<p> The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to illuminate the prevalence and configurations of peer mentoring programs at Central California Community Colleges with emphasis on how the programs impacted student retention. The study&rsquo;s sample was drawn from ten campuses and five centers that operate within five California Community College districts serving approximately 90,000 students annually. Using purposeful sampling, the researcher interviewed five administrators from four campuses and three districts toward obtaining in-depth information about their peer mentoring programs. Eight of the 15 campuses in the subject pool offered a peer mentoring program. All peer mentoring programs were instituted since 2013, and most of the peer mentoring programs were instituted between 2014 and 2016. Diverse peer mentoring programs across sites and districts were instituted between 2013 and 2016. It was revealed that quantitative data to track how peer mentoring impacted retention had not been gathered. This recent proliferation of community college peer mentoring programs refuted the historical underutilization noted in the scholarly literature. Recommendations for future research and practice included investigating whether the Central California Community College peer mentoring program proliferation that was discovered holds true in other areas of the state or country, examining why more campuses in the subject pool did not establish peer mentoring programs, and using quantitative methods to evaluate the efficacy of community college peer mentoring programs.</p><p>

<p> Human beings have spent much time and effort in trying to understand themselves, others, and their world. Mankind uses intellect when trying to understand life but the majority of people continue to encounter frustration, confusion, and a variety of obstacles when dealing with daily challenges and people. Theorists and researchers understand that successful existence requires more than mere knowledge; it requires a level of understanding, a form of wisdom foreign to the bulk of the populace. The missing ingredient for this kind of wisdom is the ability to &lsquo;know thyself,&rsquo; which is the beginning of establishing a higher level of emotional maturity. This qualitative study focused on the transformational learning process of the adult learner, aged 50 and older. In studying the learning processes, an online survey was implemented and then Partridge's (1985, 2014) Maturity Reasoning Index Program (MRIP) was used as a psycho-educational program and administered after the participants answered five vignettes regarding current perspectives of five areas of their logic reasoning. After completing the MRIP, participants answered five additional vignettes regarding similar areas of reasoning. This study investigated participants&rsquo; transformational learning experiences as they developed a higher level of emotional maturity compared to previous reported emotional maturity findings. A group of 32 volunteers, recruited from a university listserv and networking among family and friends, spent several months completing the online study. The study included an initial four-part survey, a brief pre-test survey, an extensive psycho-educational program, and a brief post-test. At the end of the study, 23 participants completed the study. Findings indicate an increase in using a higher level of logic of reasoning or potential transformation after completing the psycho-educational program. Additional research is recommended in the area of emotional maturation, life satisfaction, wisdom, and trust-of-self for adult learners aged 50 and older.</p>

<p> This study explored the interplay of a community college&rsquo;s vision, its leaders&rsquo; behaviors, strategic planning, and the use of data that contributed to an organizational culture that led to the improvement of student success. The researcher used a grounded theory approach to delve into the relationships and connections between these four institutional characteristics at three award-winning institutions: Bunker Hill Community College, El Paso Community College, and Guilford Technical Community College. The overall goal of the study was to develop a grounded theory regarding organizational success factors necessary to improve student success. The researcher visited each college for a two-day site visit, conducted twenty-three interviews of college leadership, faculty, and staff along with a document review of select publically available documents. The study yielded five findings leading to a grounded theory of five organizational characteristics that promote improving student success in the two-year institution. At all three award-winning colleges, there was a shared vision built upon a collective, unwavering commitment to student success along with frequent and consistent communication on student success. All three award-winning colleges believed their participation in Achieving the Dream which is focused on increasing student success was a key factor and pivotal point in propelling these colleges forward in their student success initiatives. The three award-winning colleges took action to effectuate the desired future. The college&rsquo;s cultures invited innovation and supported initiatives resulting in engaged employees. All three award-winning colleges understood the importance and transformational power of being accountable to themselves and to others. The colleges were growing in their use of data, were courageous in reviewing data, and cultivated a continuous improvement mindset. Finally, each college had a firm belief in understanding that people, passionate and purposeful, are the institution&rsquo;s greatest asset.</p>

<p> This explanatory mixed method research study investigates instructor and student perceptions regarding the factors that enhance or inhibit the self-directedness of American Sign Language (ASL) I students enrolled in institutions of higher education. This methodology was employed to learn from interviews with 10 participants, both students and instructors, as well as 20 students who participated in the Self Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) aka the Learning Preference Assessment (LPA) developed by Lucy Guglielmino (1978). The SDLRS survey answered the first research question. As it is shown in research, the interviews clarified the numbers with the personal narratives to support the development of the conclusion of the study. The data collected were videotaped and transcribed by the researcher. A total of three themes emerged from this study to answer the six research questions. The goal of this explanatory mixed method study was to gain more knowledge of what the students in the introductory ASL class perceive their self-direction to be and to identify what works for them in regards to learning strategies. Findings from this study could provide deeper understanding and a rich source of information for the future ASL instructors to help reduce frustration among ASL students. </p>

<p> There exists a need for instructional designers to understand how to incorporate supportive interventions in online developmental pre-algebra/math course designs. College students at the undergraduate level who require remedial assistance and academic supports in mathematics must successfully complete developmental pre-algebra/math courses. The study describes instructional strategies for procedural, active learning, and cognitive constructivist instructional strategies in problem-based learning. The study included six volunteer instructional designers who shared their perspectives for design practices, supportive interventions, and procedures to assist learners. A sample of convenience purposive sampling strategy was used to allow access to the volunteer participants through public social media. The six participants responded to the 16 related guided interview questions and the data was analyzed. Eighteen individual themes emerged related to supportive interventions used in instructional design regarding, instructional strategies, motivation, learning theories, and interaction by students within the courses. The participants shared seven design models and practices for successful learning, seven supports, and 12 developmentally appropriate design practices, used in their instructional designs. The findings of this study support the premise that by combining cognitive constructivism, social constructivism and confidence builders, to effect motivation and self-efficacy for supportive interventions, the learner could potentially successfully complete the requirements for undergraduate online developmental math courses.</p>

<p> Degree completion has been a topic of debate in higher education institutions. Although efforts have been made to raise the rate of completion, the number of students completing college remains low. Low rates may lead to wasted time and money as students often take unnecessary coursework as a result of not having a well-developed plan for completion. To combat this problem, programs have been implemented at community colleges that are designed to meet student needs, develop tailored educational plans, and help students set goals. One such program is the Central Valley Promise (CVP) program, which offers a solution that could meet the specific needs students of the Central Valley of California. Upon meeting the entrance requirements, students are eligible to receive free tuition for one semester and the promise of support to completion for all students. Because CVP has the potential to affect many incoming students, it was important to examine whether it is achieving its goal. This study sought to gain understanding of student transition and career readiness. A survey was given to 402 CVP students during their first semester of college. A comparison group of 112 students also received the survey. All participants were incoming community college freshmen. Also, observations were conducted during three CVP events. Findings included an increased satisfaction and confidence level in academic performance, social life, and choosing a college major among CVP students. Recommendations include continued support for students, adding a mentorship component, and hiring faculty to exclusively work with CVP students. </p><p>

This dissertation investigated the perceptions and experiences of online adult language learners in higher education. This was a qualitative study of thirteen women enrolled in online Spanish courses at two south-central Texas institutions of higher education. Three findings emerged. Given the participants’ awareness of the social nature of language and their collective appreciation that language must be practiced orally to be acquired, they took responsibility for their learning by creating their own communities of practice with native Spanish speakers at work and at home. They bore the primary responsibility for their learning and shaped their acquisition contexts to include Spanish experts from their offline communities. This allowed the students to contextualize and personalize their new language knowledge and embody multiple learning roles. Language learning anxiety for these students was not located in the actual online learning tasks, but instead centered on socioculturally constructed understandings about language and their own personal and cultural connections to Spanish. The participants’ revealed the importance they place on demonstrating respect for culture through correct and precise language use. But instead of resulting in a barrier to their learning, the anxiety they experienced may have acted as an impetus in their continued Spanish study. Their insights into the sociocultural influences on language in formal and informal acquisition practices deepen our current understanding of foreign language affect and language learning anxiety. Finally, an in-depth analysis was done on the subgroup of participants identified as heritage language learners. Their belief in the cultural metanarrative of the “proper Tejana” led this group of south-central Texas women to reject the Texas-Spanish dialect, Tex-Mex. The need to acquire proper Spanish and to live linguistically and culturally in two distinct worlds of English and Spanish significantly affected their acquisition processes. The findings offer insights into Spanish learners’ perceptions of online language learning, their affective experiences learning Spanish as an adult, and the sociocultural connections they make to the Spanish language. The implications for future pedagogical design, online and off, are presented.

<p> This sequential mixed methods study examined alumni's perceptions of an integral education, an alternative educational model that is centered on students' multidimensional development. The study involved graduates from the East-West Psychology (EWP) program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and explored how they connected their unique educational experience to personal and professional development. The purpose was to determine how graduates of the EWP program value the integral education they received from CIIS, and what, if any, specific experiences, courses, and readings contributed to the said development. Forty-seven alumni, from both the master's and doctoral programs in EWP, completed an online survey sent via email, which consisted of 40 items rated on a Likert Scale and three open-ended questions. From the survey participant pool, 10 agreed to dive more deeply into their experience and gave their time for a one-on-one, semi-structured interview.</p><p> The findings revealed insight into alumni's understanding of integral education, and that their understanding is mostly in alignment with the ideals of the Institute; namely, honoring multiple perspectives, the multidimensionality of being, and multiple ways of knowing. Additionally, the results of the study also point to the areas where the EWP program is doing well in terms of what students expect and what they actually get, and also to the areas that could use improvement if the department was to offer an education that better reflects the ideals of the Institute, as espoused by the program description and advertisement. The most significant findings are the revelations of the need for (a) more professional development for students completing a degree in EWP, (b) more practical application opportunities, for example, internships, teaching assistantships, scholarships, fellowships, and connection of studies to social and global issues, (c) more community/mentor support for students' personal psycho-spiritual unfolding, and (d) more training regarding the language and expression needed to communicate the value of an integral education effectively with scholars/employers outside of CIIS. The study also engendered an articulation of both the takeaways and growing edges of such a non-traditional approach to higher education. </p>

<p> Little is known about the perspectives of social work educators who work with under-prepared students in baccalaureate social work (BSW) programs. Educators across fields believe that students are increasingly under-prepared to be successful in higher education, and social work programs face greater numbers of under-prepared students seeking BSW degrees. Although an increasing amount of research offers strategies for matriculating, retaining, and teaching under-prepared students, these strategies are often presented without the contextual experiences faced by the educators who work with under-prepared students on a day-to-day basis. The following research seeks to begin to fill that gap. The researcher interviewed 11 participants and used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to uncover the essential experiential elements of working with under-prepared BSW students and to reveal the meaning that social work educators create within these experiences. Analysis resulted in four overlapping themes including understanding under-preparation as social injustice, questioning what it means to be a social work educator, recalling compelling moments, and demonstrating care in and out of the classroom. These results suggest that social work programs and educators can more explicitly recognize how working with under-prepared students mirrors traditional social work practice, and discuss how this mirrored process might affect both educators and students. Based on these results, the meaning of advancing social justice for under-prepared students, the conflicting roles that educators often adopt with under-prepared students, and the influence of external forces on educators&rsquo; work all deserve further research.</p>

<p> The focus of this study was to develop greater understanding about the unique experiences of active-duty military soldiers who are taking online courses. The qualitative phenomenological study was comprised of online active military (OAM) students taking undergraduate college level courses offered by the Distance Learning Military Programs at a Californian community college. Six participants volunteered while taking online courses from various locations around the world, including sites that were located in an increased zone of conflict. The study&rsquo;s results provided information that may assist with improving future military students&rsquo; learning experiences while they are facing the conflicts associated with military service. </p><p> The results included themes defined as: online learning experience, personal traits &amp; goals, support systems, conflict of work/ life balance, organizational skills &amp; coping mechanisms. The data collected was documented, analyzed and divided into themes that illustrated the potential conflicts and solutions specifically related to the study&rsquo;s sample. The data collected may assist in providing more qualitative study-based framework for research to improve active military students&rsquo; online learning success. </p><p> Three conclusions resulted from the study. First, the learning experience and successful completion of online community college courses by active military students can be supported by college/professors by maintaining a positive online classroom environment, self-pacing options and flexibility with deadlines. Second, organizational strategies and healthy conflict coping mechanisms are key to the successful completion of online community college courses by active military students. Third, challenges/conflicts related to active military students online community college course learning and completion are inevitable but can be addressed through: active management of conflict and supporting or motivational factors and increased focus on integration between student and military roles, including deployment.</p><p>