The purpose of this study was to analyze Latinx student success in online education and how culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) contributes to removing barriers for success. CRP has proven to be successful in small scale studies in K-12 sector. This study analyzed how CRP can be effective in higher education and if applied to online education how…

This quantitative comparative study examined whether there was a significant difference in success rates between African American and White students at community colleges that have embraced guided pathways. Two Midwest American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Pathways Project colleges participated in this study. AACC Pathways Project is a…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to explore how first-year Black American students describe the role of resilience, as expressed through the components of purposefulness, adaptability, social support, and confidence, in fostering student success in online undergraduate US higher education institutions. The main theoretical…

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to understand how leaders at two community colleges that participated in Guided Pathways used early momentum metrics (EMMs) to change institutional policies or practices to improve student success and degree completion rates. By focusing on EMMs as short-term indicators, leaders could track…

The work in this dissertation aims to support a more equitable science education culture that better supports students who have historically and continue to be inequitably pushed out of science. Our equity-oriented and anti-deficit research agenda led us to study community college and transfer students as well as their self-efficacy and…

This study examines the root causes of student success and struggle in the first semester of a community college tuition-free promise program. The research is set within the context of the Gateway2NKU River Cities Promise Program (RCPP), a partnership between Gateway Community and Technical College (Gateway) and Northern Kentucky University (NKU)…

Objective: Six-year cohort completion rates calculated for California community college students--who declared their goal to obtain a certificate, associate degree, or become university transfer ready--averaged just below 50% for cohorts entering the fall semesters between 2007 and 2011. The range of this completion rate varied from 23% to 67%.…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the lived experiences of graduates of a Black Male Initiative (BMI) mentoring program at one associate-level College in the southeast region and the impact mentoring had on the participant's success at the college and its impact on obtaining their degree. Critical Race Theory (CRT) was the…

There is a strident body of empirical research evidence that Higher Education in Prison (HEP) has a direct impact on reducing recidivism. Additionally for participants, it also increases the economic mobility and employability post-release. However, the ability to conduct randomly controlled trials with a distal measurement of recidivism is…

This causal comparative study examined group differences in college readiness using the "Redefining Ready" college readiness indicators for rural community college students. Additional analysis focused on evidence supporting a high school experience, or combination of high school experiences, that most accurately correlates with academic…

LGBTQ students experience a lower sense of belonging at community colleges. The correlation between campus and classroom climate and academic success, campus involvement, identity, level of outness, and well-being for LGBTQ students contributes to their decreased sense of belonging. Non-LGBTQ-affirming and non-inclusive community college campuses…

This study examined areas of concern within the community college level of higher education affecting the retention and attrition rates of African American male first-year students at three community colleges in the state of New Jersey. It used a four-stage investigative design to identify variable factors that are correlated to retention and…

This study centered on the lived experiences of five community college students who were formerly incarcerated. Through interviews, the students shared their expectations before entering college, resources they found to be most helpful throughout their enrollment, and what they feel could make them more successful. The research focuses on the…

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…

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.…