Recent insights have underscored the role of context in cultivating intelligence mindsets' influence on students' academic outcomes. Psychological affordances of the social context may encourage an adaptive perspective (i.e., growth mindset). Expanding this novel area of investigation, we examined how students' sense of belonging, as an affordance…

The purpose of this study was to examine sustainability policies and practices at community colleges. A social-constructivist worldview guided my exploratory qualitative study that targeted nine sustainability professionals at eight community colleges with enrollment under 10,000 in the midwestern region of the United States. I relied on the…

This qualitative study contributed new insights into the complex interplay between California Community College (CCC) campus climate and faculty-led diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) changemaking. Using focus groups and interviews with 22 full-time faculty, this study found that supportive campus policies and practices, such as…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to understand the workplace experiences of African/African diaspora/African American/Black (A/Ad/AA/B) women employed with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) responsibilities in the California community college system during a time of new equity funding and contemporary social…

Background/Context: Community colleges are seen as malleable institutions that work closely with high schools, vocational programs, employers, and community organizations to provide an education for all members of their local community. As an extension of the community, the education provided must address larger social changes (i.e., Affirmative…

This study examines the motivations, definitions of success, and elements that contribute to their self-defined success among BIPOC DEI leaders in two-year predominantly White institutions (PWIs) in the Midwest. Using a critical phenomenological approach, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews and analyzed job descriptions and resumes/CVs.…

The authors of this study utilized data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement to conduct a critical examination of perceptions of institutional support among transfer-seeking community college students in North Carolina. We adopted an intersectional quantitative approach by centering racial and ethnic identity, and examining the…

Racially minoritized students (RMS) face substantial disparities in college persistence and completion rates (Museus & Saelua, 2017). In particular, Black student enrollment at public two-year or community colleges has declined significantly, dipping below 13% in 2020, while for-profit institutions have maintained enrollment of Black students…

Reflection is a practice used in education that encourages metacognition and can provide instructors with regular feedback. This qualitative research study explored the ways that community college students used reflections and what they chose to share. These reflections occurred during the fall 2021 semester, when many classes returned to in…

Objective: The purpose of this study is to highlight the type of community cultural wealth developed and used by Latina/o community college transfer students who encountered limited pre-transfer assistance and unreceptive cultures at their transfer institutions. Method: This study took place at Southwest State University (SSU), a Predominantly…

Sensemaking is a popular framework for studying the meaning-making dimensions of policy implementation, change initiatives, and practitioner action in education. While generative, it has traditionally offered less guidance on how certain organizational actors have formal and/or informal power to advance their version of events and how certain…

This study examines and elevates the experiences of first-generation, low-income, Black women (FGLIBW) who are navigating the community college pipeline. Three forms of data--biographical questionnaires, phenomenological interview responses, and testimonio share back prompt responses--capture the extent to which participants feel welcomed,…

Research suggests that hearing how students perceive their experiences (positive and negative) can allow institutions to reevaluate their approaches and assumptions about what is working (or not) on their campuses and develop strategic plans that respond to this information. In early 2022, the Center for Community College Student Engagement…

This qualitative case study utilized interviews, classroom observations, and course syllabi to investigate the experiences of Black male students at a community college. Applying a conceptual framework of Dumas's anti-Blackness and Paris's culturally sustaining pedagogy provided a lens to understand how Black men experience classroom spaces on…

Longstanding inequities exist in community colleges across the United States. To address these inequities, California Community Colleges educators have engaged in a variety of practices including the writing of equity plans and participation in equity data inquiry. However, there is an urgent need for greater focus on racial equity and for more…