Download or read book A Phenomenological Study to Describe the Perseverance Experiences of Community College Students written by Andy John Benoit (Jr.) and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the perseverance experiences of first-generation students at one community college in the Southern United States. Tinto’s internationalist theory served as the theoretical framework for the study, which sought to answer the central research question: How do first-generation students at community college in the Southern United States describe their perseverance experience from their first to second year of college? There were four sub-questions included in the study: (1) How do college students describe the events that led them to persevere from their first to their second year of college? (2) How do college students describe the preparatory instances from high school that were most beneficial to their second year of college? (3) How do students who completed their first year of college describe the most impactful experience on their success and perseverance? (4) How do college students describe the instances which had an adverse effect on their perseverance experiences? Purposeful opportunity sampling was employed to obtain a sample population of 12 first-generation community college students who had shared experiences relative to the phenomenon of persistence. Data to examine the phenomenon in-depth were obtained using interviews focus groups, as well as a reflective writing assignment which revealed 10 themes that included: (a) motivation, (b) peer support, (c) institutional support and interventions, (d) class and academic experience, (e) special skills learned, (f) engagement, (g) learning opportunities, (h) interpersonal experiences, (i) academic challenges, and (j) COVID-19. The study findings, limitations, and recommendations for further study were provided.
Download or read book A Phenomenological Study written by Tiffany Nicole Baker and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore African American community college students' first-year experiences with college adjustment and persistence at a two-year, predominantly White community college. Tinto's (1975) institutional departure theory which merges the constructs of social psychology and institutional climate was used in this study to analyze how social integration impacts African American community college student’s first-year college adjustment experiences. Tinto’s (1975) theory asserts that college students who experience an inadequate amount of social integration or view themselves as being of trivial value in the social and academic systems of a higher education institution, decrease in institutional commitment. This theoretical viewpoint demonstrates connections between high attrition rates and first-year college adjustment experiences of African American community college students. Due to the scarcity of qualitative literature that examines the interplay between social integration, persistence, and the first-year college adjustment experiences of African American community college students, a qualitative design was determined to be appropriate design for this study. Eleven participants from a large community college were involved in this study and were selected based on ethnicity, age, and academic year. Data was collected using individual interviews, a writing prompt, and a focus group. Data collected was analyzed using the memoing technique and clusters of meaning, and the data was organized and stored using the Microsoft Excel software. The findings of this study indicated that African American students’ adjustment, motivation, and perseverance were impacted by first-year challenges with college transition and support, feeling a sense of belonging, and their institution’s cultural environment.
Download or read book A Phenomenological Study written by Damira Grady and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to explore the contributing factors that assist African American community college students to persist from remediation, to graduation and transfer to a four-year college or university, and to understand the students' perceptions of their transition experiences better. Schlossberg's (1984, 1995, 2006, 2012) transition theory, self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002), interactionist theory (Tinto, 1993), and the theory of student involvement (Astin, 1984), provided the theoretical framework for this study. Though degree attainment offers many benefits, many students are challenged to succeed (Griffin, 2006). This research extends to the existing literature and theoretical framework of student persistence. To better understand the experiences of African American students who persisted, the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was the most suitable methodology for this study. Like phenomenology inquiry, IPA concerns itself with how individuals make sense of their lived experiences. Additionally, IPA involves a detailed examination of each participant's life and experience in the world. To better understand the phenomenon, participants were asked to share experiences, specific events, and practices that supported their transition. According to Smith et al. (2012), the use of a purposive sample of five to six participants is highly recommended. Therefore, the current study included a small but diverse sample of five African American participants, men and women, aged 19-30. The purposive sample in this study included individuals who successfully persisted from remedial education at a Midwest community college, to graduation and transfer to a four-year college or university. Six major findings were identified and included the following: perseverance, patience, pillar, perception, participation, and preparedness (6P's). All of the participants agreed that the 6P's are vital to increasing students' persistence from remediation in community college. The implications of this study are significant, as all students utilized the 6P's through each transition phase of their educational journey. Implications of these findings related to practice, research, leadership, learning, and service were also discussed.
Download or read book Invisible written by Carl Stokes, Jr. and published by . This book was released on 2020-11 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This transcendental phenomenological study examined how Black fathers' perception of their own and their father's fatherhood impacts persistence in community college. This study interviewed six Black male community college students with children in New York State. The study posed three research questions: (1) How do Black male college students experience fatherhood (from a son's perspective) facilitating or impeding community college completion? (2) How do Black male college students experience their fatherhood (from a father's perspective) facilitating or impeding community college completion? and (3) In the experience of Black male college students, how do community colleges support Black students who are fathers? Findings show that fatherhood acts as a catalyst to community college completion for Black student-fathers, that children are a central motivation for persistence for Black student-fathers, and support systems in community colleges are lacking for Black student-fathers. The six emergent themes included parenting matters, impenetrable lifelong connections, resilience and progression, desire to be living proof, typical unnecessary obstacles, and true knowledge and acceptance. Recommendations for practice include recognizing Black student-fathers, implementing support programs specific to Black student-fathers, and actively recruiting Black male faculty and support staff. Recommendations for future research include broadening research nationally, including 4-year institutions, and examining student-fathers of different races.
Download or read book Experiences of First year Online Community College Students on Academic Probation written by Michael Beck and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of first-year online community college students on academic probation at a small, rural community college in central North Carolina. Four research questions guided the study: (RQ1) How do first-year, online community college students who are on academic probation describe their academic experiences? (RQ2) What do participants identify as reasons for receiving poor grades and being placed on academic probation? (RQ3) How do participants on academic probation describe what they could have done differently to avoid being placed on academic probation? (RQ4) What do participants who are on academic probation do to successfully return to satisfactory academic progress? The researcher used a phenomenological design to examine the gap in the existing research, specifically that there is insufficient understanding of the experiences of first-year community college students who take online courses and are placed on academic probation. This study focused on the experiences of students who attended a community college in central North Carolina. Data was collected through interviews, written documents, and a focus group and primarily analyzed through coding and establishing themes. Four themes emerged: Lack of Preparedness, Lack of Perseverance, Lack of Communication, and Optimism for the Future.
Download or read book The Complex Life Experience of First Generation College Students Who Are Working Adults in the Appalachian Region of the United States written by Deborah Thurman and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe and understand the complexity of life experiences for first-generation college students or recent graduates who are working adults in the Central and South-Central Appalachian region of the United States in light of the construct resilience and how purposefully selected students continued study despite difficulties. In this study, information gathered was synthesized regarding three issues: first-generation students, working adult students, and the influences of Central and South-Central Appalachian regional culture. The theory used to guide this study is resilience as it relates to the educational persistence of working, adult, first-generation college students in Appalachia. The complexity of life experiences was generally defined as the many life situations that the participants encounter in the pursuit of a degree. A rich, descriptive portrayal of the target population's complex lives was revealed through interviews with 11 individuals, a journaling exercise completed about their educational experiences, and focus groups. The information gathered, as seen through a cultural profile developed of the region, was explored for commonalities and themes to give voice to the students. One enduring theme was the lack of value placed on education in their families. Another distinct theme was poverty, both in their own families of origin, and in the region. An engaging theme was their unrest with living life without a baccalaureate degree. More specifically, they portrayed a strong determination to rise above their circumstances using the vehicle of further education. Next, overcoming the complexities of their lives through resilience. A final theme that surfaced was how their lives had improved after their graduation.
Download or read book Exploring Work students Experiences of Persistence at a Northeastern Community College written by José E. Vélez Otero and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to investigate the experience of persistence on the part of work-study students at a Northeastern community college. The construct of resilience provided the conceptual framework through which the collected data were analyzed. The broad question informing this investigation was how do work-study students understand the experiences that influence their decision to persist at a community college. Data from one-on-one interviews served as the main source of information, followed by observations made by the researcher and information from the college's Banner Data System. Each participant's account was analyzed individually. From the preliminary tables, a main chart was created that contained four superordinate themes with 10 nested themes. Data were validated against the participants' transcripts and participant's feedback. The research findings over all revealed that their persistence was influenced by the way they strengthened their resiliency as they developed the mechanisms required to cope with stress, engage in what they sensed as welcoming environments, develop personal and professional identities, and acquire time-management skills. These findings suggest that to improve campus persistence among adult populations at this particular community college, similar work opportunities should be made available to more students. Higher-education institutions, by finding alternative ways to fund on-campus work, should ensure that student jobs are paired with individuals' areas of study and take place at culturally inclusive work locations where they can feel connected with both supervisors and peers and can experience professional growth. Future research might include a multi-community-college study with a larger sample size, other extra-curricular groups, and additional factors influencing students to drop out despite participation in work-study.
Download or read book Differences in Post Secondary Persistence by Gender written by Karen Louise Clark and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore persistence differences by gender, among traditional-age college students at a private, residential, liberal arts college in a Mid-Atlantic state. The number of students attending college has steadily increased. However, females have increasingly outnumbered males in college enrollment and persistence. This is a growing concern for higher education. The following research questions guided the research: How do traditional-age college seniors describe persistence? How do traditional-age college seniors describe experiences or beliefs that contributed to their persistence? What are the persistence differences, by gender? Twenty females and thirteen males (n=33) participated in the data collection which included focus groups, individual interviews, and follow-up email questions. Each participant also provided basic background information through a data collection instrument. In the data analysis phase, statements were categorized according to the research questions and then coded. The codes were organized them into themes. The most prominent factor that contributed to persistence for both genders was a combination of a goal, a relentless internal drive, and at least one supportive family member. Other factors included supportive faculty and a friend group that espoused similar academic values. Gender differences in the persistence process were unveiled. Females were more likely to initiate asking for help, especially during the vulnerable freshman year. Females also expressed more stress over grades and the college experience, in general. Males expressed more academic regret when reflecting on their freshman priorities. Males were more likely to attribute their persistence to athletic involvement, either on a varsity level or through intramurals.
Download or read book Understanding Persistence of the Latino a Adult Student at the Community College written by Yolanda Reyes Guevara and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Student persistence has been a topic of discussion in higher education for decades. Researchers have examined factors that affect persistence for traditional-aged students with research focusing on quantitative studies that fail to acknowledge the individual experiences of persistence. Likewise, there is minimal research on Latino/a adult students and their experiences with persistence at community colleges. This dissertation study examined the Latino/a adult student at the community college to gain a better understanding of their lived experiences of persistence. This study took place at an urban, two-year institution in south Texas that has a high number of Hispanic or Latino/a students and a low number of adult students. For this study, I examined the following overarching research question: Looking through the lens of Latino/a adult students, what explains the phenomenon of their persistence at the community college? This study utilized a phenomenological, qualitative approach to explore the overarching question. The study followed a phenomenological methodology in order to focus on the lived experiences of the participants and to further explore the phenomenon of persistence. Two semi-structured interviews and a critical incident reflection were used to gather data from the participants. The themes that emerged from the data analysis were the following: the past will not define my future, moving into higher education, finding my place in higher education, aiming for a better life, what matters to me, making connections, and looking into a mirror. Sub-themes were identified for each of these themes as well, and study findings were interpreted in light of existing research literature and the study's conceptual framework encompassing Schlossberg's Transition Theory (1981) and Yosso's theory of Community Cultural Wealth (2005). The study adds to the body of literature on Latino/a adult students and their persistence and also provides implications for practice for practitioners in the field of higher education.
Download or read book I m Not Going Through this Alone written by Marianne Ruggles Niese and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of community college students in recovery, including their experience with a Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP). Collegiate recovery programs have been on college campuses in the United States for decades, with the first CRP dating back to 1977 at Brown University (Pennelle, 2019). Of the 138 CRP members reported by the Association of Recovery in Higher Education in 2019, only 13 of them were community colleges (ARHE, 2019b, p. 7-9). Despite roughly 35% of undergraduates in the U.S. attending community colleges (NCES, 2018), very few community colleges have a verifiable CRP in operation (TYR, 2016; ARHE, 2019b). Transforming Youth Recovery (2016) suggests that it would be beneficial to further our understanding of the role that community colleges can play beyond academics, and specifically TYR believes that "community colleges appear to be ideally suited to help support the enrichment of students in recovery" (p. 7). Despite the need and clear benefits, recovery support is largely missing on community college campuses. This gap stems primarily from the infrastructure of student support, with many community colleges reporting a desire to strengthen their student services but insufficient funding to do so (TYR, 2016, p. 27). Institutions may benefit from examining their existing student support systems prior to implementing a CRP. Because most models for CRPs come from residential, four-year institutions, they may not work well in community college settings without adaptation. Not only are CRPs uncommon on many community college campuses, but also the literature on CRPs is primarily focused on residential colleges and universities. Brown, Ashford, Heller, Whitney, and Kimball (2018) completed a literature review on CRPs spanning from 1998-2017 and noted that existing research on CRPs is "limited in scope" (p. 9), and of the 25 studies included in their review, none of them focused on the community college population. This gap in the literature leaves out the voices of community college students in recovery, and it can create difficulties when community colleges want to implement a CRP, as most of the guidance available is focused on residential, four-year institutions. The sample for this study was selected purposively, using gatekeepers at two selected community colleges who acted as referrals (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2012, p.48). This study included semi-structured interviews from participants focusing on their experiences and perspectives. Each participant was interviewed via Zoom with the opportunity for follow-up. All participants were from a community college with an active Collegiate Recovery Program.
Download or read book Academic Self Efficacy on Persistence in Mexican American Community College Students written by Soodabeh Lahijani and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Phenomenological Study that Examines the Perseverance of Young Single Mothers who Have Earned a College Degree written by Christine Marie Kirkpatrick and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to understand perseverance in young single mothers who have earned a college degree. The theory guiding this study is Duckworth’s theory of grit since many students who complete undergraduate degrees experience barriers related to the components of grit. Participants for this study were single mothers who have completed a college degree from an institution of higher learning in central Pennsylvania by the age of thirty. Data for the study were collected utilizing one-on-one interviews, personal timelines, and focus group discussions. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’ data analysis processes, including horizonalization, reduction, and elimination to determine the invariant constituents; clustering and thematizing the invariant constituents; identifying themes; constructing textural descriptions of the experiences; and finally construction textural-structural descriptions of the meanings of the experiences.
Download or read book Examining the Role of On campus Experiences written by Kaitlin Elizabeth Yourous and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the residential experiences of individuals who completed a terminal degree in education within a limited-residency program from various institutions of higher education. Tinto’s theory of integration provided the theoretical framework for the study to answer the central and research subquestions: (a) How do individuals who completed a terminal degree in education in a limited-residency program describe their residential experiences? (b) How do limited-residency doctoral graduates describe the role, if any, of their residential experiences in relation to their ability to conduct independent research? (c) How do limited-residency doctoral graduates describe the role, if any, of their residential experiences in relation to developing relationships with peers and faculty? and (d) How do limited-residency doctoral graduates describe the role, if any, of their residential experiences in their integration into their academic community? Maximum variation was attempted, and participants were selected through purposeful, criterion sampling, yielding a sample size of 11 participants who earned Doctor of Education (EdD) degrees from a variety of universities. Data were collected through questionnaires, semistructured interviews, personal items, and focus groups and were analyzed using Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenological approach. Results from data collection and analysis generated five primary themes: (a) human connections, (b) preparation for the dissertation, (c) mentorship, (d) tangibility of the university, and (e) personal resolve and tenacity. Empirical, practical, and theoretical implications of the study’s findings and recommendations for future research are also discussed.
Download or read book Perceptions of Persistence written by Lea C. Maue and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to illuminate the barriers to persistence underprepared students at the community college experience after the initial successful completion of one semester. A qualitative interview study, grounded in phenomenology, was implemented. Participants were identified through a process of purposeful selection, which included the following criteria: (a) beginning the development reading sequence at the most basic level (DEV 65) and passing that course; (b) immediately enrolling in a subsequent semester at the institution; and (c) exiting the institution before acquiring any credit-bearing English coursework. The examination of institutional archival data resulted in 42 potential participants. Participants were recruited via telephone and mail, and of the 42 attempted telephone and 39 mailed contacts, five individuals volunteered to participate in the study. Each participant was interviewed individually, with sessions varying in length between 51 and 119 minutes. Immediately after each interview was complete, the audio recording was listened to in its entirety and transcribed verbatim. The resulting transcripts were analyzed through a modified version of Devinish's (2002) applied method for phenomenological explication of interview transcripts. This involved a multi-layered process of recursive analysis beginning with line-by-line open coding, extracting 333 natural meaning units (NMU). In a second stage of analysis, the NMU were further sorted, analyzed, and grouped to arrive at 46 central themes. The third stage of analysis involved collating and grouping central themes into related fields employing a concept map to form at 13 interpretive themes. The final stage of analysis included a further examination of the 13 interpretive themes, where each was rank ordered by importance (frequency x intensity = priority) and then synthesized with data from lesser themes, which resulted in the following six explicative themes: (a) significant environmental stressors; (b) a sense of self-sufficiency and independency; (c) reading problems; (d) a belief in the power of perseverance; (e) instructor characteristics; and (f) financial aid restrictions. These six explicative themes captured the essence of what it meant for the participants to be an underprepared student at the college and identified the perceived barriers to persistence.
Download or read book Community College Performing Arts Students Perceptions of Persistence written by Katy Realista and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Phenomenological Study on the Experiences of Graduates from an Early College High School in the South on Their Transition to a Four year University written by Mikki Curtis and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of graduates of an early college high school (ECHS) in the South on their transition to a four-year university. During this research a students' experiences with a transition was generally defined as their transition to a four-year university after they graduate high school with their associate degree. The theory guiding this study was Schlossberg’s transition theory, which explores how people cope with transitions. The central research question examined during this study is “How do graduates of an ECHS in the South describe their experiences with their transition to a four-year university?” The three sub-questions in this study examined students’ experiences of moving in, moving through, and moving out of the four-year university. A transcendental phenomenological research design was used to study the research questions. The study included 11 participants that graduated from the southern collegiate high school located on the Southern Community College campus. Data was collected using a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview, letter-writing, and focus groups. The data was analyzed using phenomenological reduction, which includes horizontalization, imaginative variation, and synthesis. Several themes emerged including 1) Self-Awareness 2) Academic Preparation 3) College Awareness and 4) Relationships. Each of these primary themes have several sub-themes that also emerged. These themes and sub-themes informed the answers to the research questions regarding the experiences of graduates from an ECHS and their transition to a four-year university.
Download or read book A Transcendental Phenomenological Study of Perceived Self efficacy as it Relates to Persistence for First generation Black College Men in Texas written by Cleveland Earl Brown (Sr.) and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe perceived self-efficacy as it relates to the persistence of first-generation Black college men at two public and one private Christian institution of higher education in the state of Texas. The theory that guided this study was Bandura’s self-efficacy as it provided the theoretical framework. Tinto’s student integration model was used in this research to analyze Tinto’s concept of academic and social integration relevant to first-generation Black college men’s persistence. Four research questions were used in this study to describe the participants’ perceived self-efficacy, persistence, and family influences as well as perceived experiences with faculty and peer students relevant to their academic success in higher education in Texas. Quantitative studies have focused on the historical academic achievement gap for minority students in higher education (Spangler & Slate, 2014). However, there was limited research giving a voice to Black men in college and their perceived self-efficacy as it relates to college persistence in Texas. A purposeful sampling method was used to identify 10 first-generation Black senior college men for this study. The data collection approach in this study included semi-structured interviews, journal prompts, and focus groups. The qualitative data analysis procedures employed Moustakas' modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen's method. Findings indicated that perceived self-efficacy relevant to the persistence of the participants in higher education in Texas was aligned with existing research. Four themes and patterns emerged: self-efficacy, family relationships, community obligations, and campus relationships.
