Objective: Policymakers in many states are endeavoring to increase graduation rates among older community college students. However, we know little about how the factors that influence college completion among older students differ from their younger peers. We aim to identify features of institutional contexts in which adult community college…

While women have made great strides in leadership and academia over the last several decades, women continue to lag behind men in executive leadership positions. In universities, women students are vastly underrepresented in executive leadership roles; however, at community colleges the trends are reversed as women are actively taking on executive…

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…

Students are transferring from community colleges to four-year institutions in increasing numbers, yet transfers are persisting and graduating from four-year institutions at lower levels than students who had begun at the institution. Research suggests that transfer students feel less connected to a four-year institution, and fostering transfer…

Women now comprise the majority of the higher education workforce; yet they still experience workplace aggression at alarming rates. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate workplace aggression among women colleagues at a small, rural community college. The study also sought to create a more supportive work environment for…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand how online students described the experience of instructor-student (ISR) and student-student rapport (SSR). Two research questions addressed how students described rapport with instructors (RQ1) and classmates (RQ2) in online community college classes. Working Alliance theory and…

While Black students have gained increased access to college, the data reflect that there are fewer Black students completing or earning bachelor's degrees. Existing research reflects findings on various factors, both academic and non-academic, that influence student retention and success in higher education. Historically, theories on student…

A growing national focus on prison reform has led to a resurgence of interest in carceral education. However, and although college education prison is different from college education in the community, relatively little scholarship has explored why or how these variations exist, what they mean, or how they have changed over time. The present paper…

High attrition rates in associate degree nursing (ADN) programs contribute significantly to a nursing shortage in the United States that is expected to worsen. Nursing students find the learning environment stressful, intimidating, and overwhelming, leading to discouragement in the first year of their nursing education. Research is needed to…

Existing literature suggests that social connection with peers is beneficial for first-term college students. First-term community college students are less likely to experience social interactions than their counterparts at residential universities. However, recent attention has pointed to the classroom as the main place where social interaction…

Nine million students enroll in community colleges each year, but only about one fourth graduates in a timely fashion. Identifying factors associated with student success is of critical importance to students, colleges, and the nation. For this research, I examine factors associated with students' sense of belonging that lead to student retention,…

Although cell phones are often discussed as a problem in higher education research, the literature focuses largely on disciplinary tactics or integration of phones into the curriculum. The present study provides further support for the use of positive reinforcement to minimize the negative effects of cell phones in the classroom. A…

Pierce College at Joint Base Lewis--McChord (PCJBLM) is a community college extension campus that is challenged with complying with multiple policies while serving a transient student population amid budget constraints. Through multiple cycles of research, entry-level student services staff expressed concern about their professional development…

The majority of research concerning student veterans has been conducted at the university level, with minimum analysis performed at the level where the vast majority of returning veterans attend school: the community college. While some research has discussed what services colleges and universities should offer returning veterans, little research…

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how students with autism spectrum disorder experience the community college setting in Mississippi. It was designed to be exploratory in nature and was intended to provide practitioners a glimpse into the postsecondary experiences of students with autism (Bell, Devecchi, McGuckin,…