This qualitative study employed the concepts of validating and institutional agents to explore the roles that community college practitioners play in the retention of racially minoritized students in STEM programs. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, the conceptual framework was used to identify affirming practices leveraged by…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to know if and to what extent there was a relationship between self-determination and the dimensions of online learner readiness (motivation for learning, online communication self-efficacy, self-directed learning, learner control, and computer/internet self-efficacy) with online academic…

Purpose: This study examines the educational gaps of Latinx students at the community college level. The Puente outreach program is evaluated as a possible exemplary program to improve retention and success in completing degree-applicable and transferable classes. Puente's goal is to encourage Latinx students to attend college and provide support.…

In the higher education landscape, community colleges have served to help many under-resourced populations gain access to post-secondary education and a chance to pursue their dreams (Bailey, Jaggers, & Jenkins, 2015; Schudde & Goldrick-Rab, 2015). As with many under-resourced populations of students, the stakes are high for incarcerated…

The purpose of the study is to understand how Latina community college students perceive and experience academic advising that has been redesigned within the guided pathways framework. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is used to frame the research study from a racialized lens and to problematize the race-neutral framework of guided pathways. I utilized…

There have been few, if any, metacognitive studies conducted on what community college students think about their learning when augmented reality technology is introduced to the learning environment. This qualitative collective case study looked at how emerging technologies, specifically augmented reality, within a community college classroom…

Economic development theory focuses on a country's human capital development which is its greatest resource. Human capital development is the empowerment of citizens which comes through education and training. A major player in this process is Community colleges which its mandate is to bridge the skills gap and attend to the academic needs of its…

Students attending a community college in an urban setting plagued by violence are subject to experiencing or witnessing one or more traumatic events. The purpose of this action research study was to increase faculty and staff's understanding of the prevalence of trauma, how it may manifest at colleges within students, oneself, classrooms, and…

The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative study is to explore the matriculation rates for first-time, full-time freshmen who were previously enrolled in dual enrollment courses while in high school at one of the 13 public community colleges in Tennessee. Percentages, means, standard deviations, ranges, percentages, and proportions were used to…

Women faculty in higher education, and particularly BIPOC women faculty in community colleges, often bear the weight of emotional labor, or the expectation of managing both their feelings as well as their students' emotional needs. Because emotional labor goes unrecognized, this places a strain on faculty who balance teaching, research, and…

Over the past decade, Tennessee has invested in several policies addressing the educational attainment of adult learners. One of these policies, Tennessee Reconnect, is a last-dollar scholarship for eligible adults to attend community college free of tuition and mandatory fees. In 2021, two community colleges participated in a year-long pilot…

The success of Black males in community colleges across the nation is at a pivotal turning point. Due to increased social unrest in America and the global challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a renewed focus on equitable outcomes for marginalized, underrepresented, and minoritized student groups. Consequently, institutions have sought to…

This study describes students' experiences applying for and maintaining financial aid at a community college in Southern California. Through individual interviews and focus groups, we examined the interaction points between students, institutional actors, institutional policies, and state/federal policies. We theorize that interactions between…

A "critical access point in the STEM pipeline for Latinx students and other students of color" (Herrera et al., 2018), community colleges provide a seminal breeding ground for academic pursuits (Bahr et al., 2017). However, how personal networks influence STEM pathways of two-year college students remains largely unexplored. This mixed…

In a time of increasing economic inequality, lower levels of government investment in higher education, and rising tuition costs, students vying for a college degree experience financial concerns as important influences on their college experience. An emerging body of literature has focused on the relationship between student finances and academic…