The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a public community college on American Indian students in terms of their goals, aspirations, and persistence. These effects are fundamental to understanding attrition and the low transfer and completion rates of American Indians and other minorities in community colleges. The study was conducted as a case study in an urban community college in the Southwest. Seven individual case studies were embedded in the larger study. Data were obtained through weekly interviews and followup of students who dropped-out. Goodenough's cognitive theory of culture served as the theoretical basis for the study. Spradley's typology of question format, which is intended to generate the categories into which individuals divide their cultural knowledge, was used to determine cultural perceptions and related changes that occurred over time. None of the students completed the programs in which they had enrolled. A main finding was that the students perceived the community college as a way to disassociate themselves from social problems that marginalize Indian people and engender stereotypes. However, the culture that was produced at the college discounted the students' sense of competence and reinforced a sense of marginalization they were attempting to overcome. The students possessed a wide variety of background experiences, but maintained a deep structure of internal values and expectations associated with their unique Indian heritage and experience. These combined over time with the patterns and meanings of the institution, creating situational arrhythmia which frustrated the students' expectations, aspirations, and life tasks. Significant issues that arose included: (1) The acquisition of meaningful experience; (2) a lack of a sense of a supportive environment; (3) preferred ways of learning, (4) conflicts between institutional and personal priorities and (5) negative and regressive effects of the "deficit model" in remedial education. Community colleges are unaware of the actual effects that they have on culturally diverse students. They should become "culturally literate" and adopt policies and practice policies which will allow them to extend beyond the inherent ethnocentrism they now embody. In matching equal access with equality of outcomes, this study suggests that community colleges must consider significant changes and innovations.

According to the five functions of academic advising as outlined by Morris (1973), this study investigates the specific academic advising needs of elementary education majors as perceived by elementary education students and faculty advisors at The University of Arizona. In addition, the unique advising needs of elementary education majors, those advising needs which are currently being met, and those advising needs which are not being met, are identified. Lastly, suggestions for improving the quality of academic advising for elementary education majors are examined. Twenty-five elementary education majors of senior standing admitted to the College of Education and twelve elementary education faculty advisors are individually administered an oral semi-structured questionnaire. Interview responses are categorized according to the five functions of academic advising, the unique advising needs of elementary education majors, advising needs which are currently being met, advising needs which are not being met, and suggestions for improving the quality of academic advising. The findings indicate that those advising needs which are specific to elementary education majors are contained within the functions of providing accurate information and long-range program planning. The advising needs identified within the functions of discerning the purpose of the institution, short-term course selection, and facilitating student development are generic in nature with no specific referent to teacher education. The unique advising needs of elementary education majors are identified as: (1) helping students to determine their suitability to the profession, (2) developing interpersonal skills, (3) developing communicative competence, (4) making decisions concerning program options, and (5) facilitating professional development. Advising needs which are being met are those related to program planning. Advising needs which are not being met are those related to determining suitability to the profession and facilitating professional development. Suggestions for improving the quality of academic advising for elementary education majors include the recognition of advising as a faculty priority and facilitating students' professional development needs. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of author.) UMI

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