The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry is to explore how first-generation community college students perceive major and career goals, the factors that impact career decision-making and the development of key employability skills. It is important to understand how to develop or promote programs that can help expose students to various…

This study investigates the effectiveness of integrating smartphone technologies, including QR codes, audio textbook capabilities, and mobile apps, to enhance personalized learning and language acquisition skills among intermediate-level ESOL learners. The research involved ten participants from diverse linguistic backgrounds, employing…

Math self-efficacy has been shown to predict math achievement and interest in a math-related career, such as one in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, women consistently report lower math self-efficacy than men, contributing to gender disparities in upper-level math courses and the underrepresentation of women in…

This study focused on how self-efficacy and a student's self-assessed level of preparation for college level English impacted their success in a first-year composition course at a community college. The purpose of this study was to uncover the factors that led to successful writers with a focus on self-efficacy and collegiate writing. The research…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how graduates of a community college leadership development program described the application of skills gained from the program and the contribution of those skills on their Leadership Self-Efficacy (LSE) in the workplace, in the Southwest Region of the United States. Bandura's theory of…

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Technology (STEM) fields face challenges with underrepresented minority (URM) student achievement and retention. White students earned 59% of bachelor's degrees in science and engineering, while LatinX and African American students earned 16% and 9% respectively (National Center for Science and Engineering…

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate self-efficacy as a potential mediator in the relationship between the amount of time students spent during high school participating in the arts and their current science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) motivation levels. The study participants (N = 68) were between the ages of…

The Early College program has a proven track record of academic success as noted through graduation rates, growth data, performance grades, and higher than statewide average test score averages. Research on the success of Early College methods is limited. This study analyzed the effects of a heterogeneously grouped Honors Math 1 classroom on…

In the last decade, vocational education in Indonesia has experienced problems in making career decisions for students, which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this research aims to examine the role of self-efficacy and mediate digital literacy, social environment, and counselling guidance in influencing career decision-making.…

Higher education institutions in the United States currently face ongoing challenges and difficulties beginning in 2008 with the fiscal crisis which created a need for education and retraining for man, demand for greater accountability by institutions and a fundamental shift in the perceived value of higher education. Academic leaders of…

This doctoral study explores the preferences for professional development of community college faculty to understand and learn how to use the technology available for online classrooms. To understand and learn how to use the technology available for online classrooms, college faculty must learn how to use Web 2.0 tools properly to instruct…

Community colleges are open access post-secondary institutions that serve a variety of needs for diverse student populations. Community colleges are also often less resourced than four-year colleges, and the students who attend community colleges are more likely to be minoritized, from lower socioeconomic situations, and be less academically…

Ebooks have been eagerly adopted by higher education institutions. Printed text versus ebook preference poses a complex situation for college students. Postsecondary students will continue using this medium in their courses. Research has been lacking to effectively understand what relationships influence the efficacious use of ebooks. There is a…

This dissertation examined how adult learners who took developmental mathematics in a community college and passed the courses, viewed their self-efficacy and the roles they felt self-efficacy had on their successful completion of mathematics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 adult learners in two U.S. community colleges.…

Students identified as first-generation often intersect with other factors such as enrollment in community colleges, low income, minority ethnic and/or race identities, low expectations of college-going, and less academic preparation (Cataldi et al., 2018; Redford & Mulvaney-Hoyer, 2017). In 2015, national completion rates in the United States…