Despite California community college counseling faculty having unique roles on their campuses due to their faculty status and their proximity to students, there is a lack of research related to the experiences of counseling faculty and how they can be supported by local and statewide leaders to best meet the needs of the diverse student…

Burnout has become a prevalent issue in workplace environments, significantly affecting individuals' mental, emotional, social, and physical well-being. This qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of burnout among community college counselors in Southern California, a group often overlooked in existing research. While…

Previous research on remediation has examined course placement practices, but little is known about first responders and how their beliefs about proper course placements help maintain patterns in course access. This study examined how taken-for-granted racial beliefs were used as legitimate knowledge by community college counselors. Haney López's…

The California Community College System is an entry point for the majority of first-generation college students. This case study of a community college in Southern California examined the experiences and motivations of both Latinx students in their major/career decision-making process and the community college counseling faculty who serve, educate…

Community colleges have long responded to local workforce needs through assembling programming and alliances aimed at reducing workforce gaps while concurrently training the next generation of industry professionals. The emergence of the North Carolina Community College System's NC Career Coach Program, stemming from North Carolina General Statute…

Since the Tennessee Promise's 2014 launch, "free college" or "Promise" programs have proliferated rapidly and converged on design features: a "last-dollar" award and community college applicability. Researchers who study these programs' effects generally presume they are tuition-reducing endeavors. In contrast, we…

Many high school seniors envision walking up the marble steps and entering through the historic arched front door of a stately, column-lined, academic building on the first day of college. Or perhaps the building is a new, state of the art, technology laden, donor-funded building. But, these ideal visions generally do not include waking up early…

Community college counseling is often not well understood in the "university-centric" higher education community. In fact, work at community college counseling centers typically involves an exaggerated version of the challenges found at university counseling centers. At a community college, there are usually vastly fewer resources from…

A qualitative case study approach was used to examine Latino male students and First-Year Experience (FYE) programs aimed at promoting student transfer. Two FYE programs at two community colleges in California were studied: Bridgetown Community College and Portlake Community College (pseudonyms). Study participants included four groups: Latino…

Many things have not changed since Esther Hugo's 2006 article on community colleges. For the most part, "open-door" means just that: "apply and you're in." The lenses community colleges use to see students are still complex; the purposes of community colleges are still many. Students of all ages come for transfer, career and vocational training,…

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the relationship between time perspective and achievement goals among 144 community college students engaged in a first-year experience course. A 4 X 5 correlational model was utilized to examine the relationship between four different achievement goals as measured by scores on the…

Latina/os are one of the fastest growing populations nationwide. In California, Latino males make up 33% of the total male population. While Latino males in the state are opting to pursue a higher education, only 18% are enrolled in public four-year institutions. Most Latino males begin their academic trajectory in community colleges and aspire to…

While admission to a community college is simple--"apply and you're in!"--the institution itself is quite complex. Community colleges serve several purposes: transfer, vocational, recreational, and remedial. Community colleges see students through many lenses. What should counselors know in order to help their community college-bound students make…

Counselors at a public community college who teach a first-year college success course to developmental education students do not have effective opportunities or a systematic method to develop their teaching practice. Moreover, like a majority of community college and university instructors, many counselors do not have formal training in…

This dissertation investigated community college students' perceptions about educational counseling, its value, and its relationship with academic and social integration into the college environment. In an attempt to explore students' perceptions, a quantitative study was conducted at four California community colleges. The survey was distributed…