This study explored what cognitive resources (i.e., units of knowledge necessary to learn) first-semester organic chemistry students used to make decisions about acid strength and how those resources guided the prediction, explanation and justification of trends in acid strength. We were specifically interested in the identifying and characterizing the mental models, assumptions and heuristics that students relied upon to make their decisions, in most cases under time constraints. The views about acids and acid strength were investigated for twenty undergraduate students. Data sources for this study included written responses and individual interviews.The data was analyzed using a qualitative methodology to answer five research questions. Data analysis regarding these research questions was based on existing theoretical frameworks: problem representation (Chi, Feltovich & Glaser, 1981), mental models (Johnson-Laird, 1983); intuitive assumptions (Talanquer, 2006), and heuristics (Evans, 2008). These frameworks were combined to develop the framework from which our data were analyzed.Results indicated that first-semester organic chemistry students' use of cognitive resources was complex and dependent on their understanding of the behavior of acids. Expressed mental models were generated using prior knowledge and assumptions about acids and acid strength; these models were then employed to make decisions. Explicit and implicit features of the compounds in each task mediated participants' attention, which triggered the use of a very limited number of heuristics, or shortcut reasoning strategies. Many students, however, were able to apply more effortful analytic reasoning, though correct trends were predicted infrequently. Most students continued to use their mental models, assumptions and heuristics to explain a given trend in acid strength and to justify their predicted trends, but the tasks influenced a few students to shift from one model to another model. An emergent finding from this project was that the problem representation greatly influenced students' ability to make correct predictions in acid strength.

<p>The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the adjunct faculty's perception of professional development and support services offered and needed at Tidewater Community College, a multicampus community college. This study involved adjunct faculty only. A survey was created and contained 58 survey questions. The majority of these were Likert-like items based on a scale from <i>Strongly Agree</i>, indicating a very important need or value for the adjunct, to <i>Strongly Disagree</i>, indicating a not important at all level of perceived value. In order to determine if other factors influenced the perception of professional development or support services, other questions asked for demographic information, such as education level, age, number of years in the professional field, and discipline/department. Except for education level, each of the independent variables accepted the null hypothesis that there is no statistically significant difference between adjunct faculty perception of institutional supports and the professional development and support services offered in terms of the independent variables. Findings from this study indicated that adjunct faculty perceived that professional development and support services are significant in improving their teaching and important to their role and success. Adjuncts want to better serve students and connect with the institution. Orientation and mentoring are highly regarded and requested to help integrate adjunct faculty into the college. The data indicated that adjunct faculty members want professional development that meets their specific instructional and student-centered needs that is offered during more accommodating times. The current professional development offerings are not well-attended and do not seem to meet the specific needs of this adjunct population. It behooves the administration to further investigate what is currently being done to support adjuncts and to address a means to improve the delivery and execution of all institutional supports. While this study provides useful information related to one community college, it is important that each community college examine closely its personal investment relative to the institutional support it provides to adjunct faculty members. </p>

<p> Women have historically been underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM fields). The underrepresentation of women in STEM may be attributable to a variety of factors. These may include different choices men and women typically make in response to incentives in STEM education. For example, STEM career paths may be less accommodating to people who are less resilient. Another factor may be that there are relatively few female STEM role models. Perhaps strong gender stereotypes discourage women from pursuing STEM education and STEM jobs. The factors that contribute to success and the barriers that impeded success must be identified before any steps can be taken to improve the educational outcomes for women in STEM disciplines. Consequently, relatively little is known about the role of resilience in academically successful adult women in rural community colleges enrolled in STEM disciplines and the mechanisms that underlie the performance deficits that occur as a result of stereotype threat effect. This mixed method study addressed those knowledge gaps by determining: (1) if high resilience is positively correlated to high grade point average for women enrolled in STEM disciplines in rural community colleges in North Carolina, and (2) if stereotype threat effect is a risk factor for these women. Quantitative data were collected by using "The Resilience Scale" (Wagnild &amp; Young, 1987) and through examination of grade point average of students from Datatel data management software. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured focus group interviews. Findings from this study indicate high resilience is positively correlated to high grade point average for women enrolled in STEM disciplines in rural community colleges in North Carolina, and stereotype threat effect was a risk factor for low-scoring women (i.e. those women who reported resilience scores less than 121 and grade point averages lower than 2.70) and was not a risk factor for high-scoring women (i.e. those women who reported resilience scores of 147 or higher and grade point averages of 2.70 or higher). Overall, qualitative data analysis revealed both high-scoring and low-scoring women in STEM disciplines were affected by stereotype threat effect. However, low-scoring women were negatively impacted by stereotype threat and high-scoring women were able to use pressures associated with stereotype threat as motivation for success. Based on results from this study four principal factors were found that influence the success of women in STEM disciplines. These factors include elimination of stereotype threat, enhancement of resilience of female students, expansion of female gender representation on community college campuses, and development of positive instructor-student and advisor-student relationships. While this study does not, and cannot, explain why gender differences in STEM exist, it does provide data and insight that will enable more informed policymaking for community college administrators in order to increase success of women in STEM disciplines. The findings provide definitive evidence of a need to encourage and support women in STEM education with a goal of gender parity. </p>

<p> This study examined the experiences of first-generation, economically disadvantaged, and disabled students&rsquo; utilization of TRIO Student Support Services and their perceptions related to factors associated with the services. The populace studied were Mexican-Americans, a subgroup of the Latin@ population as it is the fastest growing racial/ethnic minority group in the United States totaling approximately 12.5% of the nation and expected to almost double to 24% by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Due to the abundance of Latin@s enrolling at community colleges (Fry, 2002; Tierney, 2005), it is important to do individualized studies on student experiences on their perspective of college interventions as a means to find ways to retain higher numbers of students, leading to higher graduation and transfer rates. </p><p> Using a qualitative, multiple case study approach, the researcher explored a border, rural community college. Social capital was used as the theoretical framework. Six, Mexican-American students served as the participants. The data collection methods were through semi-structured interviews over the course of the summer semester of 2013 at a Hispanic-Serving institution. The expected results were that students&rsquo; perceptions would validate the necessity for programs such as TRIO Student Support Services to serve as a tool for retention and completion at the two-year college or transferring to a university and completing.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to identify student characteristics and academic program factors, which influence the student's ability to persist through degree completion within healthcare-related, associate degree programs within four urban, community colleges. To achieve this outcome, the Bean and Metzner (1985) model of non-traditional student attrition was adapted to analyze academic and demographic variables which may lead to degree completion within healthcare programs of study. Records of 3,237 students from four urban, community colleges, with healthcare-related programs of study and prerequisites of English, anatomy and physiology, and mathematics, were analyzed to determine predictors leading to program completion. The study employed a quantitative, <i> ex post facto</i> design using descriptive statistics, correlation, and logistic regression models to analyze the sample of 552 students. Out of the twelve independent variables for the six programs of study (diagnostic medical sonography, echocardiology technology, invasive cardiovascular technology, nursing, radiologic sciences, and respiratory care programs), cumulative and program grade point averages were found to be significant predictors of program completion. Recommendations included adding shorter certificate options within the programs of study, consider reducing the length of associate degree programs, assessing licensure success and length of programs in the healthcare sector, applying similar studies in university or rural settings, assessment of financial aid and completion in healthcare programs, and establishing pre-advising opportunities to determine the best program fit for students within the healthcare sector, thus increasing the student's ability to persist to program completion or graduation.</p>

<p> The purpose of this research study was to better understand the learning process related to experiential learning that occurs for early childhood education students in the early childhood education capstone course. Limited research exists on the nature of learning that occurs in the early childhood education capstone experience. A basic interpretive qualitative design was used for this investigation. Seven students enrolled in an early childhood capstone course at a community college were interviewed for the study. Qualitative methods were used to collect data from the students via interviews. Each participant engaged in three interviews, resulting in a total of 21 interviews. Each participant was interviewed by phone and digitally recorded for accuracy. </p><p> An analysis of the data revealed that the nature of learning that occurs during the early childhood capstone course is experiential. The theoretical framework for this study was derived from the research on teacher education, early childhood education, and adult learning. The three concepts that emerged from this study are (a) influence on students' learning, (b) perception of students' learning, and (c) the nature of learning. </p>

<p> Problem: Paramedic educators have a short time frame (840 didactic/laboratory plus 500 clinical/internship hours) and limited resources to prepare their students to have competent clinical skills, safe medical practice, and appropriate leadership and teamwork skills. New learning approaches including simulation, audiovisual feedback, and structured debriefing have been suggested as a way to meet this challenge within paramedic education. While some individual components have been studied, no study has examined these three technologies together in paramedic training programs. The overarching research question that guided this study was: What and how do paramedic students learn in a high-fidelity healthcare simulation program that includes audio/video and instructor-facilitated feedback? </p><p> Method: The investigation was a mixed methods study; however, the study tended towards qualitative methods primarily using intrinsic case study methodology based on the work of Yin and Stake. The investigation reviewed the outcomes achieved through the use of high-fidelity healthcare simulation coupled with audio-visual feedback, when implemented within a paramedic education program. A variety of data was collected including audio-visual recordings of briefs, simulations, and debriefs, multiple student documents and logs, and copious researcher notes and documents. </p><p> Results: The simulation laboratory was a realistic, safe, controlled setting allowing students to make autonomous decisions without potential harm to human life as a consequence of errors. Simulation technology augmented traditional clinical experiences by providing more uniformity of experiences between students, providing less familiar clinical experiences, and acting as a time-efficient method for achieving deficit competencies. In evaluating student skill performance, simulation provided better quantified measures and observation accuracy. </p><p> Leadership skills were developed in simulation by taking advantage of safe learning aspects; an environment to learn from mistakes which used leadership skill autonomous practice. Participation as a leader and follower allowed the learner a better understanding of the leadership role when exposed to well-crafted scenarios. Simulation was a unique methodology facilitating safe learning from errors committed by students, a result of knowledge gaps within individual learning. Simulation was unlike traditional learning methods such as lecture, laboratory, or clinical experiences. </p><p> The facilitator/debriefer assisted the paramedic in learning within the simulation environment by: creating a safe learning environment, helping learners identify what knowledge was needed, reinforcing identified needed learning, assisting participants to identify correct actions in response to individualized errors, and promoting learner reflection. A debriefing provided the environment whereby the bulk of learning took place in the simulation experience. The simulation environment contributed to student growth in three domains (cognitive, psychomotor and affective) of learning identifying knowledge or performance gaps for students in the specific practice of assessment, leadership, treatments, planning, evaluation, situational awareness, communications, and teamwork. Simulation provided an alternate method for achieving clinical experiences not available in the actual setting. During the debriefing, the audio-visual feedback and interactive probing procedures worked together to promote student learning. The audio-visual component provided a "big picture" viewpoint for the learner used by the debriefer during interactive probing to help students identify errors and alternate actions. </p><p> A learning model was constructed which represented how students learn. The use of simulation allowed the participant to determine unknown knowledge gaps from previous learning through processes of simulation experience, identification during debriefing, and reflection on alternate-decision pathways. Learning occurred in learning process conclusion: the application of alternate pathways in behavior. The learning process has been summarized in a simulation learning model presented in this study. The simulation learning model is applicable for cognitive, affective, and psychomotor elements. </p><p> Within the study, analysis developed emergent themes. Emergent themes included: <i>Context Is Vital, We Often Don't Know What We Don't Know, Learning From Mistakes, Learners Must Have a Safe Learning Environment, Learning Lessons From Other Industries, and Teaching Leadership Challenges for Paramedics.</i> </p><p> Conclusions and Recommendations: Students often don't know what they don't know in individualized previous learned knowledge; thus, a learning mechanism is required, such as simulation with facilitated debriefing interactive audiovisual feedback. Simulation technology acts as a safe and non-threatening environment to allow learning from mistakes without a human cost. Valid fidelity healthcare simulations augment traditional clinical experiences by providing unfamiliar virtual realities in a uniform way to strengthen the participants' overall experience repertoire. This study recommends that the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) industry, educators, and policy makers establish standards requiring simulation learning within initial training programs to decrease the potential for loss of human lives as a result of human error.</p>

<p> Ample data exists indicating that immigrant-origin students are underperforming in education at all levels. In particular, immigrant-origin students are disproportionally the least prepared for higher education. As a result, a majority of these students begin their academic careers at community colleges where they enroll in remedial courses at rates far higher than those for other student populations. Such is the common pathway for immigrant-origin students entering an Urban Public University system (UPU). Research tells us that students who enter college academically underprepared and who struggle in introductory courses are more likely to drop out or withdraw, thus lowering their chances of earning a degree. This dissertation examines the intermediate variables associated with retention and academic achievement during a critical juncture in the college experience: remedial English.</p><p> This case study will focus on the institutional context in which the student experience takes place juxtaposed with the student perspective of remedial English. Thus, the overarching research question is: How do English remediation policies and practices (with regard to admissions, placement, testing and remediation classroom experiences) at a large public institution shape the student experience and how does the experience contribute to academic achievement?</p><p> In hopes of capturing a comprehensive understanding of the intermediate factor of remedial English, I designed my research with the entirety of the UPU system in mind. To gain the greatest insights into how enrollment in remedial English can influence the academic achievement of immigrant students at UPU, I asked the following research questions: Q1. What are the perceptions of faculty and administrators about remedial English policies and practices and their role in structuring the experiences, opportunities and impediments for immigrant-origin students in community college? Q2. What are students' perceptions of remedial English policies and practices and their role in structuring experiences, opportunities and impediments in community college? Q3. How do faculty, administrators, and students perspectives converge and diverge regarding the experiences, opportunities and impediments for immigrant-origin students in remedial English? By increasing our focus on immigrant-origin students in developmental writing courses, we may contribute positively to student retention and academic achievement overall. Additionally, this study may serve a national purpose by providing critical insights to advance the "completion agenda" endorsed by the federal government as well as numerous private foundations and advocacy groups that share the goal of drastically improving college graduation rates particularly in community colleges by 2020.</p>

<p> A successful blended classroom includes the important essentials of both traditional and online education; creating a new approach to instructional learning. With the steadily increasing number of blended classes offered at community colleges, an opportunity exists to inform the purposeful planning of blended classes to best meet students' needs through identifying and comparing both faculty and students' perceived course effectiveness factors and challenges. The specific problem is that faculty and students' perceived factors for possible increased course effectiveness and their perceived challenges for decreased course effectiveness have not been previously identified then compared and contrasted. Filling the gap with this specific perception knowledge allows educators to more purposefully and strategically plan curriculum, thus increase student success. The purpose of this quantitative methodology research study was to examine perceived attitudes of blended learning faculty and students. Secondarily, best practices were identified for developing blended courses that promote quality higher education instruction and learner success as perceived by both the students and the faculty at a large community college in the Southwestern United States. Two web surveys were administered, one for faculty and one for students to gather data through quantitative and open-ended questions. For this purposeful sample study, the participants were 31 faculty members who taught blended classes and 171 students over the age of 18 who attended blended classes at the specific college during the Spring 2014 and Fall 2014 semesters. The quantitative data obtained from each of the surveys was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Sixteen t test independent two-sample assuming unequal variances found the results were split depending on the course effectiveness factor being addressed. The null hypothesis was rejected for six of the twelve benefit factors (flexibility, time management, instructor access, interactive learning materials, optimized class time, and success measured by withdrawal rates) and one of the four challenge factors (reduced access to instructor). Themes that emerged from the open-ended responses included the focus on flexibility, technology, self-efficacy, and communication. Many of the factors identified, if addressed, could increase the course effectiveness, satisfaction, retention and completion, and ultimately, successful student learning in the blended class modality.</p>

<p> Low graduation rates are a significant issue for colleges. The majority of higher education institutions in the United States offer learning communities (LCs), which have been found to be effective for improving course success and persisting to the next semester. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of LCs with different types of populations and different types of LCs. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to identify the most effective types of LCs. Research questions addressed the effects of different types of LCs on different student success outcomes for community colleges. The study was based on Tinto's interactionist model of student departure and Astin's model of student involvement. Studies examining the relationship between student success and participation in college LCs provided the data for the meta-analysis. A random effects model was used to generate the average effect size for 39 studies and 50 individual effect sizes. The results showed that LCs are most effective with community college students when they include additional support strategies, counseling is available to students, one of the linked courses is an academic skills course, at least one of the linked course is developmental, and the focus is on increasing course success or student engagement. The implications for positive social change suggest that LC programs implement two linked courses, include an academic skills course, focus on developmental courses, and provide access to a counselor and additional student support strategies. In addition, LC programs are most effective when the goals of the program are student engagement and course success.</p>