This research study was conducted to determine if there was a difference in community college graduation rates based on aggregate faculty hires, aggregate faculty retention and community college size. The study employed a non-experimental quantitative research design with three independent variables (aggregate faculty new hires, aggregate faculty…

Institutions of higher education grapple with low retention rates, including community colleges, which have even lower rates. Historically, retention barriers include financial reasons, transportation issues, or lack of motivation. However, investigating the institution's role is also important. Institutional barriers come in the form of…

The increasing number of part time instructors in the community college professorate combined with low student retention and graduation rates makes research into part time faculty and student success highly germane. My dissertation investigated if higher ratios of adjunct faculty were related to student retention, certificate/degree attainment,…

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…

Community colleges have been important open access entry points into education and employment. In order to improve the community college average retention rate of 60%, this study began looking at other areas that may have been impacting student retention without having been previously quantified. To evaluate the impact of faculty inclusion in…

Healthcare student retention rates have been a problem across the United States for several years, and it is difficult for colleges to develop orientation programs for the students to attend before they start their programs. The purpose of this qualitative, case study was to investigate the perceptions of students, faculty, and administrators…

A nationwide trend of decreased enrollment in community colleges is leading to a greater focus on retention rates of current students. Academic success (ACA) courses are one area of this focus. This study reviews the impact of changes made to one ACA course on student performance and retention. Changes include a decrease in credit hours, reduction…

Community colleges train 60% of healthcare workers nationwide. Human anatomy and physiology (A&P) courses are considered prerequisite courses for all students who aspire to enter health-related programs. The attrition rates for A&P students at community colleges nationally are close to 50%. Community colleges with open-door policies admit…

Retention of first year college students has been problematic in many U.S. colleges, and different mentoring frameworks have been explored to help resolve the issue. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to examine how the mentoring program at Brown Community College (BCC; pseudonym) positively increased retention of first year…

Validation within higher education, "refers to the intentional, proactive affirmation of students. Validation, at the community college level, is closely linked to resilience, retention, as well as higher graduation rates. This research paper will address if students are able to find the validation that they require at the community college…

The purpose of this basic qualitative research was to investigate the perceptions of nurse educators who work in proprietary institutions regarding their roles in retaining nursing students enrolled in an associate degree in nursing program. Information about nursing faculty's perceptions of their role in nursing students' retention was missing…

Limited previous research has documented the impact of faculty factors on community college completion rates. Community colleges demonstrate widely varying student outcomes measured as three-year associate degree graduation rates. Little is known about causes of these observed differences. A sense of community with other students and faculty is an…

The academic outcomes of retention, completion, persistence and final exam scores between courses taught with open educational resources (OER) and courses taught with publisher content (non-OER) were investigated in this mixed method sequential study. The perceptions and experiences of the instructors who taught the courses were also explored. The…

This mixed methods research study was undertaken to examine promising instructional practices that promote student retention and completion at a mid-sized community college in North Carolina. A student perceptions survey was given in order to identify promising instructional practices; most align with Kuh's (2008) high impact practices. A focus…

Colleges use academic success strategies to improve the retention rates of students with disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate community college faculty's perceptions of their level of self-efficacy in meeting the learning needs of students with hidden disabilities (SHD) in higher education. Bandura's theory…