The authors examined three motivational factors (first-year grade expectations, present-focused time perspective, and future-focused time perspective) as predictors of achievement and retention outcomes for students (N = 844) in their first semester at a predominately Hispanic-serving community college, accounting for student background…

Given low rates of student retention in community colleges, there has been growing interest in understanding characteristics that put students at-risk and that serve to buffer against academic difficulty. In particular, research on student success has focused on demographic predictors that are difficult to change, whereas motivational…

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship (if any) between college selection factors and persistence for Black and Latino males in the community college. Using data derived from the Educational Longitudinal Study, backwards stepwise logistic regression models were developed for both groups. Findings are contextualized in light…

The failure of many 2-year college students to persist and complete a post-secondary credential or degree remains a problem of paramount importance to higher education policymakers and practitioners. While racial representation--or the extent to which a student's racial group is represented on their respective campus--might be one factor that…

Student-faculty engagement has been identified as the best predictor of Latino student persistence (Hurtado & Carter, 1997). This study explores the strategies that community college faculty employ to engage Latino students. Findings indicate that knowledge, appreciation, and sensitivity to Hispanic cultures and an understanding of the preferred…

A substantive amount of research has been conducted on how work influences persistence and completion, for those who decide to leave we know little about where they go to work and how much they earn. The purpose of this study was to explore the work behaviors of a cohort of students who began their postsecondary experience at a community college…

This investigation was a case study to measure the retention and persistence effects of a learning community in developmental English at an urban community college. The study used student demographic and course outcome data to quantify the extent to which learning community participation could contribute toward remedying the historically low…