As the minority student population in the United States has grown, so has the number of non-native English-speaking students in higher education. However, many of these students are not meeting with success, and they are leaving school, often during their first semester of 'mainstream' classes. This study focused on the developmental English class and examined what happens to students as they leave ESL (English as a Second Language) classes and enter the mainstream of the community college. This ethnographic study used both emic and etic perspectives to show some of the factors that come together to influence participation and engagement of non-native English-speaking students in the developmental English class. It involved an exploration of the theories that have traditionally explained minority student failure in school, as well as a discussion of the importance of interaction to learning. Through ethnographic means, this dissertation has described the experience of teaching and learning in the developmental English classroom, and shows that students need to enter into meaningful interaction with instructors if they are to be successful. Through ethnographic interviewing and participant observation, a picture has emerged of relationships between teachers and students that can be characterized by apprenticing or gatekeeping. Teacher-student relationships can be undermined by Discourse mismatch. Students' primary Discourses are not traditionally valued by society, and they may not be valued in the college. This can cause resistance on the part of students. This study suggests that there are many factors that come together to influence the participation of non-native English speakers in the community college developmental English classroom. These include teacher and student preparation, class atmosphere, the use of contextualization cues, apprenticing or 'hand holding', and the use of content which relates to students' background knowledge. It also suggests that English proficiency may not be the most important factor influencing student participation of non-native English speakers, and recommends that developmental education be reexamined by those in this critical area.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth descriptive analysis of a first-time negotiating process in the divisions of continuing education in the community colleges in Massachusetts. It records the process from its point of origin, the filing of a representation petition in 1983, to its conclusion in 1990, providing a detailed accounting from the author's perspective as Chair of the Personnel Committee of the Presidents' Council charged with overseeing the collective bargaining negotiations. It provides an historical perspective of the community colleges in Massachusetts as well as a description of their divisions of continuing education, particularly as it relates to their mandate to operate "at no expense to the Commonwealth," and the difficulty in attempting to find common ground for negotiating a satisfactory contract for fifteen very differently run entities. It also looks at the make-up of the unit which was certified by a 631 to 516 vote, a majority of whom were adjunct faculty. For the purposes of this document, adjunct faculty are teachers whose primary employment is other than the college. A review of relevant literature looks at negotiations relative to part-time faculty, public sector bargaining, the collective bargaining process as well as alternative forms of collective bargaining. The search supports the notion that there is little written that would shed light on the peculiarities of this particular process. In fact, when one considers all of the factors, these negotiations appear to be a hybrid form having characteristics of both public and private sector bargaining. Because of the antagonistic nature of the bargaining which saw challenges from the very beginning and included declarations of impasse, mediation, factfinding, and a strike, the author speculates on causative factors as well as alternative forms of bargaining which might be considered for the future. Despite the length of the process and the adversarial postures throughout, the outcome appears to be a reasonable contract with gains for unit members as well as the preservation of important Management's rights. Only the test of time will validate its effectiveness.

This is a qualitative study which seeks to understand how five welfare mothers who attended community college perceive this experience has impacted upon their lives. This study examines via in depth phenomenological interviews and life histories how attending community college changed the women. The individual interviews took place over an eighteen month period. The participants met each other for the first time in a focus group which was held after all the interviews. Using symbolic interactionism as the framework for understanding the process of how the women incorporated the community college experience into their lives, the study found that (1) there was a significant life event that led the women to the community college; (2) initially, the women had great difficulty integrating the community college experience into their lives; (3) that they identified with their professors rather than the other students, and (4) that they became emotionally independent only after achieving a sense of being connected to community college and being accepted as individuals. For each one of them, it was the first time in her life that she was encouraged to have her own thoughts and opinions. In addition, the study found that for most of the participants, the community college experience is an on-going process which continues to affect them. Furthermore, the impact of the college experience affects them beyond their original goal of obtaining viable employment to enable them to "get off welfare". It affects them in the way that they approach their world, how they raise their children, relate to their families, husbands, co-workers, bosses, friends, and lovers. Furthermore, how each now perceives herself as an individual is affected. This study provides insight into the experience of these women and what approaches a community college might implement to facilitate the experience of the student who is also a welfare mother.

With AB 705 being enforced in all California community colleges since Fall 2019, colleges have devised corequisite courses in almost all English and mathematics gateway courses. Some quantitative and qualitative studies have shown positive results of corequisite courses in English, and some math courses such as statistics, but there is limited quantitative research on the effects of the corequisite model on student academic performance in STEM math courses, like college algebra and precalculus. Many mathematics department faculty members believe that the corequisite model, especially in STEM math courses, may not work in community colleges due to the population consisting of a large number of non-traditional and under-prepared students at these institutions. This causal comparative study attempted to compare the academic performance of students from corequisite and prerequisite (traditional) types of precalculus courses after controlling for their gender, generational status, prior academic achievement (high school grade point average, HSGPA), and ethnicity. The study also investigated whether the effect of course type on precalculus course grades is moderated by students’ generational status, prior academic achievement, and ethnicity. The moderating effects of variables were studied after controlling for the other background variables. Samples for this study were taken from two California community colleges that taught precalculus courses with both models (corequisite and prerequisite) prior to Fall 2019. The data for each of the colleges were analyzed separately because of their different academic systems (semester versus quarter). Sequential multiple regression was used and variations were found in the results from the two colleges. In addition to tests of statistical significance, effect sizes (based on Cohen’s d) were calculated to measure the magnitude of the difference between groups. Statistically significant findings from College A (a pseudonym) suggest that the corequisite model of courses in precalculus impacts overall student grades in a positive way. In contrast, there was insufficient evidence based upon data from College B to conclude that corequisite precalculus courses impact course grades. Furthermore, moderating effects were found. In College A, some subgroups (such as Filipinx, Latinx, and White students, those with higher prior academic achievement, or who were first-generation college students) were found to perform better in corequisite courses than prerequisite courses, while students with lower prior achievement (based on HSGPA) performed better with the prerequisite type of courses. The results from both Colleges A and B were consistent in finding that students with lower HSGPA performed worse on average in corequisite precalculus courses. Ethnicity was found to moderate the effect of course type on precalculus course grades when the data from College B was analyzed. The results showed a medium-large effect (d= -0.65) for Latinx students who, on average, performed worse in the corequisite precalculus course as compared to the prerequisite version. However, students at College A, regardless of ethnicity, performed better on average in the corequisite classes, and the effect sizes ranged from small to medium-large across the ethnic groups. Limitations of the study, suggestions for further research, and implications for practice and policy are discussed in the following chapters.

Innovative physical training practices and concepts such as yoga, Pilates, tai chi, cardio kickboxing, cardio spinning, and step aerobics have emerged to provide college students with alternative fitness exercises. However, due to unavailable research, community college administrative and curriculum leaders may perceive nontraditional physical activity courses as unrelated to the values of physical education. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the perceptions of chairpersons/deans and faculty in physical education regarding nontraditional physical activity courses as compared to sport-related courses offered in community college physical education programs. Educational change theories of beliefs, values, and decision-making structures provided the conceptual framework for this study. Research questions focused on participants' perceptions toward health benefits, values, and contributions to students' learning experience of nontraditional physical activity courses. An 18-item survey was distributed via e-mail to 209 chairpersons/deans and 263 full-time faculty in community college physical education programs in the western region of the United States. An independent samples t test analysis revealed participants' perceptions differed regarding cardio kickboxing, cardio spinning, and step aerobics courses providing similar health benefits as compared to sport-related courses. Participants' perceptions also differed concerning yoga courses contributing to students' learning experience. Chi-square analysis showed participants' perceptions toward yoga, Pilates, cardio spinning, and step aerobics were dependent on their campus position in physical education. The findings in this study illustrate a positive social change community colleges can offer by teaching lifetime fitness activities that contribute to an active lifestyle and sustained wellness.

Hispanic students are enrolling in community colleges at an increasing rate, and they do not succeed in community college online courses at a rate comparable to Caucasian students. Increasing Hispanic success in online education could potentially enhance their socioeconomic status. Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of andragogy and constructivism, the purpose of this case study was to examine differences between Hispanic and Caucasian students in online learning and identify factors that might contribute to the reported differences in success across Hispanic and Caucasian online students. Research questions contrasted the impact of course design, Internet access, learning preferences, and motivation on successful online learning across Hispanic and Caucasian students. A proportional stratified sample of 324 community college students completed a researcher-developed survey, and 20 participated in semistructured interviews. Data analyses sequentially addressed each research question by integrating tabular and frequency analyses of survey data with themes that emerged from interviews. Regarding course design, Hispanic students, more than Caucasians, preferred group work and visual design elements; whereas, both groups felt that a logical course design was a key factor in accessing information and that regular instructor contact was important. Internet-use comfort levels were similar and positively affected performance for both groups. Reported motivation to enroll in online courses was also similar across groups and included scheduling, convenience, and pace of learning. This study can contribute to social change by clarifying an understanding of specific online learning factors that are critical for academic success among Hispanic students, which can in turn provide a foundation for improved socioeconomic success and equity.

This descriptive case study explored the perceptions of former community college first year learning community participants on aspects of their learning community experience that affected their persistence in college using Astin's student involvement theory and Tinto's student persistence model as a conceptual framework. Learning communities have been shown to increase student persistence, but little is known about how they do so. A better understanding of how learning communities contribute to increased student persistence would improve learning community practice and gain administrative support for learning communities. This study used a mixed methods research design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected from interviews with former participants and analyzed by identifying emergent themes within the responses. Quantitative data were collected by querying the studied institution's data warehouse and analyzed to determine if they matched the predicted pattern of increased persistence and confirmed the interview data themes. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data: connecting with others, acquiring and applying knowledge and skills, and making the transition to college. The quantitative data revealed higher rates of persistence for learning community students than for a comparison group. These findings confirmed the predicted pattern of student involvement leading to persistence. Further research is needed to explore other factors that may explain how learning communities impact persistence, especially in community colleges. The study contributes to positive social change by providing support for learning communities to help students persist in achieving a college education, attain their goals, and become more productive members of society.

Although critical thinking skills are important for all citizens participating in a democratic society, many community college students appear to lack these skills. This study addressed the apparent lack of research relating critical thinking instruction to campus climate. Critical thinking theory and Moos's organizational climate theory served as the theoretical foundation. The relationship between faculty's perceptions of three campus climate factors and their use of five critical thinking instructional techniques in the classroom was analyzed in this quantitative study. An online instrument based on the School-Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) to measure campus climate and a researcher-designed measure of critical thinking instructional techniques was used in a nonexperimental correlational design. Responses from a purposive sample of 276 community college faculty in the western United States were evaluated using multiple regression analysis. Results indicated participatory decision-making was directly related, staff freedom was inversely related, and work pressure was not related to faculty's use of critical thinking instruction in their classrooms. This study contributes to positive social change by providing information that community college leaders can use to improve their students' critical thinking skills. As a result, students and graduates will be better prepared to contribute to the community and society at large by making better social and moral decisions.

College faculty members are often inadequately prepared to use technology in their classrooms. They often learn technology without institutional support, and without understanding technology's impact on student learning. As a result of these shortcomings, the use of technology in the college classroom is often not systematic or focused on improving learning. This study used a conceptual framework based on Wenger's learning community or community of practice idea. This study examined a Midwestern university where faculty made only limited use of classroom technology and did not demonstrate contemporary approaches to student learning. The study set out to determine the impact of technology-based faculty learning communities on student engagement. Five university faculty members served as research participants; all agreed to form a learning community and participate in a series of interviews that examined the impact of technology integration and the role of learning communities on adopting technology. Interview data were analyzed using an emergent and exploratory approach where themes and trends were identified through direct observation and examination of interview transcripts. One of the emergent themes was that increased faculty technology use depends primarily on positive prior experiences with technology. Another theme was that students' self-reported technology competency does not accurately reflect classroom uses, which may have a significant impact on educational technology integration strategies. The study's findings provide guidelines for a best practice model of faculty professional development to improve and enhance classroom learning with educational technology.