The present study sought to explore (a) the extent to which certain school subjects are perceived "sui generis" more interesting than others and (b) the extent to which students' interest in a subject is related to their study choices. A mixed-methods approach was chosen in which an individual interest questionnaire and an open-ended…

The purpose of the qualitative descriptive study is to engage community college faculty in systematic reflection of their perceptions of the impact of redesigned accelerated developmental education courses on their pedagogy and student success. Study participants include twenty-six English, Mathematics, and Reading faculty who have experience…

Learning about curriculum development is critical for middle managers of technical vocational institutions in order to assume curriculum leadership in maintaining and enhancing the quality and relevance of their educational programs. This case study reports on the design and effects of a professional development arrangement (PDA), with such a…

This dissertation closely examines the experience of foster youth attending California community colleges and how campuses are responding to their educational needs. Foster youth have the least successful educational outcomes of any population of young Americans. They also represent one of the most vulnerable and academically at-risk populations…

Literature has postulated that noncognitive or psychosocial variables are a strong predictor of African American and international students persisting in college. Using a modified version of the Noncognitive-Revised (NCQ-R) questionnaire developed by Tracey and Sedlacek (1984), this mixed methods descriptive study investigated the relationships…

Threaded discussion forums have been a popular topic for the past few years in distance education research and studied as a factor in student participation, satisfaction, learning outcomes, social presence and interaction. Only recently has it been considered as a potential vehicle for the development of critical thinking skills and deep learning.…