Diminishing student attitude toward the student evaluation of teaching (SET surveys) and its correlational effect on reduced survey response quality is a major concern. The use of SET to assess instructors for promotion and tenure extension is common and yet controversial in institutions of higher learning. As students become subjected to multiple…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore factors that could lead to academic success for African-American males enrolled in community college. By conducting a phenomenological study, those factors leading to graduation will be derived from the particular lens of perception of the participants' lived experiences. The…

Research is needed to understand intersecting health risks among community college students. Applying a syndemic framework, the present research explored childhood sexual victimization, adolescent sexual victimization, intimate partner violence (IPV), marijuana use, alcohol consumption, and symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder…

Objective: Ideally, community colleges both democratize opportunity and develop in students the civic skills necessary to meaningfully participate in a democratic society. This national pilot study examines the individual and institutional factors associated with greater civic agency, capacity, behavior, and knowledge among students after at least…

A great deal of time, money, and effort can be expended on hiring community college presidents without any assurance that they will remain in their new positions a substantial amount of time. Building on decades of literature reporting the continuing decrease of presidential longevity, this study examined the methods most successful in selecting…

This was a hermeneutic-phenomenological study on homeless students' life-world in urban, postsecondary public educational institutions. The sample population comprised 10 male and female Hispanic, Black, and Caucasian homeless student participants enrolled in professional and academic programs in postsecondary public vocational institutions…

Community colleges are expected to serve the needs of their local communities. Hence, college presidents are called on to lead this collaboration between the college and the community. Presidents, however, are affected by a multitude of factors that contribute to abridged tenures, a scenario that can have harmful effects on the educational…

The purpose of the study was to examine the mentoring functions of career support and psychosocial support and perceived levels of overall job satisfaction of executive-level community college administrators employed by community colleges in the nine mega-states. This research can guide future research on mentoring functions and job satisfaction…

Leadership is an essential aspect of community college administration. Community colleges are currently facing numerous challenges such as: above average retirement rates for administrators, funding and limited government support, diverse student populations, changes in technology, shift in teaching to student-centered learning, and steep…

This dissertation describes the process of creating a guidebook that developmental education administrators can use to build their capacity as leaders, learners, and program planners. The guidebook is the product of a qualitative study designed to better understand how community college administrators who have program planning responsibilities for…

The goal of this study was to understand how students' attitudes were connected to their mathematics learning and achievement. This investigation of students (n = 78) and their attitudes was specific to web-based homework in developmental mathematics courses in a two-year community college located in a large urban city in the United States. A…

Counselors at a public community college who teach a first-year college success course to developmental education students do not have effective opportunities or a systematic method to develop their teaching practice. Moreover, like a majority of community college and university instructors, many counselors do not have formal training in…

According to the 2008 U.S. Census, there are 15.5 million Asian Americans in the United States, and 17% are students enrolled in a university (Shea & Yeh, 2008). Asian American college students in higher education are oftentimes perceived as the "model minority" with high academic achievements and few mental and/or behavioral…

In an earlier report, ("Physics Enrollments in Two-Year Colleges," ED547610), Susan White and Raymond Chu examined physics enrollments--both the number of students and the types of classes taught--at the 1,063 two-year college campuses in the US where they believe physics is offered. This "Focus On" considers the faculty…

It is widely known that women are generally underrepresented in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program has persistently worked to reduce this disparity. For example, the 2000 solicitation specified "increasing the participation of…