This dissertation examined how adult learners who took developmental mathematics in a community college and passed the courses, viewed their self-efficacy and the roles they felt self-efficacy had on their successful completion of mathematics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 adult learners in two U.S. community colleges.…

Online education has increased access to higher education for many populations of students. One group of students that has grown in this area are nontraditional students. A sub-population of this group that is absent from the research are nontraditional students of color. Using the conceptual frameworks of Adult Learning Theory and…

Prior research has shown that adult learners who are non-traditional (NT) college students come to college with different needs, desires, and goals than traditional college students. The problem is that community college educators need to better understand the needs of the changing population of the student body to equitably and effectively serve…

Using a transcendental phenomenological approach, this study explored what and how noncognitive characteristics including self-concept, self-appraisal, navigation of the system and racism, goal-setting, an available support person, leadership experience, community involvement, and acquired knowledge impacted the learning experiences of students…

Non-traditional learners (NTL's) are students who have delayed college enrollment, have dependents, are single parents, are financially independent, have non-standard high school credentials, attend part-time or work full-time. They are a growing segment of college students. Their success is critical to the future of the American workforce, but…

Attrition for entry-level, non-traditional college students taking developmental reading courses is a concern for higher education institutions. Students need to complete basic developmental reading courses in order to progress in their vocational or collegiate studies. This phenomenological study followed a social constructivist approach to…

This research study examined the 2006 cohort of First-Time-in-College students from all 23 community colleges in Virginia. The goal was to examine the persistence of these students to the fall 2007 semester and the success of these students in their first college-level mathematics course. The main predictor variable was whether the first…

Research indicates that African-American non-traditional female students often experience academic difficulties when they have a placement in developmental education programs and courses at community colleges. As a result, African-American non-traditional female students often drop these courses, leave college, and do not persist to degree…

In an effort to build a diverse, scalable Honors Program, this research considers two major issues that community college Honors Programs often face: homogeneity amongst its membership and the growing percentage of developmental students amongst the general college population. Surveys conducted in the Fall of 2012 at The Community College of…

This dissertation summarizes a study of the use of online homework with developmental mathematics students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. To address the problem of high failure rates in developmental mathematics courses this study investigated the relationship between online homework and academic achievement, persistence, and attitude.…

For the past 10 years, government reports have documented an increase in college developmental reading courses. However, a community college in the southeastern United States has experienced a decline in enrollment and attendance in these courses since they began in 1999. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the impact of taking a…

The purpose of this multicase study was to explore with five students perceptions of their learning experiences and challenges faced while enrolled in a dental assisting course that is integrated with reading. The study was rooted in a constructivist framework both as a research paradigm and as a theoretical perspective regarding adult learning.…

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of developmental students enrolled in a developmental reading course in a community college setting. A reading course questionnaire and interest/attitude inventory was completed by the students. In addition, individual interview were conducted. Eight students participated in the study that…