This exploratory study investigated the relationships between community college students' Myers-Briggs typology preferences and their problem-solving skills. The literature provides reason to believe that students' MBTI preferences are related to problem-solving style and ability. The educator's ability to teach problem-solving will be enhanced through an identification of motivational patterns affecting learning. A sample of 577 community college students participated in the study. Achievement Level for each student was identified using the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test. In addition, problem-solving ability was measured using the New Jersey Test of Reasoning Skills. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Form F, provided the MBTI profile scores. Chi Square analyses, correlations, and stepwise regression techniques were employed to identify and test relationships. The best identified predictor was the student's preference on the Sensing/Intuition index. Preference on the Judgment/Perception index also proved to be significant. Students who have the least skills in mathematics problem-solving have stronger preferences in the direction of the sensing dimension and the judgment dimension. Implications and recommendations for classroom instruction were presented and recommendations for related research were suggested. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to determine if certain student demographics and measures of previous high school academic achievement could differentiate between students who are successful in remedial and college level English and algebra courses and students who are unsuccessful in those courses.

Although the recent annual growth rate in the US paramedic field has been 4%, Latino and African American men have been significantly underrepresented in the field compared to their proportion in the US population at large. This problem threatens both the quality and quantity of available emergency health care. The purpose of this study was to describe how men of color (MOC) in community college paramedical programs experienced their awareness, interest, and proactive choice of paramedicine as a course of study. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach and social cognitive career theory as a theoretical framework, I interviewed 23 MOC enrolled during one semester across three community college paramedical programs in the southwestern US: 9 Latino and 14 African American, aged 18-29 with mean age 22 years. The focus of the interviews was the participants' lived experiences at various career points, as well as the enablers and disablers they had encountered. I identified three primary themes for possible use in enhancing recruitment of MOC to the paramedic field: strategic use of new digital media, promotion of the vocation's quasi-familial characteristics, and augmentation of neighborhood-based outreach. Identified areas for further research included recruitment dynamics of female paramedics, MOC persistence issues, and MOC job satisfaction assessments.

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The major purpose of this study was to investigate whether a career-oriented, freshman English class (WSACP), was beneficial in increasing student cognitive complexity beyond normal maturational development. Cognitive complexity was assessed along the Perry scheme of intellectual and ethical development by the Measure of Intellectual Development (MID). A pretest/ posttest quasi-experimental design was implemented to compare cognitive changes among an experimental (n=23) and two control groups (n=21/n=23). A secondary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of WSACP on student retention rates. This study was based on the assumptions that an effective college-level career development program would: (a) be developmentally oriented, focusing on cognitive maturation through an emphasis on the writing process, (b) be taught within the regular academic curriculum, and thus be taken for academic credit, and (c) be collaboratively designed and taught. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures, the study found that the general cognitive complexity of the experimental group increased at significantly higher rates (at the .05 level) than that of the two combined control groups. The retention results. although encouraging, revealed no statistically significant differences between WSACP and 266 other freshman students. The major recommendations emanating from this study were: (a) institutions of higher education should encourage the development of "collaborative" courses in the areas of English and career development. Research should be conducted to substantiate the career development results of this study, and investigate the effects of such an approach on student writing, (b) the dimension of cognitive complexity should be included in the development of career programs, and (c) first-term career development activities should be included in any comprehensive retention program. / Ed. D.

An interpretative philosophical framework was applied to a case study to document the particular experiences and perspectives of ten women engineering transfer students who once attended a community college and are currently enrolled in one of two university professional engineering programs. This study is important because women still do not earn as many engineering baccalaureate degrees as men and are underrepresented in the engineering labor market. There is also a shortfall of domestic engineers entering the workforce. Community colleges are an essential part of the engineering baccalaureate degree pipeline and well-positioned to fill this void as feeder institutions. Data was collected from one-on-one and follow-up focus group interviews and addressed three research questions: (a) What were their community college experiences, (b) what should community colleges continue to do to support women engineering transfer students, and (c) what can be done to improve community college engineering transfer programs, especially for women? This study has limited broad generalization, but adds another dimension to existing research pertaining to community college transfer and women engineering students (Stake, 1995). Two main themes emerged from the study participants: the affect of curriculum and instruction, and student survival strategies and support. Common thematic experiences supporting the affect of curriculum and instruction main theme are: (a) Accessible and approachable staff, (b) prepared with foundational knowledge, (c) different grading methods, (d) loved math and science courses, and (e) subtle forms of biases. The student survival and support strategies main theme was supported by four common thematic experiences: (a) Engineering student study groups, (b) community college engineering faculty advising, (c) self-advising, and (d) tutoring. Study participants suggested that community colleges continue to support women engineering transfer students with the following strategies: (a) Provide a caring and available staff, (b) keep small classes, (c) align and synchronize curriculum, and (d) provide tutoring services. They suggested the following improvements: (a) Connections with other engineering students, (b) increase student outreach and career awareness activities, (c) expand academic advising, (d)provide additional financial aid, and (e) offer additional engineering courses at the community college. / Graduation date: 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between nonverbal immediacy of community college teachers, both full-time and part-time, and their within-semester student retention rates.