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…

Objective: Policymakers in many states are endeavoring to increase graduation rates among older community college students. However, we know little about how the factors that influence college completion among older students differ from their younger peers. We aim to identify features of institutional contexts in which adult community college…

The Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) provides leadership, professional development, advocacy, and communication for the field of adult education. In our leadership role, we often have the opportunity to recognize exemplary work taking place at the state and local levels. Such was the case with a grassroots training that was developed to…

A quantitative predictive correlational study was conducted to find to what extent, if any, gender and adult student status, individually or in combination, moderates the predictive relationships between resilience and self-regulated strategies of Goal Setting (GS), Environment Structuring (ES), Task Strategies (TS), Time Management (TM), Help…

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…

For the purposes of this study, criteria for non-traditional students were: adults ages 25 and older, race/ethnicity, gender, entry date or transfer to a community college in Middle Tennessee during fall 2015 through summer 2021, and Pell/Grant eligibility. The problem is that non-traditional students have lower completions than traditional…

State and national initiatives focused on meeting student completion goals have been established for higher education to help produce a stronger workforce and meet economic labor market demands. Some of these initiatives have been centered around improving adult learner enrollment and completion. More adult learners are returning to higher…

This study investigates the critical literacy practices of adult learners at a community college. Student participants were selected from four different leveled reading courses. In this study, four guiding questions that were adopted from Klenner and Sandretto (2011): (1) How do students make personal connections to text?; (2) In what ways do…

Drawing from Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant evaluations and interviews with the field, this chapter includes examples of three cases that integrated advising and prior learning assessment for adults returning to education, and discusses the benefits and drawbacks of each approach.

Imagine having to abandon your home and all that is familiar in search of safety. How would you perceive yourself in a new country, learning a new language and trying to build a new life? Millions of people around the world have experienced this reality, thousands of whom are currently living throughout the United States. Since more than half of…

Student retention is a critical factor in higher education that impacts many essential areas. However, the average retention rate among community college students within their first year is only 61%. In addition, demographics for community college students demonstrate the challenges students encounter; for example, over 60% are employed, and 65%…

This dissertation investigates the dynamics of adult online learners within an urban community college setting, exploring relationships between specific adult learning predictor variables and online course grades. Understanding these relationships is crucial for informing educational policies, designing effective online learning environments, and…

Veterans in the United States generally favor community colleges as an option. Although community colleges serve the most significant number of veterans, there is little research on the transitional experiences of female veterans (Wheeler, 2012). This narrative study utilized semi-structured interviews to discover and shed light on three women's…

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of adult learners in a first-year seminar course at Columbia State Community College, located in middle Tennessee, to determine if the content of the course has an impact on the learners' adjustment to college. With the statewide initiative to reach a goal of 55% of the state's population…

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) annually produces a report examining degree and credential production in Kentucky in the previous academic year (July 1 through June 30) and over the last five years. Using data from the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Data System (KPEDS), the report details the number and types of credentials…