This dissertation describes a qualitative, participatory action research study conducted in western Massachusetts from the spring of 1997 through the spring of 2000. The study investigated the educational experiences of a group of fifty-five low-income female students in one western Massachusetts community using interviews, focus groups, writing activities, and surveys. The study examined how participants were affected by contemporary social and economic issues, particularly by the policies commonly known as “welfare reform” that were legislated in the United States in 1996. Welfare reform created new challenges in the lives of many low-income women and their families by severely limiting the amount of assistance recipients are eligible to receive in their lifetimes and restricting their access to education and to the supports needed in order to pursue education. All of the study participants were raising families, were current or former welfare recipients, were either enrolled in graduates of Adult Basic Education programs, and the majority were Puerto Rican women who spoke Spanish as their first language. Thus, the main contexts framing this study were welfare reform and adult literacy, as well as the implications of race, language, gender, and class on low-income women's educational experiences. Because the study employed a participatory action research approach, participants were full partners in all aspects of the research, including its design, methodology, analysis, and a variety of presentation activities. The study described in this dissertation explored three key topics in order to understand the educational experiences of participants: the wide range of meanings participants associate with education; the impact of welfare reform on their learning and achievement; and the variety of ways they made use of and created support systems in order to reach their goals as parents and learners. Finally, an important aspect of the study was that it employed metaphor analysis in two ways: (1) as the study's main tool for analyzing data and (2) as an innovative pedagogical strategy for the writing classrooms in which much of the data was generated. Thus, in addition to the study's findings related to participants' educational experiences, the study also generated findings related to educational practice.

With the growth in the adult student population over the past few decades, better serving this student population has become a focus of many institutions (Altbach, 1999; Witt, Wattenbarger, Gollattscheck, & Suppiger, 1994; Cohen & Brawer, 1996). In addition, studies show that introductory English courses function as gatekeepers to persistence towards a degree (e.g., Sommers & Saltz, 2004; Michaud, 2011). Given the importance of English composition to adult learners’ success, the purpose of this study was to explore and understand how adult learners in an introductory English composition course experience and understand the classroom. The study was designed under the conceptual framework of andragogy, which upholds a model of adult learning (Knowles, 1984; Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2005), as a lens through which to examine data. A hermeneutic phenomenological methodology, in keeping with a constructivist stance, allowed for a deep exploration of the phenomenon as a lived experience that adhered to the tenets of van Manen’s (1990) research approach. A community college campus site served as the site of data collection, and one course, ENG 111, English Composition I, figured as the course considered the shared phenomenon. Nine adult learners, defined as those students aged 25 and above, participated in two semi-structured interviews, one at the start of each term and one at its completion. The interviews solicited their individual understandings of their experience, allowing for a rich collection of narratives. Using thematic coding in keeping with van Manen’s (1990) methodological approach of interpreting of spoken narratives as text, the narratives yielded individual themes, which were then compared across cases to generate larger themes that represented the shared understandings of all participants. These overarching themes were: (1) Applying background experiences to learning attitudes and approaches, (2) Navigating outside responsibility conflicts, (3) Appreciating supportive and equitable interpersonal relationships, and (4) Experiencing greater confidence in academic writing. While the study design sought to elicit deeper understandings of a particular phenomenon and so cannot be generalizable (Creswell, 2007), the findings nevertheless suggest conclusions and recommendations that provide useful direction and insight to this student population and future research, which close this study.

Digital humanities study applies technological tools to the study of humanities topics and allows for the exploration of new questions in ways that were not possible using traditional research models. Librarians have been active participants of the field since its inception, as they explore new ways to critically engage with information organization and information literacy instruction, and most research that focuses on the intersection between these fields takes place within research universities . In contrast, there is very little research examining digital humanities work at the community college, which primarily offers associate degrees, vocational certificates, and other workforce based training. This dissertation details the results of a nationwide survey of community college librarians and their perception and current engagement of digital humanities. The results indicate that while community college librarians are often knowledgeable about digital humanities subjects, many do not actively participate in digital humanities projects at their institutions because of barriers such as limited staffing, burnout, and the perception of the community college and its students, among others . While digital humanities practice presents multiple opportunities for the community college, practitioners must be mindful of how (and why) they engage in this work to create sustainable and relevant projects.

Community colleges have always played a crucial role in providing access to college, especially for students with disabilities. At the same time the rate of completion is exceptionally low for this particular population (Belch, 2004). In order to improve persistence and achievement measurably, colleges may seek clues in successful transitions by students with disabilities. This project presents a qualitative research study to illuminate factors that contribute to semester-by-semester success of community college students with disabilities during their first year. A conceptual model of successful transitional processes was developed from theoretical constructs reported in the literature and was expanded by data from individual case studies. Seven very strong stages emerged as a result of the research. These stages were: (1) pre-college experiences that influence academic involvement, (2) initial encounters that created first impressions, (3) transition shock, (4) support-seeking and strategic adjustment (5) prioritizing and balancing of college and non-college commitments, (6) recognizing success, and (7) a sense of belonging to the college community. These results indicated a successful transition into college is an important first step in persistence for students with disabilities. Persistence of students with disabilities requires further attention and research in order to improve graduation rates of these students at community colleges.

The purposes of this study were to provide an historical overview of the development of post-secondary technical education in Puerto Rico within the framework of the expansion of higher education; and to examine the implications and consequences of the development of technical education as it relates to social stratification, social division of labor, and social class conflict. During the 1940s, Puerto Rico began, for it, an unprecedented economic development program with the objective of industrializing the Island. This industrialization process brought about a rapid transformation of the occupational structure of the labor force on the Island. This process also influenced changes in the structure, orientation, and curriculum of public post-secondary education. In the 1960s, the University of Puerto Rico underwent a rapid and remarkable transformation. An important part of this process was the establishment and development of a system of regional colleges that became responsible for the development of two-year technical programs. The apparent shortage of technical personnel necessary to sustain the process of industrial development, and the high unemployment rate among four-year college graduates were two of the most influential arguments that sparked the establishment and development of these programs. The findings show an imbalance in the social demographic composition between regional college students and those in the more prestigious campuses. Students from the higher social class are over-represented at the main institutions, while the lower social class is better represented throughout the regional college system. Data used in this study do not support the claim of a technical personnel shortage nor the allegation that technical education yields economic success, facilitates upward social mobility, and helps to alleviate unemployment among four-year college graduates. Finally, the data do not support the existence of a social-class tracking system within the regional college institutions.

This dissertation examined the interaction between effective community college faculty and students at a selected regional community college in Massachusetts. More specifically it: (a) explored the viewpoints, values and behavior of effective community college faculty regarding effective teaching; (b) described what effective community college faculty do in and out of the classroom; and (c) explored faculty viewpoints, values and behavior regarding faculty-student interaction in and outside of the classroom. The research was qualitative in nature, consisting of systematic observations of five effective community college faculty interacting with students in the classroom supplemented with open ended interviews of faculty. The results of the study validate earlier research on effective college teaching and they suggest that there are four "hidden characteristics" that help to explain why some community college professors are particularly effective. Each faculty member (a) overcame personal adversity; (b) was inspired by past teachers; (c) has a distinct identity as teacher/messiah; and (d) needs students as much, if not more, than their students need them. These characteristics are significant in that they have not been previously reported. Attention is shifted from looking solely at a teacher's command of the subject, organizational skills and rapport with students. Attributes such as charisma, altruism and dedication seem to be significant. For these faculty, teaching is more than an occupation; it's a dedication to leave the world a better place, an opportunity to make a difference in another's life, and a chance to enhance one's own life through a kind of immortality, that of remembrance.

Considerable research has addressed the problem of poor student achievement in basic accounting courses as evidenced by low grades and high drop out rates. Much of this research focused on (1) changing the environment of instruction from the traditional classroom lecture setting to an individualized setting, or by (2) manipulating the elements of instruction within the lecture setting, for example, test frequency. The results of this research were largely inconclusive. Believing that the way the information is structured in traditional courses and texts contributes to its difficulty of learning, this research focused on a teaching approach which relied on a restructured form of this information to teach basic accounting. A two dimensional model of the whole accounting cycle process was created from the information found in traditional courses and texts. An approach was developed which used this model or "big picture" to teach the accounting cycle material. A test was conducted comparing the Restructured Information (RI) Approach with the Traditional Structure Approach to determine its effect on students' achievement and attitudes. Two groups of community college students were involved in the test, one taught using the (RI) Approach (experimental) and the other taught using the Traditional Structure Approach (control). Achievement was measured by test scores and course grades. Attitudes were compared for the experience of learning, how students felt about the accounting learned, and the value put on learning it. The experimental students scored significantly higher on the test most related to the accounting cycle. The remaining test scores were equivalent between the two groups. The experimental students achieved higher course grades than the control students but not significantly. There were no significant differences between the two groups on the attitudinal questions. Overall, the experimental students were quite positive about the (RI) Approach. Several groups were more positive than others. Students with no previous accounting instruction achieved significantly higher grades and were significantly more positive than students with previous accounting. It appeared this latter group experienced frustration when being required to relearn the accounting cycle material in a different way. Older students were significantly more positive about the (RI) Approach than younger students.

This study focuses on the effect agency employees believe their values, attitudes, and perceptions of supervision have on the generalist students' field work education. A self-reporting three-part survey instrument was designed to obtain data from agency staff members who provided supervision for second year (third and fourth semester) community college students majoring in human services. Respondents were asked to complete profiles that identified the individual as a professional practitioner, and gave her/his description of the field work agency. Through the questionnaire, Likert scale evaluations and comments on specific themes were requested. Twenty percent of the respondents were interviewed by telephone to obtain additional data. Findings are presented from the perspective of the respondents. Descriptive statistics (frequencies) and a distribution-free nonparametric test, the Kruskal-Wallis Test were used to perform quantitative analysis of data. Qualitative analysis of questionnaire comments and interview responses was performed. Results of this study indicate that, for the fifty respondents, their perceptions of and practices as field work supervisors appear to be influenced by their understanding of their own profession, their employing agency and the supervisory role they were assigned by the college. More significantly, they seem to share common values and attitudes, and are generally agreed on a set of generic competencies which they transmit to the students they supervise. Their responses to the survey instrument and interview participation confirm that as diverse, multi-disciplinary, transprofessional practitioners they are very interested in providing both field work supervision and client services. They express a desire for more information about the students they supervise and what is expected of them as supervisors, and an interest in staff development programs which will enhance their leadership and supervisory skills. For the future the researcher recommends that this study be replicated for associate degree programs at community colleges in other geographical areas and that participation be expanded to include faculty, students and when indicated program graduates.

International students have attended American colleges since colonial times. Although international students attend all types of colleges and universities, most studies and reports which have examined their presence on American campuses have been directed at four-year institutions. This is not surprising in that 86% of all international students in the United States, (based on 1990/91 data), were enrolled in four-year institutions. 57,720 international students were enrolled in two-year institutions by 1990/91. While such research is helpful in providing key data and information regarding international students at some of the largest and most prestigious U.S. institutions, comparatively little research has been directed at international students in two-year colleges. The purpose of this study has been to conduct a qualitative examination of international students in three public two-year colleges in New England. Using a case-study approach, four questions were investigated: Why do international students choose a public two-year college? What are their experiences? What are the experiences of faculty and administrators who work with them? What policy questions are important for these institutions? Field research included twenty-one interviews with international students, twenty-two interviews with faculty, and eight interviews with administrators. Also, on-site observations were conducted and available institutional documents reviewed. The study revealed a group of highly motivated international students who, for the most part, were quite satisfied with their educational experiences in the two-year community colleges. The study also revealed that international students are prominent in the academic life of the institutions and faculty members were, on the whole, pleased with the performance and presence of international students. The greatest policy challenge to public two-year community colleges that enroll international students, is the challenge of fully embracing a wider philosophy and vision of the institution's role and contribution in international education. While the overall assessment of the two-year college experience from international students, faculty and administrators was a positive one, it is also clear that institutions could do more to improve the educational experience of international students and the faculty who work with them. Ten recommendations are offered including an examination of mission statements, development of on-going faculty and staff training programs, strengthening of international student orientation programs, development of more creative recruitment efforts, and strengthening of the institutional data base on international students.

<p>The emergence of social media technologies (SMT) as important features of life in the twenty-first century has aroused the curiosity of teachers and scholars in higher education and given rise to numerous experiments using SMT as tools of instruction in college and university classrooms. A body of research has emerged from those experiments which suggests that SMT may be useful in promoting student learning and improving academic outcomes. However, as of yet the evidence from that research is scant and inconclusive. The study described here was designed to contribute to that body of research by investigating whether or not requiring students to use a microblog&mdash;Twitter in this case&mdash;in a community college history course would help students display higher levels of attainment of content-based course learning outcomes on traditional types of assessments. Student activity on Twitter and performance on traditional types of assessments were quantitatively tracked and evaluated according to a number of specialized rubrics, the results of which were integrated into a series of hierarchical regression analyses. Qualitative data was also collected in the form of open-ended questionnaires in order to provide insight into how students perceived of and used Twitter as an instructional tool. Data obtained through both methodologies were integrated into the final analysis. The results of this study suggest that microblogs can be an effective platform for teaching and learning when the instructor is experienced in the use of the medium, deliberate in how it is used, and highly engaged during use. </p>