This ethnographic study answers the following overarching research question: How do faculty perceive community college transfer students' academic preparedness and ability to academically succeed at a small, private university? Using data collected from faculty interviews, analysis yielded salient themes: 1. The faculty perception of academic…

Open Educational Resources (OER) are regularly adopted, yet questions persist about efficacy. Do OER improve student performance? Research produces ambiguous results, because these are derived from small sample sizes, inadequate efficacy measures, and neglect of interactional effects. We examine the effect of OER on student grades using over…

This article describes the content validation of the Transitioning Learners to Calculus in Community Colleges Institutional Self-Assessment Tool. The instrument comprises five content areas, each with an associated set of items representing practices to promote the success of underrepresented racially minoritized (URM) students as they transition…

Objective: We proposed cognitive styles described in the Hopelessness Theory would be associated with depressive symptoms and Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) and that depressive symptoms mediate these associations. Participants: This cross-sectional study had 324 community college student participants (ages: 18 to 62 years, M = 24.08, SD = 9.10;…

In recent years, increased attention has been paid to mental health struggles among students, and a range of interventions have been proposed to improve student retention and learning through "trauma-engaged pedagogy" and "cultures of caring." Drawing on the insights of affect theory, we argue that such a focus, although…

Academic libraries have long been called the heart of their campuses. As priorities have shifted away from print collections and other repository services, college libraries have expanded their services to be welcoming spaces that support students' sense of belonging and meet a wide range of needs. This is perhaps especially true of community…

The syllabus is a required document for all courses to provide students with course information, policies, and assignment deadlines. The goals of this study were to investigate students' perception of the role of the syllabus, preferred location of assignment deadlines, and preferred style of receiving deadline notifications. Faculty (n = 14) and…

Transfer stigma refers to a type of stigma associated with students' transfer status and/or their community college background. It plays a significant role in post-transfer adjustment and may negatively impact post-transfer outcomes such as retention and obtaining a baccalaureate degree. This study focused on quantitatively measuring transfer…

Using a positive psychological framework, Broaden-and-Build Theory, we investigated whether and how positive and negative emotions (affective factors) and cognitive flexibility are related to flourishing. Participants are 151 bilingual adults from diverse backgrounds enrolled in a local community college. Results showed that both positive and…

This study investigated the likelihood of bachelor's degree completion among nontraditional-aged transfer students. Using national data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, this study provided insight into the success of first-time nontraditional-aged students who initially enrolled at a community college and transferred…

This study used responses from 17,354 student veterans on the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) to investigate the relationship between student engagement and likelihood of withdrawal. Student veterans who utilized campus services more often, and those who perceived campus services as important, reported a higher likelihood of…

Research on motivation has shown that students perform better when they perceive utility-value in their course. Utility-value is a domain of motivation that is reflective of the perceived importance or usefulness of a task for accomplishing future goals. In this study, students in a community college introductory chemistry course were tasked with…

Attending college, for many immigrant families, is a critical step in achieving the American Dream. This essay, written as a reflection and response between professor and student, explores the conflicting messages young community college students negotiate and process as they move through the City, revealing how knowledge learned in the college…

Research consistently describes the large percentage of community college students who struggle to meet their basic needs such as food and housing. These challenges may be exacerbated for students in rural communities. At the same time, we are also learning more about the connection between addressing students' basic needs and improving their…

Despite Latino men's overrepresentation in community colleges, limited research addresses men of color (MoC) programs that serve their unique needs and attend to the educational attainment disparities they experience. This practice brief features recommendations tailored to community college practitioners seeking to improve Latino men's success…