Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate how Latino men's conceptions of masculinities influenced their attitudes and behaviors during the transition from community colleges to 4-year institutions. Method: A phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experiences of 34 Latino men across Texas, California, and Florida.…

Objective: In community colleges, achieving competence in math is critical to students' timely progression through coursework and eventual educational success; yet, it remains unclear when the optimal timing to complete required math courses is in order to maximize the chance of completing a credential on time. This study examines the timing of…

Objective: Ideally, community colleges both democratize opportunity and develop in students the civic skills necessary to meaningfully participate in a democratic society. This national pilot study examines the individual and institutional factors associated with greater civic agency, capacity, behavior, and knowledge among students after at least…

Transfer students are a distinct population. Their characteristics lead to a qualitatively different student experience. Drawing on interviews with a cross-sectional sample of transfer students at George Mason University (GMU), this study focused on the ways transfer students perceived their social and academic engagement, on the ways they engaged…

Two related themes currently dominate discourse on open-access colleges, particularly community colleges: increasing college-going and degree attainment and improving the performance of postsecondary institutions with respect to producing graduates. Largely missing from this discourse, however, is cogency concerning the innumerable ways in which…

This article considers the risk of failing college and how the fear of failure shapes students' behavior. Drawing on a semester-long study of students and instructors in a community college English composition course, this analysis highlights the potential for students to undermine their own educational goals in the absence of active intervention…

The Community College Survey of Student Engagement, established in 2001 and administered by the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin, provides systematically collected data on the experiences of community college students. This article describes what has been learned through the survey to date and notes plans…

Describes a study that analyzes variables affecting students' decisions to withdraw from liberal arts and science courses. Findings indicated that students with higher GPAs were more likely to withdraw from class than students with low GPAs, perhaps to preserve their averages and repeat the course with higher grades. Contains five data tables and…

After describing characteristics associated with student loan defaulters, the author provides supporting information from a qualitative survey that elicited perceptions about loan defaulters from 12 students, faculty and staff at a two-year college. Finds that student background characteristics play as great a role in loan default behavior as…

Describes a study of community college transfer students who completed bachelor's degrees to determine whether they followed the stereotyped pattern of enrollment in a community college directly after high school and in a university after two years. Indicates that many students do not follow a direct route from high school to community college to…

Discusses a survey of nonreturning students at Cuyamaca College (California), distinguishing between positive attrition (successful nonreturners) and negative attrition (unsuccessful nonreturners). Compares two groups in terms of goals, employment, satisfaction with college, high school performance, gender, and ethnicity. Recommends…

Describes findings from focus-group discussions involving 18 2-year college students previously enrolled in other 2- and 4-year institutions, reviewing students' attitudes toward present academic setting, educational and career goals, and expectations for receiving transfer credit. Compares findings with previous interviews of two-year college…

Emphasizes role of indicators of transfer effectiveness in community college accountability efforts. Discusses problems defining transfer rates, identifying potential transfer students, and collecting data. Describes Transfer Assembly project, an ongoing national study of student transfer from two- to four-year institutions, detailing outcomes for…

Presents study results concerning the amount and quality of effort invested by Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) students in their college experience. Lists strategies used by SBCC to increase student involvement. Discusses the importance of student contacts with faculty and peers and student involvement in out-of-class activities. (DMM)

Examines the prevalence of demographic risk factors related to student success and compares these factors across three different groups of students: current students, graduates, and nonreturners. Reports that key findings indicate that nonreturning students had substantially greater rates in three risk factor areas: (1) working full-time; (2)…