This quantitative survey study compared student perceptions of counseling services between a community college that employed counselors on-campus with one that outsourced services to an online provider. Many community college students struggle with mental health which challenges their educational progress. Counseling services have been shown to…

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Technology (STEM) fields face challenges with underrepresented minority (URM) student achievement and retention. White students earned 59% of bachelor's degrees in science and engineering, while LatinX and African American students earned 16% and 9% respectively (National Center for Science and Engineering…

This study investigates the impact of mindfulness meditation practices on the mental health and well-being of a specific community college population. Inspired by studies on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), the focus of this research is on participants who attended the free "Just…

The increasing prevalence of single-parent households, particularly among Black single mothers, presents unique challenges in higher education. Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCCs) serve a significant proportion of non-traditional students, including single parents. However, little research addresses how HBCC leadership can effectively…

Historically, colleges have used standardized testing to determine whether a student is ready for college-level work or requires developmental courses first, but this method has been criticized as inaccurate. To obtain more accurate placements, nearly three-quarters of colleges now use multiple measures assessment (MMA) systems. These systems…

Twenty-two percent of United States undergraduate students are parents (Cruse, et al., 2020). Referred to as student-parents, they are most likely to have low-incomes and attend community colleges (Cruse, et al., 2019; Gault et al., 2014). They tend to reduce their course loads and drop out of college due to work-life balance challenges even…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how students described the role of intrinsic motivation to complete student evaluation of teachers (SET). It was not known how community college students described the role of intrinsic motivation to complete SET. This study included a purposive sample of community college students…

Even though more students are enrolling in online distance learning in public and private institutions, attrition continues to be a substantial concern challenging online distance learning in higher education institutions. Students taking general education mathematics courses have exhibited low completion rates at the community college level in…

For many open-enrolled higher education institutions, including community colleges, enrollment is dropping each semester creating significant financial challenges. While much research literature focuses on four-year colleges, little is known about the students who seek to enroll at community colleges. What is known is often evaluated using college…

Can using mindfulness/contemplative practices help students become mindful, focused, and present in the mathematics classroom? In this study, mindfulness/contemplative practices were used in the mathematics classroom to determine if students were encouraged to be mindful, focused, and present or engaged in problem solving. During class time,…

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 case study was to understand how graduates of a community college leadership development program described the application of skills gained from the program and the contribution of those skills on their Leadership Self-Efficacy (LSE) in the workplace, in the Southwest Region of the United States. Bandura's theory of…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to examine how African international students describe their lived validation experiences with academic advising and cultural adjustment in one Midwestern community college. It was not known how African international students experience validation with academic advising and cultural…

California Community Colleges are not producing enough educated graduates to meet future workforce needs; to address the issue, goals and initiatives have been developed in an effort to increase completion (Foundation for California Community Colleges, 2017). In this study, the Clark and Estes (2008) gap analytic framework was used to understand…

Student retention and graduation in higher education are important goals for institutions across the U.S., yet improving rates of first-year retention and graduation has proven challenging. One strategy promoted for improving these rates of student success is increasing levels of student engagement in the classroom and within the larger academic…