Community College Education Administration Commons^™

Raw And Pure Education In The Society, Iwasan D. Kejawa

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

What does education mean to individuals in the world today? Education is a way one can attain or improve his or her ability to lead and survive in the society of ours. Without educational training of the mind, it may be impossible to realize the importance of adaptability of living in the environment. Without education, It may also be difficult to embellish the use of both the mental and physical attributes possessed by individual beings.

What really is education? Education is the training of the mind to perform desire functions or to perpetuate the modality of obtaining an end or …

Assessing An Academic Readiness Model In A Community College Occupational Program, Scott A. Hauert, Robert L. Moore, Quinton Nottingham

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This study assessed a localized academic readiness model that measures academic skills relevant to an occupational program and the institutional context. Enrollment in the program’s mandatory gateway course is contingent upon establishing academic readiness either: (1) possess an associate-level or higher degree; (2) achieve placement test scores that permit enrollment in college-level English composition/critical reading; or (3) complete developmental education prerequisites to permit enrollment in college-level English composition/critical reading. Using the gateway course performance for 112 students, the study explored whether any of the model’s criterions are significantly related to success in the gateway course and whether there is any …

Ascension To The Presidency: A Narrative Inquiry Of African American Women, Konya Monique Sledge

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This narrative inquiry study examined the lived experiences of African American women serving as community college administrators to gain perspectives on how they overcame obstacles to career advancement and strategies used to achieve the presidency. Narrative inquiry is used to restory field texts, is applied to underscore their lived experiences, and establishes a timeline detailing their early career experiences. Only one president sought to lead a community college; all others arrived at the presidency by non-traditional paths. Three themes emerged from responses provided by presidents during their interviews and are as follows: (a) nontraditional pathway to presidency; (b) heightened awareness …

Community College Full-Time Faculty Members’ Perceptions Of Course Grading, April C. Zawlocki

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examined community college full-time faculty members’ perceptions of grading and reporting student learning via course grades using a mixed methods approach. The research questions that guided this study asked about the differences that exist in community college full-time faculty members’ perceptions of grading by different academic subdivision, by having or not having a degree in education, and by gender. Additionally, the study examined how perceptions of the purpose of grades differ among faculty members. The study also sought to find out which criteria were used to determine course grades and what experiences faculty members attribute to learning how …

Avoiding "Oh My God" Experiences: How White Female Developmental Literacy Instructors (Dis)Engage Race In Their Instructional Decision Making, Alison Michelle Douglas

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the instructional decision making of White female community college developmental literacy instructors in order to better understand pedagogical practices that impact educational inequities for Black male students in developmental literacy classes. Historically, the U.S education system has underserved Black male students, and college success rates demonstrate that educational inequities persist for Black male students today. Although much research has focused on educational inequities for Black male students in K-12 and university environments, little research has focused those inequities for Black male students in community colleges. In addition, although research that explores Black male experiences in educational settings …

Widening The Pathway To A Degree: The Impact Of Accepting Credit For Prior Learning At A Community College, Jessica Berek

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Credit for prior learning is a way to recognize previous experiences and knowledge as an equivalent to college level learning. Determining effective ways to accept credit for prior learning experiences can have a positive impact on students, including community college students, as they work to reach academic goals. This qualitative study aimed to understand the experiences of community colleges students who have received credit for prior learning on their academic transcript. Through interviews with students, benefits and barriers of credit for prior learning were discussed. Barriers to credit for prior learning included a lack of overall knowledge on the types …

Sociodemographic Factors Influencing Choice Of Career Training Program: An Analysis Of Washington State Technical Colleges, Scott J. Latiolais

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Over 219,000 students enroll in Washington State’s 34 community and technical colleges annually. The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) also reports that of these students, 88,000, or 40%, are in career training programs. The need to examine these career training students’ decision-making behaviors is vital, given the $20.5 billion annual contribution these students make to the state economy. This study examines the factors that impact students’ selection of a high or low wage-earning program of study, determines the extent to which the impact varies for historically underserved student populations, and delineates which sociodemographic variables influence student …

After The Protests: A Campus Racial Climate Case Study Of The Perception And Curricular Responses For Institutional Reforms, Following The Black Students’ Demands For Interventions At The University Of Missouri-Columbia, Bruce E. Mitchell Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative method single case study explores the phenomenon of a racially tense campus climate at the University of Missouri Columbia, a Predominantly White Midwestern Institution. At the forefront of the media regarding student and athlete protests, leading to the resignation of senior level administrators, African American students put forth eight demands to their administrators. Included, was the creation and implementation of a required racial awareness and inclusion curriculum. The study explores the perceptions of the institutional response to an exceptional campus racial climate issue and the process of formulating and participating in a diversity training course and a semester …

Cultivating A Stem Investigation: Reading And Task Expectations For Introductory Biology Courses, Tina M. Ballard

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

College completion is an important discussion in today’s world with only about 30% of community college students completing their degrees within three years of starting their programs. Especially in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, students are changing their majors or not completing their degrees for a variety of reasons. Previous research has established that there are high attrition and failure rates for introductory biology courses which may be causing some students to change their majors or not complete their degrees. This multicase study investigated the reading and task demands for introductory biology courses designed for STEM majors …

What Does The Staff Say?: Front-Line Staff Perceptions Of Their Role In Student Success, Lee A. Helbert

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study focused on exploring the perceptions of front-line staff in supporting student success at a mid-western community college. These staff are generally the employees who are not generally involved with teaching or administration, but work in offices like the business, financial aid, enrollment services, or are administrative assistants to the different departments. Nine participants participated in individual interviews and/or a focus group discussion. These front-line staff shared their stories that related to how they saw themselves contributing to student success, what they saw as the challenges and benefits of supporting students, and what professional opportunities were provided by the …

The Relationship Between Academic Coaching And Student Retention For Community College Students Enrolled In Developmental Education Courses, Tanya Woltmann

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examined the relationship between participation in an academic coaching program and retention for community college students enrolled in developmental education courses. With low retention and completion rates for students beginning in developmental courses, support programs to improve student success are needed. This quantitative study examines the participation in an academic coaching program and student retention in both the short-term and the long-term as well as the effect of the level of program participation on retention. Data was collected on over 8,000 students attending a community college who were enrolled in a developmental education course. The quantitative analysis included …

The Co-Requisite Model: A Quantitative Analysis Of Its Relationship With Gateway English Course Success, Anita Moore-Bohannon

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if students’ participation in the ALP co-requisite developmental English program relates to the likelihood of passing gateway college-level English. Data was collected to allow for analysis of gateway college-level English passing probability for all students who participated in gateway college-level English courses during the fall and spring semesters between Fall 2018 and Spring 2021. To show trends in the data, descriptive statistics were calculated using the frequencies procedure, which shows counts and percentages of study participants that fall into each category of data. The chi-square test was used to show relationships …

To Note Or Not To Note: Students' Conceptualizations Of Note Taking During Academic Reading In A Developmental Reading Course, Margaret J. O'Kerns

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This grounded theory research study investigated one active reading strategy, note taking, with a goal of creating student-centered, evidence-based curriculum for the developmental reading instructor. Sixteen students participated in a two-part session: a semi-structured interview and a think aloud of an assigned, academic text. The students were asked to discuss their attitudes regarding reading, both academically and for pleasure, and about any previous reading instruction. They were then observed reading their assigned text, an expository article, and queried as to their use (or not) of any note taking procedures or strategies. As an outcome of this study, it became apparent …

Advising Matters: An Exploration Of Trio Students’ Experiences With Advising, Kari Schimmel

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Academic advising has been identified as a key strategy in helping students to persist and complete their academic goals. This exploratory case study investigated student perceptions of advising, particularly low-income and first-generation students participating in a TRIO Student Support Services program at a midsize midwestern community college. Themes that emerged from interviews and document analysis were categorized by the researcher and found that students identified self-efficacy, proactive advising, relational development, and belonging and support as key practices. Institutional messages were also categorized as confirming or disconfirming. Results indicated effective advising practices that can be implemented into existing advising structures, with …

That Push Helps: A Qualitative Case Study Exploring Students' Responses To Receiving An Early Alert, Eric Tammes

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examined the decision-making experience of students receiving an early alert notification at a community college and what influenced students’ responses to the alert. Early alert programs are identified as a high impact persistence practice and may involve significant financial, technology, and personnel investments. Examining how students engage or disconnect from an early alert program may help maximize the institution’s investment and fulfill the program’s intent. Utilizing a qualitative case study, informed by Pascarella’s (1980) Student-Faculty Informal Contact model, this study sought to fill a gap within the persistence and early alert literature. The study also provided participant-driven guidance …

Student-Parenting During A Global Pandemic: A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Experience Of Community College Student-Parents, Malinde Althaus

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Approximately one-quarter of undergraduate students are parents or guardians of dependent children. While having similar or higher GPAs, student-parents have lower rates of graduation than peers without children and often struggle with finances, childcare, and scheduling. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced many new stressors to our lives. In addition to the mental and physical health risks during the pandemic, college students experienced a change in delivery of classes to largely online and for parents of school age children, it has added challenges of supporting children at home in distance learning. This study used a feminist phenomenological approach to discover the lived …