ERIC Number: ED646679
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 264
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-8415-2813-5
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Q Methodology Study of Community College Leaders' Viewpoints on Student Labor Market Success Measures in North Carolina
Laurie Charlene Brummitt
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, North Carolina State University
Student success is a movement mobilizing various community college stakeholders to make policy and institutional change. More recently, researchers, policy leaders, and other community college stakeholders suggest expanding definitions of student success to include community college student post-graduate labor market outcomes, as community college are now more than ever relied on to alleviate labor market supply and demand gaps. This research aimed to uncover the viewpoints of on-campus community college leaders towards the labor market success measures they believe demonstrates their students' labor market success. Less is known about the internal on-campus community college perspectives. Typically, external entities impose definitions onto community colleges that do not exemplify the unique characteristics of community college students and economic contexts in which schools are positioned. Understanding these internal community college stakeholder viewpoints strengthens the development of student success frameworks and definitions of labor market success. Q-methodology was the approach used to investigate the viewpoints of on-campus community college leaders, as it offers a way to uncover viewpoints by determining what groups of participants thinking similarly about a topic. This study explored the subjective viewpoints of a diverse sample of twenty-two on-campus community college leaders in North Carolina. Participants represented 17 community colleges, hold diverse leadership roles, and are positioned in different labor markets across the eight prosperity zones in North Carolina. Participants sorted 30 labor market measure statements using QMethod software. Study participants sorted into two viewpoints. The first viewpoint "Employers are Our Top Priority" focused on employer satisfaction and workforce readiness. Leaders with this viewpoint believe the employer stakeholder perspective is the most important in communicating if the community college has effectively prepared students to meet the demands of industry. They believe employer satisfaction leads to development of a strong education to workforce pipeline, meaning the community college graduates become a talent pool resource for employers, which ultimately creates a healthy positive cycle of workforce and economic development for their community and the state. The second viewpoint, "Graduates' Economic Well-Being Is Our Top Priority" focuses on the importance of labor market success of the graduates. Leaders with this viewpoint are most concerned that their community college education has equipped students to earn a livable sustainable wage. They believe labor market success means credentials have high value and lead to long-term economic stability. Findings from this study have implications for those developing student success frameworks, community college practitioners and policy makers. Findings can be used to enhance current student success frameworks by shedding light on a more comprehensive set of measures and broader definitions of student labor market success. Additionally, North Carolina community college governance entities can used findings for strategic planning discussion by using the two resulting viewpoints as a starting point for discussing the measures that communicate the goals, plans, and values of the community college system. The framework could also be foundation for a future study that converts the 30 statements into a survey and sent system-wide to more quickly and vastly ascertain opinions and ideas about how North Carolina's community colleges believe the labor market success of their students should be measured. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Community Colleges, Stakeholders, Labor Market, Administrator Attitudes, Administrators, College Administration, Success, Student Employment, Career Readiness
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A