How Students Think About Race: Exploring Racial Conceptions and Their Implications for Student Success Among Latino Male Community College Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (190) ◽  
pp. 69-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvira J. Abrica ◽  
Amanda K. Dorsten
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Latino Male

Exploring Sources and Infuences of Social Capital on Community College Students’ First-Year Success: Does Age Make a Difference?

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-46
Author(s):  
Xueli Wang ◽  
Kelly Wickersham ◽  
Yen Lee ◽  
Hsun-Yu Chan
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
College Success ◽  
Community College Student ◽  
First Year ◽  
College Student Success ◽  
Different Sources

Background/Context Although numerous studies have emerged shedding light on community college student success, the enduring role of social capital is often overlooked. Furthermore, when conceptualizing social capital in the community college context and its diverse student population, age represents a unique form of diversity in these institutions that warrants further exploration. Purpose This research identifies the sources of social capital and the relationships between different sources of social capital and community college success, taking into account how the identified sources and relationships may vary based on age through the following questions: First, what are the major sources of social capital among first-year community college students, and how do sources of social capital vary based on age of students? Second, how do different sources of social capital influence first-year community college success? Third, how do influences of social capital on first-year community college success vary based on the age of students? Research Design Our study drew on Coleman's conceptualization of social capital, along with survey, administrative, and transcript data from three 2-year colleges in a midwestern state. We performed factor analysis with invariance tests to investigate the sources of social capital among community college students and how the identified factor structure may vary by age. We further conducted a logistic regression to examine the relationship between social capital and community college student success across age. Findings Our findings indicate that social capital needs to be conceptualized differently for community college students across age because they indeed drew on multiple forms of social capital differently, and the sources of social capital that emerged in turn were related to student success in varied ways. Students under the age of 24 relied on institutional agents and academic interaction as dominant forms of social capital, whereas those over the age of 24 relied on significant other's support. Students under the age of 24 were more likely to succeed if they frequently visited advisors for academic reasons. A low or high level of support for schoolwork was related to a higher chance of success for students between 24 and 29 years of age. For the students who were over 30 years old, a moderate level of engagement in their learning network and discussions with academic advisors was related to the lowest level of dropping out. Conclusions This study extends the social capital model by illuminating the varying types of social capital that students of different age groups engage with, particularly in the community college context, and pushes the boundaries of the knowledge base on how social capital functions in relation to student success in postsecondary education. The findings also elucidate new directions for research, policy, and practice in regard to cultivating and maximizing networks and information for community college students of all ages.

Academically Eligible and Ineligible Pell Grant Community College Students: A Qualitative Investigation

2021 ◽  
pp. 009155212098201
Author(s):  
Mia Ocean
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Pell Grant ◽  
Empowerment Theory ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Barriers And Enablers ◽  
Case Comparison

Objective: The purpose of this research is twofold: first, to investigate financially eligible Pell Grant community college students’ perceptions of barriers and enablers to student success, and second, to critique the financial aid satisfactory academic progress (SAP) criteria through a cross-case comparison of students who are meeting and are not meeting the academic requirements. Method: To complete this investigation, I conducted semistructured interviews with financially eligible Pell Grant community college students ( N = 62) who were meeting SAP ( n = 31) and who were not meeting SAP ( n = 31). To analyze the data, I drew on Brint and Karabel’s theory of democratization and diversion as well as Gutiérrez and Lewis’s conceptualization of empowerment theory, and I followed Braun and Clarke’s six-step iterative thematic approach. Results: Financially eligible Pell Grant community college students believe students need motivation, enough resources to meet their responsibilities, and cultural capital to succeed. Observable differences were identified between the two student groups in three areas: environmental responsibilities to resources ratios, cultural capital, and powerlessness. Contributions: Through this article, I created a platform for the voices of financially eligible Pell Grant community college students and their perceptions of barriers and enablers to student success. By conducting the cross-case analysis, the potentially arbitrary nature of the SAP criteria is apparent, despite the real consequences they create for students. This research contributes a long overdue qualitative critique of the SAP criteria, but additional research is warranted.

Academic Outcomes Among Diverse Community College Students: What Is the Role of Instructor Relationships?

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
McKenna F. Parnes ◽  
Carola Suárez-Orozco ◽  
Olivia Osei-Twumasi ◽  
Sarah E. O. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Student Instructor

Objective: Although much research on community colleges focuses on institutional challenges or student deficits, emerging evidence suggests that student–instructor relationships have the potential to impact student success. The current study examined factors that could influence community college students’ development of relationships with instructors and how these relationships are associated with academic engagement and achievement. Drawing on literature exploring student–instructor relationships at 4-year institutions, we hypothesized that students’ relationships with instructors may partially account for the association between student demographic and relational characteristics and academic outcomes (i.e., cognitive and behavioral engagement, grade point average [GPA]). Method: Survey data were collected from 646 ethnically and racially diverse participants, many of whom were first-, second-, or third-generation immigrants, or first-generation college students. Employing a between-subjects, cross-sectional design, we tested the main study hypotheses of mediation through a series of path analysis models using Mplus. Results: Students with higher support-seeking attitudes and students with a mentor reported closer relationships with instructors, whereas part-time students reported weaker relationships with instructors. In turn, student–instructor relationships were significantly associated with both cognitive and behavioral aspects of academic engagement and GPA. Conclusion: This study provides insight into the various factors that may influence community college students’ development of relationships with instructors and highlights the direct and indirect influence of these relationships on student success. Implications for future practice include finding strategies that can be implemented at community colleges to foster student–instructor relationships. Future research should further explore these associations using longitudinal data to gain a deeper understanding of current findings.

The Effects of Offering Proactive Student-Success Coaching on Community College Students’ Academic Performance and Persistence

2021 ◽  
pp. 009155212098203
Author(s):  
Mark M. Hall ◽  
Rachel E. Worsham ◽  
Grey Reavis
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Predictive Analytics ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Student Academic Performance ◽  
Two Stages

Objective: This study examined the effects of offering proactive student-success coaching, informed by predictive analytics, on student academic performance and persistence. Specifically, this study investigated semester grade point average (GPA) and semester-to-semester persistence of community college students as outcomes. Methods: This study involved two stages of analysis. First, we used inverse probability of treatment weighting to create appropriately balanced samples of the students offered proactive assistance and students not offered proactive assistance to approximate a randomized control trial with observational data. Then, we applied regression analyses with weights and covariates to the balanced samples to estimate outcomes. Results: Using regression analyses with weights and covariates, we estimated few statistically significant results in sample subgroup models and no statistically significant results for whole-group samples. Generally, our analyses found that the offer of the intervention had no effect on students’ persistence and semester GPAs. Conclusions/Contributions: This study contributes empirical results to the emerging literature regarding student-success coaching, predictive analytics, and student-monitoring systems. The results demonstrate the necessity of performing rigorous analyses on these predictive-analytic systems and reveals ethical concerns that should be considered in designing interventions.

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