Learning takes motivation; therefore, educators need to pay attention to what motivates the student to improve one's learning. It was not known how community college psychology students describe the use of gamification as a motivator for improved learning. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how psychology students at…

Student persistence and retention in community colleges concern scholars, policymakers, and academics in higher education at large. Previous literature suggests that a strong sense of belonging in higher education and at the institution the student is attending may be one significant factor that impacts persistence and retention. However,…

The current study examined hindering factors of 2-year community college students' vertical transfer to 4-year colleges. Rational choice theory guided the study and provided the scope of the problem, which is community college students' apprehension about vertically transferring to 4-year colleges. A quantitative Likert-scale survey, which…

Continued professional learning is a consistent focus of attention for the field of student affairs within higher education. Yet, very little research has been conducted on the factors that influence the motivation of student affairs professionals to pursue continued professional learning, especially professionals within community colleges. This…

Student Evaluations of Teaching are an essential component of educational assessment that provides valuable feedback to instructors and their institutions. Indeed, their effectiveness depends on students' active participation and engagement with the assessment process itself. Identifying the factors that influence students' adoption of teaching…

Centers for undergraduate research and civic engagement are rare at the community college level. With two such Centers, both launched in 2022 and 2023 at a Midwestern Community College, we are examining how intentional mentoring efforts in undergraduate research and civic engagement at community colleges impact students' political efficacy and…

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to discover the asynchronous online learning experiences that support learning motivation for community college degree-seeking non-traditional adult learners in the United States. The theoretical framework guiding this study is Knowles' andragogy adult learning theory. The utilization of…

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the motivation for instructors to begin and continue teaching community college courses in carceral settings. Conceptual Framework: My conceptual framework presented public service motivation (PSM) and prosocial motivation as different types of motivation that lead to different types of…

This study examined Open Educational Resources (OER) through a community college faculty perspective. Specifically, this study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of faculty motivations surrounding OER, faculty perceptions of OER's influences on students, and pedagogical changes that faculty have made in response to OER. A qualitative research…

Over seventy percent of teaching faculty in America's higher education system is done by contingent faculty or adjunct faculty. Contingent faculty could be part-time faculty, non-tenure track teaching positions or their better-known name adjuncts. Articles are written about the mounting concern for the use of adjunct faculty to teach our students,…

Prospective college students have many options to choose from when deciding which type of higher education institution to attend. What compels potential students to enroll in a community college as opposed to other higher education institutions is unknown. The purpose of the study was to explore the academic motivation of students currently…

Through a gerontological lens, using grounded theory methods and both qualitative and quantitative data, we investigated the "off-time" enrollment of mid- and later-life (MLL) community college students (age 40+) to explore how their enrollment decisions and academic goals are situated in the timing and intersection of life events and…

This research study examined the experiences of nontraditional community college students attending through a tuition-free grant. The intent of the study was to explore the student identified barriers to degree persistence and the student support services nontraditional students recognize as being beneficial towards their academic journey. This…

This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of first-at-institution female community college presidents in the United States, focusing on the social influences they encountered. Despite community colleges serving a large number of female, underrepresented, and low-socioeconomic students, leadership roles are…

Primary research questions: What stories do student parents at Maryland Community College (MCC) tell about their intersecting identities? How do student parents speak about the institutional context of MCC in these stories? What are the implications of these stories in supporting student parents at MCC? Nearly 3.8 million student parents are…