This study provides important insights into the relationship between the epistemological beliefs of community college students, the selection of learning strategies, and academic achievement. This study employed a quantitative survey design. Data were collected by surveying students at a community college during the spring semester of 2010. The…

The purpose of this exploratory, phenomenological study was to understand developmental mathematics in community college by examining the beliefs and worldviews of developmental mathematics instructors. This study interviewed 11 instructors in 4 demographically different community colleges within a single state with decentralized developmental…

The authors explore how faculty-student epistemological congruency (EC) affects students' experiences and integration into the academic community. EC is defined as the level of similarity in beliefs about learning between a student and a faculty member. Because academic integration has been tied to retention, they investigated whether…

Drawing from extensive oral history interviews with five Chicana women, Malagon and Alvarez (re)conceptualize the way educational scholarship defines "high achieving." As attendees of California continuation high schools, all five women defy societal expectations by moving from these alternative educational spaces to community colleges,…

This study examined the new learning that occurred in a professional development program for participants who aspire to the community college presidency. Knowledge construction occurred on three levels: personal, professional, and disciplinary. Reframing, embracing, and embodying activities toward knowledge construction were evident, and new…

The purpose of this chapter is to continue and potentially expand the conversation about how a diversity-affirming ethical orientation and an understanding of critical epistemology might guide institutional decision making in community colleges in the direction of social justice. The chapter begins with a conceptual overview of the terms…

Pupils' motivation and interest are identified as important influences on learning. Motivational orientation is a construct that links motivation and epistemology. This study attempted to explore motivational orientation as it relates to science education and two different instructional approaches. A published instrument standardized with a…

In this article we suggest a facilitating process for nurturing a community of practice (CoP). This process can be seen as a reverse LPP (legitimate peripheral participation) process where a community starts with a group of core members and gradually grows to encourage new members into a CoP. In the heart of the reverse LPP process is the identity…

For the thirty-sixth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Anaheim, California. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…