The reasons for success and well-being, and therefore of inequality, are numerous. A large number of systemic factors influence who succeeds or fails, who is healthy or sick. These factors, many of which are hard to understand or measure, interact in important and surprising ways. In contrast, humans tend to choose simple explanations of the…

While residents of Los Angeles County appear to have access to seemingly endless postsecondary opportunities within their proximity, the geography of opportunity for accessible options of higher education leading to bachelor's degrees in the area requires further exploration. This case study explores the spatial contexts and 3-year transfer…

The lived experiences of Black/African American male students at a suburban community college in North Carolina were explored in this qualitative narrative study. Institutional data from the North Carolina Community College System revealed these students had the lowest percentages of persistence toward degree completion and of graduation. In an…

Community colleges offer students points of entry to a better way of life, and one of the most significant ways they do so is through low-cost accrual of college credit that can be applied to a bachelor's degree upon transfer to a four-year college or university. Most students who attend community college intend to transfer; in fact, in a 2022…

The 21st-century global economy has significantly changed the landscape of the American workplace. Apprenticeship training programs are gaining momentum as a postsecondary training approach to fill growing worker shortages for industry-specific needs and prepare workers for new or expanding industries (Fitzpayne & Pollack, 2018; Freyer et al.,…

Since the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the largest student veteran enrollments have taken place at community colleges. Student veterans are considered "at-risk students" due to their high attrition rates in higher education. There is a lack of literature regarding the experiences of staff responsible for providing support…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how students at a large, suburban community college have utilized credit for prior learning (CPL). This case study included semi-structured interviews with 17 students regarding how they learned about CPL, experiences receiving their credits, and their perceptions of how CPL contributed…

An anti-deficit approach was used to address the problem of low associate degree completion rates for Black male community college students. The purpose of this qualitative single exploratory case study was to examine the perceptions of Black male community college students regarding the non-cognitive and environmental factors that influence their…

This paper proposes a new approach for combining top-down and bottom-up approaches intended to lead to a curriculum for action in the public interest that builds on social entrepreneurship and digital skills for students at community colleges. This integrated approach requires a collaborative, participatory approach and aims to provide relevant…

Through a gerontological lens, using grounded theory methods and both qualitative and quantitative data, we investigated the "off-time" enrollment of mid- and later-life (MLL) community college students (age 40+) to explore how their enrollment decisions and academic goals are situated in the timing and intersection of life events and…

Inoculation theory, which applies the biological concept of vaccination to misinformation, provides a range of ways to effectively build resilience against misinformation. In this article, we define and organize the various types of inoculation, which includes three delivery mechanisms that can be useful in the classroom--passive, active, and…

This qualitative case study explored the experiences of staff and student participants in a men of color program at one California community college. The research aimed to understand how program staff creates environments conducive to exploring masculine identity among men of color. Grounded in validation theory and the multiple masculinities…

This research study examined the experiences of nontraditional community college students attending through a tuition-free grant. The intent of the study was to explore the student identified barriers to degree persistence and the student support services nontraditional students recognize as being beneficial towards their academic journey. This…

Community colleges are an important entry point and pathway for students to obtain a postsecondary degree in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. To broaden STEM participation and increase STEM persistence, it is important to support community college students' college-level course completion and academic performance. This…

The purpose of this case study was to evaluate how community college IT students interact with and succeed in virtual labs to determine the impact of these digital environments on learning outcomes. The research employed a comprehensive range of data collection methods, including pre-interview questionnaires, interviews, and observations, to…