Existing research on elite universities finds that high school pre-college years are consequential for later educational success, both for middle-class students as well as lower-income students (Jack, 2016). However, far less is known about the pre-college student engagement strategies of community college students. I conducted 80 semi-structured…

Despite the growing research on practices that support student success, available data demonstrate a continued education debt for Black and Latinx students. Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) is a practice that can increase the academic success of students of color. This study explored how Black and Latinx students experience CRP. The study was…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to explore how community college nursing faculty with experience of virtual gaming simulation (VGS) from a community college in north central Texas describe the challenges and benefits of utilizing VGS as a teaching tool to help nursing students progress in the development of clinical judgment…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational predictive study was to examine if, or to what extent, gender, years of experience, and instructional modality predicted self-efficacy among community college instructors teaching in the Southwest region of the United States. The theoretical framework for this study is grounded in Bandura's theory of…

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…

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the impact of the rapid shift to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic on a community college. This study focused on examining the attitudes of the faculty towards online teaching and their teaching practices. Additionally, the study aimed to understand the impact of the rapid shift to…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how adjunct faculty experienced transformative learning as a result of their efforts to teach information literacy for their classes at community colleges in New Jersey. Information literacy was defined as the ability to identify information needs and the skills to discover, evaluate, and…

Community college students are more likely than their peers in four-year colleges to experience homelessness or housing instability. At the same time, homelessness is a curricular topic, particularly in social science courses. Given the prevalence of homelessness and housing instability in the community college student population, likely worsened…

Numerous studies indicate that new nursing graduates lack the ability to respond quickly in situations with deteriorating patients and are struggling with competency and clinical judgment. As healthcare increases in complexity and the nursing workforce declines, new and innovative teaching methods are needed for clinical experiences to produce…

Since their inception in 1901, community colleges (CCs) have been a bastion of open-access education for everyone, serving as entryways to post-secondary education for countless students regardless of their sociodemographic and socioacademic backgrounds. On average, students from minoritized backgrounds (SFMBs) make up at least 50% of student…

Dual enrollment--a program in which high school students take college classes, earning credit for both--is growing at a rapid pace across America's high schools and community colleges. While dual enrollment can help students fulfill high school graduation requirements and simultaneously make progress toward a postsecondary degree, some student…

This qualitative, thematic analysis explores the emergent themes related to community college professors' experiences adopting and using technology during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews included semi-structured questions (i.e., closed- and open-ended) to elicit themes related to the professors' adoption and use of…

This hermeneutic phenomenological study aimed to explore the experiences of community college professors working with dual-credit high school students in northern Texas. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory guided the study to delve into the professors' experiences working with dual-credit high school students. The central research question of this…

Nursing education is a practice profession that requires nursing students to participate in clinical learning. The COVID-19 pandemic forced nurse educators to review alternative methods of instruction. The purpose of this quantitative one-group pretest/posttest study was to examine whether web-based simulated learning is associated with improved…

This dissertation explores the math identity development of Black and Latinx students who are taking developmental math classes in a community college setting. The study delves deep into the incorporation of inclusive pedagogical practices in the classroom. Placing emphasis on the successes of students, the research was based on Martin's (2000)…