With over two thirds of high school graduates going on to pursue postsecondary options after high school and over one fourth at 4-year institutions and nearly half at 2-year schools never reaching their sophomore year, it is evident that the transition from high school to college is a broken one for many students. There has been a nationwide call to redefine the senior year of high school and rethink the transition from secondary to postsecondary education. Aligned with this plea, Walters State Community College began an initiative, the Freshman Experience program, to ease some of the strains associated with the transition process and, in 1993, began offering this course to high school seniors. The program was expanded and offered to seniors at 23 high schools in a rural 10-county service delivery area in East Tennessee. The purpose of this study was to determine whether students who completed a freshman experience course while still in high school engaged in more actions that positively impact retention than did those who had not had such a course prior to college enrollment. The study included 1,391 students, 550 who completed the course at the high school level and 841 who completed the course during their 1st semester of college enrollment. Chi-square analysis of the data was conducted to investigate 6 variables. The major findings were that high school freshman experience completers (a) made application for college earlier, (b) earned significantly more advanced studies credits, (c) had significantly fewer absences during their 1st semester of college, (d) had significantly fewer course withdrawals, (e) had significantly fewer course failures, and (f) had significantly higher cumulative GPAs at the end of the 1st semester than did the postsecondary program completers. Based on the findings of this study, the implementation of a freshman experience course or similar program serves to positively impact the transition of high school seniors to the postsecondary environment. These results confirm the need for high schools and postsecondary institutions to work together to provide students with a seamless transition in an effort to increase student retention and program completion.

Increased enrollments of nontraditional students in U.S. higher education institutions have prompted many college and university administrators to consider student service programs. These programs ensure that support services are available to nontraditional students to cultivate healthy graduation rates among that student population. The purpose of this study was to discover factors that influence nontraditional students to become disengaged or be retained. The study was a qualitative case study with data collected from individual interviews with 10 nontraditional students participating in online and traditional onsite delivery systems at a private, nontraditional higher education institution in the western United States. The theoretical framework that guided this study was Knowles's andragogy theory. The research questions addressed students' perceptions of the role of persistence, barriers, self-direction, intrinsic motivation, delivery systems, learning modality, and academic and support services in their academic success. Data analysis was conducted to identify themes by coding the narrative responses and using member checks to validate data interpretations. Findings derived from the interviews indicated that students believed that they benefitted from a community of support within the university system. A professional development workshop was designed as a project to train university employees on how to create a professional learning community (PLC) to support students. This PLC was designed to promote positive social change by enhancing retention of adult students in academic programs until graduation and create an environment where people work together in a collaborative way within the university to ensure student success.

Over 42% of students re-entering education in the United States are age 24 or older (NCES, 2002). Community colleges offer financial, academic, and geographic accessibility making them a viable option for adults seeking to re-enter education (Cohen & Brawer, 1996). The purpose of this study was to learn more about the life transitions that precipitate entry into a community college. The researcher also sought to bring insights about the experiences of being an adult student returning to education at a community college. Research participants included 24 adult re-entry students and recent graduates at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Through indepth interviews, the personal experiences of the life transitions that prompted college entrance and the experience of being enrolled in college were explored. Qualitative research techniques were used in this study. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed. The findings derived from the data analysis were presented thematically as they addressed the research questions. The findings revealed that participants returned to education because of job-related concerns (typically a layoff or company's closing) or an issue of timing (a feeling that it was "time" to return). Re-entry students faced barriers that were both institutional and personal as they navigated the educational process. Participants reported that financial, geographic, and academic accessibility of the college made it a resource in itself. Finally, participants suggested implementing a specialized, adult, student-focused orientation course, on-site daycare services, and campus activities supportive of needs of students returning to the academic world. Recommendations included a quantitative study involving a survey with a larger sample of adult re-entry students. The data could provide a richer examination of the similarities and differences among the re-entry college population. Recommendations for practice included an orientation class specifically designed to attract and meet the needs of adult re-entry students at the community college level; the establishment of a comprehensive, developmentally-based childcare service located on the college campus; and initial and follow-up contacts by a counselor designated as an adult, re-entry student contact and resource person in the student services division.

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