection, and equity-minded andragogical changes. However, the research is limited and mostly focused on university faculty. For this reason, this qualitative case study can contribute to the much-needed research focused on the reflections and experiences of California community college faculty at West Coast College (pseudonym). The data was collected via interviews and post interview reflection recordings from nine faculty that participated in one of two cohorts of a yearlong Equity-Minded Institute at WCC. …

It Takes A Village: Understanding Community College Chief Diversity Officers’ Experiences With Mentoring Relationships, Keith R. Barnes Dr.

Dissertations of Practice

This interpretive phenomenological analysis explores community college CDOs’ experiences with mentoring relationships. Seven CDOs employed at community colleges in the US Midwest Region participated in a semi-structured interview to share how they made meaning of their mentoring experiences and their impact on their career and psychosocial development. The findings highlighted two pivotal moments when the community college CDOs in the study received mentoring experiences to form an evolutionary process: the onboarding phase, when the participants sought mentoring relationships from the institution, and the sustaining phase, when the participants were more self-directed in securing high-quality mentoring experiences. The findings illuminated five …

"The Impact Of Being Seen": A Study Of Restorative Practices At Community Colleges, Mikel Birch

Dissertations of Practice

Restorative justice provides a relationship-centered framework for addressing challenges that build community and promote social justice. While there are various applications of restorative justice in U.S. Public Education, criminal justice and juvenile justice, there is a dearth of research on how restorative justice practices have been applied at community colleges. The purpose of this qualitative multisite case study was to explore how community colleges are using restorative justice practices in order to build better relationships and improve campus culture. This study was conducted using Perkins and Zimmerman’s (1995) Empowerment Theory, which asserts that engaging in empowering processes will result in …

To Speak Or Not To Speak: Institutional And Presidential Statements In Response To Community Crisis Events, Kimberly L. Caponi

Dissertations of Practice

To Speak or Not to Speak: Institutional and Presidential Statements in Response to Community Crisis Events

Kimberly L. Caponi, Ed.D.

Department of Counseling and Higher Education

Northern Illinois University

Carrie Kortegast, Director

The purpose of this case study was to understand the decision-making process of community college leaders in issuing institutional responses to community crisis incidents. During 2020-2021, in addition to the global COVID-19 pandemic, there were several high-profile racialized incidents that sparked calls for action and a racial reckoning. The research explored the decision-making process and experience of leaders in response to the murder of George Floyd. Five themes …

College Freshman Or College Junior? A Phenomenology Of The Experiences Of Dual-Enrolled Students Who Complete An Associate’S Degree While In High School And Attend A Public 4-Year University, Shari K. Ruehling

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT COLLEGE FRESHMAN OR COLLEGE JUNIOR? A PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE EXPERIENCES OF DUAL-ENROLLED STUDENTS WHO COMPLETE AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND ATTEND A PUBLIC 4-YEAR UNIVERSITY

Dual enrollment opportunities in the United States continue to grow with more students completing college credentials such as degrees, diplomas and certificates while in high school. Some states, such as Iowa, lead the way in dual enrollment participation and credential completion while in high school. Many quantitative studies have shown positive graduation, retention, and completion rates among dual-enrolled students. However, there is a lack of qualitative research on the transition experiences …

High School Interrupted: A Case Study Of Postsecondary Pathways And College Choices Following The Covid-19 Pandemic, Robert Cook

Dissertations of Practice

This instrumental case study explored how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced post-secondary pathways and college choices of participants in an Upward Bound Program. In the aftermath of the pandemic, community college enrollment was projected to increase, instead two-year institutions experienced significant declines. Prevailing assumptions about college enrollment may not be accurate, and existing college decision models do not account for the effects of a worldwide pandemic. The study was guided by the Iloh model of college going decisions and trajectories, and the college-conocimiento framework. The findings suggested students’ academic engagement and mental health declined during the pandemic. This in turn impacted …

Placement Measures In Dual Credit: A Quantitative Study, Jessica I. Pickel

Dissertations of Practice

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the studied college broadened its eligibility criteria for dual credit to include an in-progress high school GPA. To determine whether the use of an-in progress GPA should be fully adopted as a placement measure, further study was needed. This quantitative study examined the relationship between the placement measures used before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and dual credit students’ access to and performance in the gateway ENGL 101 course taken at Prairieland Community College.

Data were collected from a small community college in the Midwestern region of the United States retrospectively over the academic …

"Some Of My Best Friends Are Librarians": A Case Study Of Community College Faculty Perceptions And Usage Of The Academic Library, Nancy A. Deegan

Dissertations of Practice

Studies have shown that student use of the academic library’s resources and services contributes towards increased student success indicators. Unfortunately, students tend to avoid using the library unless they are required to do so. Existing literature shows that many faculty members do not incorporate the academic library’s resources and services in their courses even though they claim to have positive feelings about the library and librarians. This qualitative case study explored how ENG102 faculty members at a community college perceive and use the academic library. The findings confirmed that there are contradictions between faculty members’ positive perceptions and limited usage …

Open Educational Resources And Student Success In A Hispanic Serving Community College: Do Ethnicity And Financial Needs Matter?, Vasumathi V. Raman

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT

OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND STUDENT SUCCESS IN A HISPANIC SERVING COMMUNITY COLLEGE: DO ETHNICITY AND FINANCIAL NEEDS MATTER?

Vasumathi V.Raman, Ed.D.

Department of Counseling and Higher Education

Northern Illinois University, 2023

Xiaodan Hu, Director

This research study adopts a correlational design to explore the relationship between open educational resources (OER) adoption and student outcomes, particularly among Hispanic students and those with financial needs. The study utilizes existing institutional data from a large community college designated as a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI). The data includes student demographics, financial aid status, final exam scores, and pass/fail outcomes for courses using OER and …