The first-year experiences of six African American male students participating in a developmental education program at a community college were examined. African American male students constitute a significant proportion of those who struggle with academic performance. The initial year of college can be challenging for African American males,…

This study examined opportunities for enhancing transfer outcomes for community college students through summer research opportunities at a university. It emphasizes the significance of academic capital, derived from Bourdieu's cultural capital theory, in facilitating successful transfers. By offering ten-week paid summer research opportunities at…

The problem investigated in this study was the lack of persistence of 1st-year African American male students at a community college in a southeastern state. In the fall of 2018, only 55% of African American male students progressed through their 1st year compared to 70% of White male students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore…

First-generation students possess a set of unique characteristics that can make persisting in college more challenging than it is for their continuing-generation counterparts. Because many first-generation students are also low-income, community college is an affordable option to access their postsecondary goals. Each year, one-third of all Pell…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive research was to explore how students described their experiences within a semester-long, new-student orientation program as contributing to their year-to-year re-enrollment at a community college in Arizona. Two research questions guided the stud. Exhaustive review of prior research indicated the…

This study explores the role of student support services in fostering persistence among Some College, No Credential (SCNC) students re-entering higher education, with a specific focus on community colleges in Southern California. As the number of SCNC students continues to rise, understanding the challenges and support systems available to this…

Millions of students enroll in community colleges each year because of their open enrollment, lower cost of tuition, and flexible class schedules. Once enrolled at a community college, many community college students aspire to transfer their credits to a 4-year institution. One way to transfer credits from the community college to the 4-year…

College students' persistence to academic success has been a concern for higher education institutions (HEIs). The educational attainment and academic achievement of community college students have created employment and economic opportunities for individuals. Despite the benefits of higher education, some community college students failed to…

Given the changing demographics of the Latino population in the United States, the purpose of this study is to analyze persistence, graduation and transfer among Latino students at community colleges. The research comes in response to the awareness that, despite the U.S.'s rapidly growing Latino population, Latinos have the lowest higher education…

Undocumented children immigrants in the United States experience significant hurdles pursuing higher education due to their illegal status, resulting in lower rates of college attendance for children arriving before the age of 14 than U.S. born children. The 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program aims, in part, to remove these…

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a mandatory online supplemental instruction program in an introductory cell and molecular biology course at a community college in Northern Nevada. To accomplish this, the study focused on the dependent variable of course GPA, and the issuance rate of "D" or "F" letter…

For decades, community colleges have relied on standardized placement tests to determine student readiness for college-level coursework. COVID-19 exposed the flaws of relying on a single measure to assess student readiness as many test sites shut down during the pandemic. Previous research has also pointed out the high rate of misplacement when…

Standard assessments of cognitive ability have been the preferred method of assessing the probability of student achievement at community colleges, but there is a growing trend in the use of noncognitive factors to assess student potential. Factors related to a student's race/ethnicity and family income have been shown to be correlated with…

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive scientific phenomenological study was to explore what it is like for a community college student to experience group dynamics in a team-based gamified learning environment in the Southwestern U.S. Although the student or "player" experience is at the center of a gamified curriculum, it is not…

This dissertation examines the perceptions of Latinx sense of belonging in a Midwest community college and how their academic and social experiences are impacted. Sense of belonging is meaningful to community college students because Latinx students are historically underserved in postsecondary education. The goal is to better understand the…