Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2006. / Title from title page screen, viewed on May 2, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Dent Rhodes (chair), Nada Chang, Kenneth Jerich, Marilyn Morey. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-113) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-174). Also available on the World Wide Web.

This study was a descriptive analysis of the orientation program for a large junior college in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Its purposes were (1) to describe the freshman orientation course, (2) to analyze data compiled from rating forms which recorded student perceptions of each aspect of the course, and (3) to discuss the implications of the data for junior college student service personnel as they attempt to establish programs that will effectively aid students in making a successful adjustment to college.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether similarities exist in the perceptions of the roles of academic deans in community colleges. This study attempted to determine whether role expectations and perceptions reflected separate and distinct relationships, or if administrative patterns reflected an overlapping of responsibilities.

Chronic significant shortages of registered nurses and increasing numbers of older non-traditional students in nursing programs necessitate close examination by nurse educators of, among other issues, recruitment, program articulation, and the fit of curriculum and instruction to the new students. Crucial to this is knowledge of the life stages, learning styles and personal goals of these students, and that is the focus of this study, modeled on King's 1984 study using methodology adapted from Weathersby (1977). The subjects are the 130 students in Quincy's two-year college school of nursing, one group in a traditional RN program and one group, with LPN certificates, in an advanced placement program. The conceptual framework integrates Levinson's theory of life stages and Kolb's theory of learning style. Instruments used include Tarule's Educational Experience Inventory, Kolb's Learning Style Inventory and a demographic questionnaire. While both groups of students were of non-traditional age, the APN students averaged five years older than the RNs. The RNs were largely in Early Adult Transition and the APNs largely in the Mid-Life Transition phase. The learning styles for 83% of both groups were divided between Accommodators and Divergers, both of which strongly prefer concrete learning experience and also desire to have input to their curriculum and instruction. They perceived learning as a valued investment in themselves and were demanding of the learning process. These findings, characteristic of adult learners, could usefully produce changes in nursing curriculum and instruction such as assessment and adaptation to experiential learning, individualized clinical instruction with preceptors/mentors, flexible scheduling of classes and clinical work, and increased involvement by students in setting goals and objectives for class and clinical learning.

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the perceptions of a small group of working class women students of non-traditional age (25+) who completed a women's studies course at a community college. The study described the women's experience at a community college and with the content and teaching practices of the course, Women in Literature I. The study describes these students' sense of themselves as women and their emerging sense of feminism. The study examined how the students saw the course relating to their lives as women. The study explored how a working class family background, values and lifestyle influenced her sense of self as a woman. The study explored her connections between her lived experiences with her family life and the course. The study described how she reflected upon her experiences with her family and how she viewed their influence on her sense of self as a woman and on her sense of feminism. The dissertation was explorative and descriptive in nature. The primary research methodology was indepth interviews. The study used a purposeful sample of ten students from three sections of one literature course. In addition to the taped and transcribed interviews, an interviewer's journal and content review of course materials were also used. The findings suggest that working class women succeed in their attempt at college as adults when a significant role model takes an active interest early in their re-entry to school. The findings also support the importance of special adult programs for non-traditional aged students. Additionally, working class women readily described the conflicts that existed for them in returning to school, especially when schooling had been unsuccessful in the past. Information about the course suggested that women gained an increased understanding of history and its impact on women's lives. This historical perspective served as a base for understanding feminism. Additionally, reading about women's lives assisted participants in better understanding their own lives. The course gave them an increased appreciation of the context of their mothers' lives. Finally, the course readings also provided insights about the conditions of black women's lives.

Providing open access to higher education, community colleges extend the promise of a college education to all who can complete the degree requirements of a particular institution. One of the more universal requirements in community colleges is the completion of at least one course in college-level math. For female students, many of whom enter college without strong backgrounds in mathematics, the college-level math requirement often represents a particularly difficult challenge. The purpose of this study was to understand the ways in which personal, interpersonal, and cultural relationships influence achievement in math for women attending community college. By understanding these influences, community colleges can implement curricular and pedagogical changes in mathematics instruction that enhance opportunities for student success. Participants included six female community college students at various stages of completion of their math requirements. Qualitative methods were used to explore their stories with a particular focus on how interpersonal relationships, both inside and outside the classroom, affected achievement. A series of two interviews were employed to gather the data. Analysis consisted of coding interview texts, developing summaries of each participant's interviews, and comparing and contrasting participant responses between students with varying levels of mathematics achievement. The study found that all participants, even those with strong math skills, experienced some level of math anxiety, and that, in most cases, their math anxiety was strong enough to affect performance. Findings also confirmed that interpersonal relationships had a strong influence on student achievement. Those who experience the highest levels of achievement spoke of positive parental figures who took time to help them with math. In contrast, students who had the lowest levels of achievement spoke of negative experiences with teachers, and told of receiving little or no support from parents or others in their lives. Further research is indicated to help students reduce their levels of math anxiety in the community college classroom. Additionally, colleges must actively seek ways to counteract the negative experiences students bring with them to the mathematics classroom. Reducing student anxiety and promoting positive relationships with faculty and others should help to increase student achievement and success in mathematics.

Much is known about the effects of college on students. Most of this research focuses on four-year residential college students. In contrast, there is surprisingly little research on community college students, although community colleges enroll almost half of all undergraduates. Even less research has been devoted to the experience of first-generation students (firsts), who are an increasing presence in U.S. higher education, comprising 61% of all community college students. As the first in their family to attend college, first-generation students are, in effect, entering uncharted territory. Family support is critical to their access to and persistence in higher education. However, firsts consistently report a lack of such support. Research on these students has typically focused on more quantifiable characteristics, such as demographic differences. This qualitative study addresses the need for an expanded understanding of the influence of parents and family on first-generation students. Six student-parent pairs participated in a series of individual interviews conducted over the course of the students' first year at a large, urban community college. Interviews explored the positive and negative influences of parents and the family habitus on students' college experience. Findings yielded a model for conceptualizing parental influence on students, focusing on particular constructs that pervade the entire life trajectory, from childhood to college attendance, which differs significantly from the commonly accepted stage theories, which have largely guided policy and practice to date. The constructs of knowledge, encouragement, and action, and associated sub-constructs are discussed within the context of an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, informed by work from the fields of psychology, sociology, and education. Implications for policy and practice are discussed, and areas for future research are identified.

Warnings of an impending leadership crisis in community colleges are raising interest in the role of chief academic officer (CAO). Despite the centrality of the position, the CAO is largely neglected in the academic research literature. Information from CAOs about their perceptions and experiences as leaders is needed to create and develop supports for their expanding leadership role. Factors that affect collaboration among CAOs must be identified to determine the extent to which CAOs are interested and able to collaborate to solve common problems. This qualitative study ultimately probes the potential benefit of developing a network of chief academic officers in community colleges to confront and resolve shared challenges and opportunities, particularly at the regional level. CAOs serving in 40 public community colleges in the six New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont were sent an original written survey probing their views of CAO leadership, collaboration and demographic characteristics. Twenty-five surveys were completed and returned for a response rate of 62.5%. Five CAOs, selected by geography, size of institution, and views on collaboration were selected for hour-long interviews to explore in depth their survey answers. The study findings indicate that the CAO is a critical leadership role in New England community colleges faced with expanding demands and shrinking resources. CAOs are also active collaborators who value the knowledge and experience of their peers in formulating responses to common problems. A model of collaboration as a function of engagement and concerns is used to clarify collaboration among CAOs. The model suggests that collaboration reaches its full potential when engagement between CAOs becomes more personal and there is recognition of mutual concerns. Collaboration among CAOs could be facilitated by providing additional time and resources to support communication and travel. A higher percentage of CAOs in New England are female, white, slightly older, and have served, on average, fewer years in their position when compared with national studies. Recommendations for supporting collaboration among CAOs, especially within geographic regions, are presented, along with a call for more research on the role of the CAO in community colleges.

This study explored metacognition of sixteen adult learners enrolled in an advanced level community college ESL writing course. The ESL participants reflected on three topics concerning thoughts and feelings about writing and themselves as writers: attitude towards writing (feelings and motivations), writing identity, and self-direction (self-evaluation and planning). Using a participatory research approach, data were collected from three semi-structured interviews and numerous written responses during one semester. Participants were from the Hispanic and Korean cultures with a majority Puerto Rican (75%) and female (81%). Overall, feelings towards writing were complex (both positive and negative) and changed throughout the semester. Positive feelings energized and appeared related to an individual awareness of progress rather than an outside measure of proficiency. Motivations for learning to write were also complex (including both external and internal orientations) and changed over the semester. External utilitarian motivations seemed to be primary initially. Internal motivations such as expression of feelings, joy in self-expression, and expansion of cognition surfaced as the semester progressed. Participants' descriptions of themselves as writers changed from incredulity, negativity, and denial to a relatively positive and distinct sense of writing identity. Self-direction changed from global (or very general) self-evaluations and planning to more specific and empowering self-evaluations and planning. Encouraging interviewing language and subsequent dialogue fostered self-direction. Both positive and negative global self-evaluations indicated powerlessness while increased specificity (either positive or negative) indicated potential for improvement through concrete planning. Suggestions for modifications to a traditional ESL writing class include acknowledgement of strengths, focus on progress in a noncompetitive workshop environment, and inclusion of metacognitive topics that acknowledge the affective or emotional component to learning to write. Student-participants reported benefits of the metacognitive approach: clarification, opportunity for verbal expression, time for thinking and understanding, awareness of progress through comparison of work, and increased awareness of the instructor (or researcher). The researcher also reported benefits of the metacognitive approach: a harmony of student-centered methods and goals, data for researchers and curriculum developers, "encouraging" and "enabling" of participants, and growth of self-awareness and autonomy of participants.