Immigration trends in the beginning of the new millennium represent a significant force in shaping population characteristics in the United States. Census data on age and education of foreign-born individuals indicate that they have the potential to enter the higher education system. Meanwhile community colleges appeal to the educational needs of immigrants in search of language training, job skills, and career opportunities. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between factors of adjustment to life in the U.S. and motivation for educational participation among immigrant students enrolled in advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at a community college in South Florida. Using a survey developed by the researcher ' Survey of Demographics and Cultural Adjustment (SDCA) -- four factors of cultural adjustment were identified through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): interaction facility, language use, immigration circumstances, and educational experience. The first three factors were statistically viable and were used to examine the relationships between the factors of cultural adjustment and the factors of motivation for educational participation. Motivational factors were defined based on the Educational Participation (EPS) scale. Correlation analysis indicated that there was a strong positive relationship between interaction facility and the motivation to improve communication skills. In addition, the study affirmed that the primary motivations for educational participation among recently arrived immigrants were communication improvement, educational preparation, and professional advancement. This study contributes to knowledge about the role of community colleges in educating immigrant students. Additional research is needed to further develop the SDCA instrument and to expand such studies to other community colleges that experience similar influx of immigrant students. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Education. / Summer Semester, 2007. / June 7, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. / Beverly Bower, Professor Directing Dissertation; Deborah Hasson, Outside Committee Member; Jon Dalton, Committee Member; Robert A. Schwartz, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_183589 |
| Contributors | Metianu, Mihaela N. (authoraut), Bower, Beverly (professor directing dissertation), Hasson, Deborah (outside committee member), Dalton, Jon (committee member), Schwartz, Robert A. (committee member), Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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