This qualitative research study explores how students negotiate their identities as mathematics learners in a college algebra quadratics unit that implements asset-based frameworks that reframe mathematics curriculum to support student awareness of their capacities. This study adds to existing research discourse on teaching and learning…

Reversing the trend of US STEM graduation rates lagging other industrialized nations requires that we look at the entire pipeline of potential STEM students, including the vast number that start their journeys in remedial math classrooms in two-year colleges. Most research to date has focused on either Learning Support (LS) success or STEM…

Over the past 30 years, a shift occurred in higher education that saw more of the burden for paying for postsecondary education placed on students. Combined with rising tuition and fees, this has led students to take on increasing amounts of student debt. Despite the historic rise in student loans, surprisingly little attention has focused on…

This study aimed to understand the barriers that two-year college students face that prevent graduation and the possible intervention program to assist them with overcoming these barriers. The perceptions of academic advisors working at a two-year college were gained in the areas of barriers related to environmental factors, social integration,…

This dissertation conducts a narrative positioning analysis of full-time two-year college literacy teaching (TYLT) faculty in order to investigate how they perform professional identities through storytelling. The author analyzes narratives surrounding three significant facets of professions: professionalization, jurisdiction, and uses of…

The problem of practice addressed in this mixed-methods research study is assessing whether participating in professional development workshops helped community college instructors improve their pedagogical practices, leading to improved student success and achievement rates. In this study, I explore the effects of an intervention I designed to…

Amongst several recent policy changes, argued in this paper to be neoliberal and constituting structural violence, the Connecticut community college system (CCC) Board of Regents has begun placing students based on self-reported GPA, but studies on the effects of these changes have not included multi-lingual learners (MLL). Using a census of every…

The purpose of this study is to examine the social and economic impact of two-year and community colleges on minorities particularly African Americans who are earning a certificate, transfer credits to a four-year institution, or an Associate of Arts or Science Degree. The proposed research is a qualitative case study investigating the social and…

Many African international students see two-year colleges as a pathway to higher education in the United States. It is critical to better understand who these students are, what draws them to two-year colleges, what support services are available, and how their needs are met. As African international students contribute to more robust, diverse,…

This study examined peer leaders' impact on peer student engagement and belonging at a minority-serving institution. The researcher conducted a quasi-experimental study examining the association between students' affiliation with peer leaders and their engagement level (measured by their participation at campus events), and their sense of…

This phenomenological study explores the shared experience of undecided community college students' indecision towards major and career choice using guided questions. The research explores the three categories of undecided student, while further dissecting the categories into subtypes or stages which displays the depth of the undecided student…

Existing research has suggested numerous advantages of dual enrollment, which allows high school students to concurrently earn high school and college credit through enrollment in a single course, including an increased likelihood of high school to college transitions and stronger postsecondary outcomes such as a reduced time to degree completion.…

Roughly 40% of first-time freshman enter college at two-year institutions (Ginder, et al., 2015) and between roughly 70 to 80% of students enrolled at two-year institutions report the intent to continue their education to earn a bachelor's degree (Jenkins & Fink, 2016; U.S. Department of Education, 2001). However, less than half of the…

"Black men made up 2.4% of the undergraduate population at Power Five schools but comprised 55% of their football teams and 56% of their men's basketball teams" (Brenneman, 2018, p. 1). Despite the greater participation rates for college student-athletes, Black male student-athlete degree attainment still lags behind their Black male…

World language study exposes students to more than just language; they are also exposed to different cultures. After graduating, students will be exposed to different languages and cultures in the workforce, and they must be prepared. Students often leave their language of choice after the one or two semester course requirement; it takes more than…