More than 24,000 U.S. high school students drop out each year, contributing to the approximate 1.1 million U.S. adults who have not earned the high school diploma or General Education Development. This failure in educational attainment contributes significantly to the lack of economic and workforce development opportunities as well as the standard of living for more than 10% of the statewide population of a midwestern state. In response to this problem, the state entered into model programming in 2015 with 2 new approaches for adult education to diploma programs. The purpose of this basic qualitative interpretive research study was to better understand the experiences of 9 adult learners who successfully completed 1 of 2 high school diploma completion programs. The conceptual framework for this study integrated the learning theory perspectives of Bruner and Bandura and the aspects of lifelong learning and its influence on the motivations and values of the adult learner. The codes and themes that emerged from the analysis of the interview process were the participants' connection to the program, extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, challenges that were experienced through the program, strategies for success that fostered the completion process, suggestions for program improvements, and the advice the participants would give to prospective students who are considering an adult diploma option. These results may contribute to a better understanding of success factors for adult students enrolled in diploma completion programs and support positive change and program effectiveness in the future.

The purpose of this to determine the perceptions of senior North Carolina community college administrators regarding retention efforts in place on their campuses for at-risk students. The term "at-risk" was used to identify a student who was considered likely to perform academically at a level below that of average students and who was more likely to drop out than was an average student. One-hundred-forty-four of 177 senior administrators (chief executive officers, chief academic officers, chief student development officers) in North Carolina community colleges completedthe survey instrument that provided the data for this study. The percentage of surveys returnedwas 81.4%. The SAS Institute program procedures were used for the analysis of data. An alphalevel of .05 was used for all statistical tests. Results indicated that a variety of programs and strategies were being used by communitycolleges in North Carolina on efforts to retain at-risk students. Statistically significant differences in perceptions among senior administrators regarding the effectiveness of the retention strategies were found on six of the 34 strategies listed on the survey instrument. The study also identified the four strongest and the four weakest retention strategies as perceived by the senior administrators. Conclusions of the study emphasized the difficulty of teaching, training, and retaining an increasing number of at-risk students accepted to North Carolina community colleges under an open-admissions policy. The study also determined that for community colleges in North Carolina to fulfill their egalitarian role in the state's educational efforts, at-risk students must be accepted, taught, and retained until their goals have been met. Eight recommendations for improving the retention of at-risk students, and three recommendations for further research were presented by the study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the variety and level of wellness practices of community college presidents and the relationship of these practices to the stress levels of this group. Additionally, relaxation activities and the feelings, characteristics, and symptoms associated with stress were considered. Items measuring each of these variables, isolated from the literature and tested in a pilot sample, were combined into an electronic instrument, Stress Levels and Wellness Practices Measurement for Community College Presidents. The design of the study was ex post facto/correlational. The population of the study was American community college presidents. A stratified random sampling of these presidents was drawn from three distinct locales: 240 urban, 147 suburban, and 199 rural community colleges. The electronic instrument was distributed to 587 presidents through email. There were 296 (50.4%) usable returns. For the variables of interest, descriptive statistics were computed including frequencies and measures of central tendency. Correlation coefficients were used to determine relationships between variables. ANOVA and t-tests were used to identify differences in group means. Significant positive associations were found between the management of stress and the balance of wellness practices for community college presidents. A significant difference in stress levels regarding gender and years of presidential tenure were found: female presidents were more stressed than their male counterparts, and presidents with more experience (years' presidential tenure) were less stressed. No difference was found in the stress levels of presidents by locale (urban, suburban, and rural). Furthermore, it was determined there was a significant negative correlation between the balance in wellness practices and stress symptoms. Engagement in the physical practices of wellness was related to a reduction of stress levels. Overall, it was concluded that while presidents showed significant control in stressful events and issues, continued efforts are needed to promote wellness practices into their busy lives.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the sense of belonging of state college transfer students who enroll at a large research-intensive university through structured and unstructured transfer pathways using the Sense of Belonging Instrument (SBI; Hoffman, Richmond, Morrow, & Solomon, 2002). The SBI includes five subscales (Peer Support, Faculty Support, Classroom Comfort, Isolation, and Empathetic Faculty Understanding). To date, no systematic investigation has considered the construct of belonging with this population or transfer pathway. The findings from this study (n = 54) found a positive statistically significant correlation between Peer Support and Isolation (r(52) =.801, p = .000) and a statistically significant difference between the mean values of Empathetic Faculty Understanding between the structured and unstructured pathways (p = 0.027). This study showed that structured transfer pathway student sense of belonging was grounded in the classroom experience, empathetic faculty, and faculty support. Unstructured transfer pathway student sense of belonging was grounded in peer relationships, the classroom experience, and empathetic faculty. First generation participants were more likely to perceive isolation than non-first generation participants and structured pathway participants were more likely to perceive faculty empathetic understanding than unstructured pathway participants. There were also differences in the qualitative data between the pathway groups, including differing perceptions of faculty care and empathy, peer engagement, and the role of Advisors and online support systems in the transfer experience. The data and findings presented in this study show that the academic experience in the classroom and the perception of empathetic faculty are central to state college transfer student experience and contributes to transfer student sense of belonging.

The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative study is to explore the matriculation rates for first-time, full-time freshmen who were previously enrolled in dual enrollment courses while in high school at one of the 13 public community colleges in Tennessee. Percentages, means, standard deviations, ranges, percentages, and proportions were used to describe the data from the 13 public community colleges in Tennessee. The total number of dual enrollment students from 2016 to 2021 across the 13 community colleges over the five-year period was 80,051. Of the 80,051 students, 16,727 students matriculated to their home institution and 63,324 did not. Findings from the study revealed that the total matriculation of the 13 community colleges over the period totaled a mean percentage of 20.90% or a ratio equating to nearly 1:4. Other variables such as matriculations by gender, race, earned credits, GPA, and ACT scores were studied to better understand matriculation rates by demographic variables. Findings will allow for community colleges within the Tennessee Board of Regents system to be compared based on matriculation rates and various demographics. Data from each of the 13 Tennessee community colleges data were analyzed independently for a five-year period (2016 – 2021).

By employing critical narratives, this qualitative study examined the lives of Latino male immigrants and their educational experiences in the California community college system. Seven Latino male immigrants matriculated at a community college participated in the study. The study utilized Critical Bicultural Theory and Latino Masculinity Theory frameworks to analyze the male students’ narratives. Findings speak of their unique racialized and gendered experiences as they navigate their community college educational experiences. This study contributes to the field by identifying what Latino immigrants need to co-construct their own educational success in a way that employs their strong familial and cultural knowledge. The goal of study was to inform and develop specific ways that community colleges can actively engage Latino male immigrant students.

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.