This doctoral research study examined how professional-technical faculty experienced their onboarding and support as they transitioned from industry into teaching. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven professional-technical instructors who were within their first five years of full-time employment at a two-year community college…

In this article, researchers from the Community College Research Center reflect on what they have learned from their study of Guided Pathways reforms at over 100 colleges nationally since the publication in 2015 of "Redesigning America's Community Colleges." They examine five areas of practice: (1) program design; (2) new student…

A gap in achievement among Black men who pursue post-secondary education remains (Wood & Palmer, 2015). Many Black men start their college education at community colleges, but little is known about their experiences at Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCCs). The purpose of this dissertation of practice was to gain insights into the…

This dissertation explores academic persistence among Latinx students at City College of San Francisco (CCSF), using cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to emphasize the culturally-mediated nature of goal directed human activity. The study investigates factors related to persistence within the context of CCSF's Metro Transfer Program…

This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore how community college students describe their motivations and reasoning when learning about controversial science topics at a southwestern community college. Anti-science attitudes have been increasing globally, but is not fully understood. Two research questions were developed using the theory…

A nurse faculty shortage has been identified by the American Nurses Association (ANA, n.d.a) and the National League for Nursing (NLN, n.d.). Research has identified factors which negatively impact a nurse's successful transition to the faculty role, including lower compensation, uncertainty as a novice nurse faculty, lack of pedagogy skills, and…

Background/Context: Sociologists of education have studied how community colleges' institutional authorities and organizational barriers stratify students' postsecondary aspirations. Notions of how students might diverge in their pursuits are less understood. This study builds on imagined futures and postsecondary aspiration literature to…

The problem addressed in this study was nontraditional community college students were at-risk of not completing their degrees. The purpose of this study was to explore the first-year completion strategies of nontraditional students at an urban Louisiana community college through the lens of their self-efficacy beliefs. I employed qualitative…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between non-cognitive skills and academic achievement in the form of course completion rate and cumulative GPA of African American male community college students. Eight non-cognitive variables were measured compared to the course completion rate and cumulative…

Community colleges support the needs of higher education for students with diverse backgrounds, goals, and outcomes. Historically, students who have been denied access to four-year colleges were granted access to community colleges. Academic success for men of color, particularly African American and Hispanic males, remains the lowest of all…

College academic success programs (ASP) frequently include both quantitative and qualitative key performance indicators (KPI). While the quantitative KPIs are typically programmed for evaluation within an ASP's implementation, evaluating qualitative KPIs is resource intensive and therefore, sometimes overlooked. The problem addressed by this study…

Even in this endemic period, the California Community Colleges continues to make progress toward meeting its Vision for Success goals, established nearly five years ago to set a path to increase certificate and degree attainment, improve transfer and close equity gaps. This report details the goals outlined in the system's Vision for Success and…

Latinx community college students have lower persistence and completion rates than White and Asian students (Causey et al., 2022). Results of a systematic literature review found the following root causes for these low retention rates: financial barriers, lack of institutional support, educational preparation, psychosocial considerations, and…

The "college for all" ethos pervasive in American education, combined with open admission policies at community colleges, has allowed academically underprepared students to persist from high school to college. We ask: how do college advisors help academically underprepared students navigate decisions about their careers and upcoming…

In a pilot study of an affordable and low-maintenance social media solution for adjunct faculty socialization or onboarding at the community college, interested adjuncts were offered the opportunity to participate in a social media-like experience made possible by the Moodle Social wall format plugin. Though qualitative data did not suggest this…