<p> In light of earlier research pertaining to empathy, it is reasonable to believe that certain teachers feel empathic toward students in remedial classrooms. It is also evident that teacher empathy is something that students relish. However, a perceived lack of teacher empathy among students in remedial classes is a concern. The general problem addressed in the study was the effect of teachers&rsquo; lack of empathy on remedial college students&rsquo; perceptions of teacher&ndash;student conflict. The specific problem addressed in the study was the limited research on the impact of teachers&rsquo; empathy on remedial students&rsquo; perceptions. The purposes of the study were to understand remedial students&rsquo; perceptions of teachers&rsquo; empathy and to assess the perceived impact of lack of teacher empathy on teacher&ndash;student conflict. Participants consisted of 10 students enrolled at Cuyahoga Community College remedial English classes in Cleveland, Ohio. The phenomenological study explored the lived experiences and perceptions of these students in developmental/remedial classes. Students participated in face-to-face recorded interviews. Data were analyzed using NVivo software. Four main themes and several subthemes emerged from the data. Recommendations were offered to help facilitate resolution of teacher&ndash;student conflicts that may emerge out of perceived lack of teacher empathy.</p>

More than 24,000 U.S. high school students drop out each year, contributing to the approximate 1.1 million U.S. adults who have not earned the high school diploma or General Education Development. This failure in educational attainment contributes significantly to the lack of economic and workforce development opportunities as well as the standard of living for more than 10% of the statewide population of a midwestern state. In response to this problem, the state entered into model programming in 2015 with 2 new approaches for adult education to diploma programs. The purpose of this basic qualitative interpretive research study was to better understand the experiences of 9 adult learners who successfully completed 1 of 2 high school diploma completion programs. The conceptual framework for this study integrated the learning theory perspectives of Bruner and Bandura and the aspects of lifelong learning and its influence on the motivations and values of the adult learner. The codes and themes that emerged from the analysis of the interview process were the participants' connection to the program, extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, challenges that were experienced through the program, strategies for success that fostered the completion process, suggestions for program improvements, and the advice the participants would give to prospective students who are considering an adult diploma option. These results may contribute to a better understanding of success factors for adult students enrolled in diploma completion programs and support positive change and program effectiveness in the future.

No description available.

Roughly 40% of first-time freshman enter college at two-year institutions (Ginder, et al., 2015) and between roughly 70 to 80% of students enrolled at two-year institutions report the intent to continue their education to earn a bachelor’s degree (Jenkins & Fink, 2016; U.S. Department of Education, 2001). However, less than half of the percentage of community college students who intend to transfer formally transfer to a four-year institution (Shapiro et al., 2017), and even fewer complete their degrees in a timely manner once enrolled at the receiving institution (Chen, et al., 2019; Berkner, Horn, & Clune, 2000; Bradburn, Hurst, & Peng, 2001). Previous research has found that students who successfully transfer from a two-year to a four-year institution often outright lose credits or discover that degree program equivalent credit does not apply to the selected major during the transfer process (Keith, 1996; Ignash & Townsend, 2000; Simone, 2014; Hodara, Martinez-Wenzl, Stevens, & Mazzeo, 2016). The loss of credits towards a student’s declared field of study has major implications, including limited financial aid eligibility, additional tuition costs due to repeated course work, additional time to degree, and inevitably, delayed opportunities for competitive employment (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2017). The study focused on Florida and used three states with varying degrees of statewide transfer policies as comparison states (Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania). The study is based on the quantitative analyses of three databases, two of which were federally collected databases and one which was constructed from data collected in this research project. The federal data sets were the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG). The other project data set, referred to as Florida College and University Surveys (FCUS), was constructed from survey responses from two- and four-year public Florida institutions. The graduation rates of transfer students were higher than those of first-time-in-college students (FTIC). Most students who earned a bachelor’s degree was a transfer student who also reported the earning of an associate’s degree. On a percentage basis, FTIC students earned slightly more bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering fields than transfer students. Transfer students were found to earn a higher percentage of bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering related fields, and non-science and engineering related fields compared to their FTIC counterparts. FTIC students were more likely to earn advanced degrees beyond the bachelor’s degree than transfer students. Based on common transfer metrics commonly used by public two- and four-year state institutions, Florida had the most comprehensive statewide transfer and articulation policies, and New York had the least comprehensive. Quantitative results indicated a strong relationship between the six-year transfer graduation rates and the states and revealed Florida had the lowest graduation rates of transfer students, while Pennsylvania had the highest. Additionally, there was a strong relationship between the six-year transfer graduation rates of Pell Grant eligible transfer students and the states, nonetheless, the graduation rates of Pell Grant eligible transfer students were measurably lower than the overall population of transfer students. Quantitative results indicated Florida and Arizona transfer graduation rates differed significantly at the .05 level. It was found that transfer-in rate and percent of full-time enrollment negatively impacted transfer students’ graduation rates. These findings provide insight to the completion rates of transfer students in states with varying levels of statewide transfer and articulation policies. Further research should examine the extent to which individual transfer policies have on student outcomes, such as locally established major/program-based institution-to-institution agreements. Additionally, to gain a deeper understanding of the variables that have a relationship with transfer student outcomes, further research should investigate the differences in the interpretation and implementation of transfer and articulation policies between the states. / Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies

This thesis aimed to determine how and why physical education made its apperance and has developed in in the senior colleges of Texas.

The research conducted tested a theory based on work by Tinto (1999), Astin (1984), and the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE, 2012) that multiple interventions are needed to significantly improve graduation rates at community colleges. The literature says little about this approach for community college students; therefore, this dissertation contributes to the knowledge base for educational programs. A first-year program at a large, diverse community college using multiple interventions assisted in determining the validity of the theory. The interventions built into the first-year program included learning communities, a student success course (SSC), proactive advising, and experiential learning. The CCCSE and others identified these components as high-impact practices for improving student achievement. A common theme and faculty tied interventions together across the first year of the program. The small sample (n = 21) and the fact this was the pilot year represent the most critical limitations in ascertaining the efficacy of the theory. The program's outcomes were evaluated using propensity score matching (PSM). Updates in statistical software continue to make the method easier to implement and evaluate. Consequently, this method is increasing in popularity in education to determine causality where random assignment is not feasible. Hence, the dissertation spends some time describing the method, so others can benefit from the method in their research. The author compared the program group to matched students from the same campus in the fall and spring terms. Characteristics of the match were chosen based on a careful search of the literature and historical data of the institution to ensure that students in the match group would be comparable. Differences in persistence, grade point average (GPA), and credits earned served to determine the effectiveness of the theory in this pilot. The program did not show a statistically significant increase (p > .1) in persistence, GPA, or credits earned over the matched group. Yet, a small effect was measured for GPA (d = 0.51, fall and d = 0.12, spring), credits earned (d = 0.17, fall and d = 0.13, spring), and persistence (OR = 1.28, fall and OR = 1.25, spring). The positive finding encourages more research into the theory of multiple interventions for community college students. In conclusion, future research should include following up with the participants in year two to determine how long the intervention effect persists. Also, increasing the sample size by including other first-year programs run by the institution improves the ability to detect differences and improve confidence. Finally, multiple interventions need to be tried on many different types of students to determine who benefits most.

The purpose of this study was to understand those factors that lead some community colleges to be more successful than others in pursuing and obtaining large grants. The impetus for the study derived from the experience of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its effort to increase grant submission rates and successful awards to community colleges. A key concern of the NSF was why a small sample of some 150 colleges, out of the universe of 1,200 community colleges, are repeatedly successful well beyond the norm in obtaining NSF grants. The primary research question addressed by the study is "why are some community colleges much more successful in winning large grants and what can be learned from them?" A case study of two successful colleges was conducted, one on a large urban campus and one on a small and rural campus. The case study methodology included a mix of qualitative techniques incorporating document analysis, focus groups, and individual in-depth interviewing across a broad sample of institutional staff, faculty and administrators. A survey was also employed across a larger sample of community colleges that looked at the perceptions of grants officers on factors pertaining to the winning large grants for their institutions. Statistical analyses of the survey responses are presented in tabular form. Two broad categories of findings are presented, the first pertaining to organizational leadership and the second pertaining to formal and informal organizational structures, policies and practices. Organizational leadership at successful colleges is characterized by the endorsement of grant development from the president, the deans and the department chairs. Effective leadership is seen in faculty empowerment and non-intrusiveness by enabling faculty to pursue grant work. Successful leadership is also seen in the promotion of community engagement and internal and external partnership and collaboration. Formal and informal organizational structures, policies and practices are characterized by structured opportunities for interdepartmental dialog and by an administrative grants office that supports faculty from the conceptualization of ideas through the actual submission of grant proposals.

The lower retention and success rates of Black and Latine students in the Cinema/TV Department at a Hollywood-based community college reflect a broader diversity issue in the entertainment industry. This qualitative, arts-based study focused on student voice and the power of counternarratives by utilizing participatory action research to determine Black and Latine student sense of belonging. Four participants engaged 19 of their fellow students in dialogues using the social media platform TikTok to discover what their lived experiences were in the department, and what those narratives revealed about their sense of belonging and support systems. The resulting 54 TikTok videos and participant interviews revealed that Black and Latine students did feel a sense of belonging in the department when it came to peer acceptance and resources, but their belonging could be greatly increased with more diverse curriculum and faculty, and more opportunities to create community. Findings demonstrated that centering student voice in the classroom is key to creating safe and inclusive spaces for Black and Latine students, who might then feel a greater sense of belonging, which in turn can increase their retention and success rates in the department and lead to greater opportunities for employment in the film and television industry, further diversifying the media landscape.

Cooperative education has been in existence for approximately eighty three years as a tool to supplement classroom instruction with practical work experience. Some reports suggest that the combination of classroom learning and on-the-job training provides substantial benefits to cooperative education students. Despite these findings, cooperative education has not achieved the recognition that it probably deserves. This may be due to a number of reasons including: (1) lack of adequate promotion, (2) lack of adequate funding, and (3) lack of understanding of the program itself. A major contributing factor to these three limitations, is the failure of cooperative educators to sufficiently document the benefit of cooperative education programs. In fact, the reports attended to above have recognized the need for greater documentation of program benefits. The present study was undertaken to provide some empirical data regarding the perceived benefits of a community college cooperative education program. In conducting the study the researcher hoped to contribute to the existing data base on the benefit of cooperative education by examining the professional development and personal growth effects of a cooperative education program. The study was an ex post facto retrospective survey conducted among 460 former cooperative education students from Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Massachusetts. A survey instrument called the Cooperative Education Assessment Survey (CEAS) was developed specifically for the study. The results indicated that a majority of the participants assessed the professional development and personal growth benefits of the program positively. No gender differences were observed. However, significant race, age, employment status and enrollment status differences were found.

The use of collaborative methods in the college classroom is increasing in popularity due to an interest in more active forms of learning, increased recognition of the value of the experience of adult students, and the demand by organizations for workers who can work productively in a group. The purpose of this case study was to look at collaborative learning from the perspective of one aspect of student differences--cognitive style as defined by Witkin's field-independence and field-dependence. This research involved the analysis of data obtained from interviews, classroom observations, student evaluations, and questionnaires from 28 management students from Quinsigamond Community College. Analysis of the data, through qualitative and quantitative methods, revealed that in this study cognitive style did not make a difference in student perceptions of the effectiveness of the instructor or of a group based learning methodology. Field-independent students described their behavior more in terms of task roles, while field-dependent students reported themselves more in terms of maintenance roles. While field-dependent students in this study seemed to place a value on the sharing of tangible resources and the social aspects of the collaborative experience, the field-independent students were more apt to lead the discussion by asking questions that stimulated the collaborative conversations. There was no statistical difference between five prior years of non-collaborative student evaluations of this teacher and those of the collaborative class, nor did cognitive style seem to make a difference in the way that the students evaluated the instructor. The data on cognitive style and the students' satisfaction with the method of reaching consensus were inconclusive due to a lack of agreement on the construct of consensus within collaborative learning and limitations in the methodology. Field-dependent, field-independent and mixed cognitive style students all rated the field-dependent students as the most helpful to their own learning. Replication on a larger scale or with an emphasis on other aspects of individual student differences such as race, gender, age, grade point average etc., was recommended.