The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand administrator perceptions of student retention practices in community colleges. The sample for this study consisted of 11 administrators within community colleges in Arizona. The theoretical framework for this study was the Zeithaml theory of behavioral consequences of service…

Community colleges represent a main pathway for students seeking to earn bachelor's degrees. This path allows students who may be unable to enter a 4-year university to gain access to higher education, often at a decreased cost. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students are utilizing this pathway as state and federal…

The purpose of this explanatory, sequential mixed methods study was to understand and explore students' perceptions of advising services before, during, and after an institution has transitioned to a One Stop Student Services Center. The research compared pre-existing data obtained from the Ruffalo Ruffalo Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction…

Academic advising has been described as the second-most important function in the community college (behind only instruction) toward helping students achieve their goals. Using interview data from 78 students and 33 advisors at one of the nation's largest and most racially diverse community college systems, our qualitative case study examined how…

The problem to be addressed in this quantitative study was the education system's failure to produce individuals with the necessary skills to fulfill high-wage, high-demand technical positions in the market. The study examined whether career counseling self-efficacy levels varied across different experiences, such as educational background, years…

This research study examined student perceptions of advisement experiences with a primary role advisor in a centralized advising office. The intent was to explore the connection between academic advising and student connectedness to the institution. This study utilized Tinto's theory of student departure to provide an understanding of how student…

Community colleges are increasingly recognized as providing an accessible and affordable pathway to STEM occupations, particularly for underrepresented racial and ethnic, first-generation, and low-income students. There are several institutional and academic factors that influence transfer outcomes. But one of the most central factors that can…

Despite efforts to place students on a guided pathway to successful completion, nearly one in five students who do not persist at community colleges complete 75% or more of the credit threshold for a degree before leaving the institution (Johnstone, 2018). In Texas, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Members (THECB, 2020),…

The national need for workers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is continuously growing. The National Science Foundation has called "for a focus on STEM education" in response to the deficit in the workforce (Hagedorn & Purnamasari, 2016, p. 146). Attrition rates of STEM majors are a concern with…

This qualitative study explored what support community college transfer students relied upon while transitioning to a 4-year university. Investigators examined experiences of 12 full-time degree-seeking students who previously attended a community college. Data included a series of three individual interviews with participants and reflective…

Recent research indicated that academic advisors across the nation are encountering parents accompanying their students to college academic advising meetings with greater frequency than in years past; which, as a consequence, has led to frustration and confusion among academic advisors, and advising directors as to what the proper role of parents…

This research study examined the developmental and prescriptive academic advising preferences of two Texas community first-time-in-college (FTIC) students. For more than 100 years, higher education institutions have employed academic advisors to undertake meaningful interactions with students to assist with their academic progress. Their…

Student persistence remains an important focus for higher education professionals. National conferences and other professional development opportunities regularly highlight information on resources, supports, and programmatic efforts that are most effective at helping college students persist. Retention is a key performance indicator for…

Background: In fall 2020, community colleges (CCs) served nearly five million students, representing 29% of U.S. undergraduates. Despite providing unprecedented access to postsecondary education, rates of degree attainment are low. Among first-time, full-time, degree/certificate-seeking students whose first postsecondary school is a CC, only 31%…

Degree completion rates have recently dominated national debates regarding the value of higher education (Gagliardi et al., 2018). Inherent in this debate is the issue of how to utilize institutional data to evaluate student performance (Hubbard et al., 2020). This process, known as data-driven decision-making (DDDM), has been studied at four-year…