The current phenomenological study explored the emotion-based perceptions of eight Black and Hispanic students' experiences in developmental education classes at two urban community colleges. The researcher utilized a theoretical framework comprised of Critical Race Theory (CRT) with a focus on emotions and Yosso's (2005) model of cultural wealth.…

As higher education institutions continue to focus more on equity and allocating resources to serve historically marginalized populations, community colleges in particular have benefited from programs such as the federal Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) grants to help fund such efforts. One thread…

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to identify if and how a community college provided services to meet the needs of undocumented students seeking STEM degrees during the pandemic. The study is grounded in the framework of Institutional Undocu-Competence (IU-C) and draws from interviews with 16 students at an urban community…

This qualitative study of 43 adult learners in an urban community college critically examines the theory of andragogy's relevance in today's "New Economy." Findings encompass: (1) an individual dimension detailing adult learners' complex motivations for higher education; (2) an instructional dimension concerning the importance of…

This descriptive correlational case study sought to identify professional development recommendations for full-time community college faculty teaching within a guided pathways environment. Community college faculty across an urban, multi-college district in the southwestern United States were surveyed about their current learner-centered teaching…

While limited research on the information behaviors of community college students exists, the theories of Elfreda Chatman have not been used to develop understanding of this population. Community college students are more likely to be people of color and/or lower income than their peers in four-year colleges, making them potentially more likely to…

Developmental English in urban-serving community colleges was considered as the site where racial and ethnic minority students who are deemed underprepared for college must learn the white, middle-class literacy conventions valued in higher education. The idea of symbolic violence--the systematic devaluation of one's culture--was used as a…

We, as community college English teachers, have the opportunity to empower students who have been subjected to years of top-down, teacher-directed education. We have the obligation to make them critical thinkers, improving their chances of being thoughtful and successful adults. It all begins with the way we teach writing and the respect we have…

This narrative inquiry captures the stories of three newly-hired professors struggling to assimilate into Metro Community College's social environment. My work first presents Samantha's metaphor: a sandbox campus wherein employees work in isolation, building individual sandcastles. This metaphor evokes an imaginative way to interpret and…

In California, dual enrollment refers to any high school student who enrolls in two systems at the same time, most commonly a community college and a high school--this student is thus concurrently enrolled in both high school and college. Students may receive credit from both systems for select courses. California Assembly Bill 288 (AB 288)…

This phenomenological study explored both the students' lived experiences of placement processes at an urban community college and their consciousness of those experiences. By applying phenomenological methodology within an engaged inquiry framework, this study integrates multiple perspectives into a narrative thread to make sense of students'…

Community colleges have a long history of providing entrance to higher education to minority students who enroll in these institutions underprepared and deprived of basic needs. With limited resources, community college leaders are expected to assist students in academic pursuits. The Center for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Center for EDI)…

While community colleges have traditionally been the leading providers of adult learner programs and the entry point for many minority students into higher education, very few English language learners (ELLs) transition to higher education. This qualitative gap analysis of the systems in place at a large urban public community college in the…

This chapter affirms the increasing value of outcomes assessment at one of many institutions where once it was mostly ignored, how the knowledge afforded by increased use of assessment functions as a precursor to change, and how the faculty and staff work of program and outcomes assessment--discussions, decisions, preparations, actions,…

Colleges are currently involved in an epic struggle to keep students enrolled. One reason for student attrition involves non-academic issues such as executive functioning. In the present study, we investigated how journaling helped influence paradigm shifts in students' thinking regarding a growth mindset towards their educational performance. We…