Construct Validity of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)

The use of established scales in research is beneficial for benchmarking, but problematic when local results are invalid, both for local administrators and for the data pool in which the data become part. Administrators at one southeastern community college, as part of a statewide system's effort to exceed a given threshold on the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), focused on the importance of local validation of an instrument assumed to be valid.     

A Theory-Driven Model of Community College Student Engagement

This mixed-methods study develops, operationalizes, and tests a new conceptual model of community college student engagement. Themes emerging from participant observations and semistructured interviews with 30 adult students enrolled at a Large Best Practices Community College (LBPCC) over the 2005–2006 academic year are used to guide selection of Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985 Deci , E. L. & Ryan , R. M. ( 1985 ). Intrinsic motivation and self-direction behavior . New York : Plenum .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 2000 Deci , E. L. & Ryan , R. M. ( 2000 ). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions . Contemporary Educational Psychology , 25 , 54 – 67 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2002 Deci , E. L. & Ryan , R. M. ( 2002 ). Handbook of self-determination research . Rochester , NY : University of Rochester . [Google Scholar]) to frame the new conceptual model. Structural equation modeling techniques confirm that variables and relationships proposed by the new model represent a good fit with data from over 1,000 students surveyed in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement. Findings from this study suggest that community college engagement and related outcomes can be fostered by tuning campus policies, practices, and climates to promote students' senses of belonging, competence, and autonomy.     

Student Engagement at a Large Suburban Community College: Gender and Race Differences

Previous research shows that there are individual differences in academic achievement associated with gender and race. Research also suggests that student engagement is an important determinant of student outcomes/achievement. The present study explored student engagement at an extra-large community college. It specifically investigated possible individual differences in student engagement and explored how it maps on to student achievement. As predicted, the results indicate that there are gender and race differences in student engagement—females show greater engagement than males, and African-American students show greater engagement than students of other races. The results are discussed in the context of student achievement as indicated by students’ self-reported GPAs.     

Community College Study Abroad: Implications for Student Success

The aim of this research is to explore whether participation in study abroad by community college students impacts levels of engagement and if there is a connection between studying abroad and academic achievement. While university-level studies have a history in exploring these questions, the same is not true for community colleges. The California Community College Student Outcomes Abroad Research project (CCC SOAR) uses a mixed methods design to examine data that evidences how participation in study abroad programs not only has implications for personal development and global learning, but also has a range of indicators of academic success variables. Data show that there is a range of positive outcomes that occur as a result of studying abroad for all students across an array of early, midstream, and terminal outcomes due to engagement-enhancing components such as shared common experiences, nurturing behavior from faculty, and increased student interaction in collaborative activities.     

Advancing Student Success with Competency Points: Elevating Engagement and Motivation in Community College English Composition Students

This research tested and evaluated how one method—Competency Points (CPs)—increased student success by enhancing engagement and motivation in community college English composition students. In 2005 I introduced Competency Points in my English Composition 1 classes, and began tracking how engaged and motivated students were to succeed as revealed by the following five indices: number of completed essays and reading assignments, frequency of class attendance and participation, and rate of course completion. Students showed marked improvement in four, and negligible improvement in one, of these variables.     

Optimizing Intent to Transfer: Engagement and Community College English Learners

Researchers have long struggled to accurately identify the needs of English learner (EL) students and the factors that facilitate their postsecondary success. Although prior research suggests that EL students disproportionately select into community colleges, there is a dearth research that examines transfer to four-year schools among community college English learner (CCEL) students. In this study, we examined whether and to what extent community college students’ linguistic status shapes the relationship between engagement and intent to transfer to a four-year institution. Using data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, we used logistic regression to examine how, if at all, the relationships between the multiple forms of student engagement and intent to transfer might differ by linguistic status, net of various student and school-level controls. Ultimately, our findings suggest that students’ returns to engagement do differ by linguistic status, with CCEL students experiencing the greatest gains relative to their intent to transfer. Not only are CCEL students are more likely to engage in academic discourse, internalize teachers’ pedagogical offerings, and recognize institutional supports than their non-CCEL peers, but they appear to derive greater benefits from both academic engagement and instruction in the use critical thinking skills than their non-CCEL peers. We conclude with recommendations for educators, policymakers, and researchers seeking to improve CCEL students’ educational attainment and engagement.

     

Sense of Belonging and Student Engagement: A Daily Study of First- and Continuing-Generation College Students

Research in Higher Education - To date, most research on sense of belonging in higher education has relied upon between-person correlations (e.g., Murphy and Zirkel in Teach Coll Rec...     

From Gatekeeping to Engagement: A Multicontextual, Mixed Method Study of Student Academic Engagement in Introductory STEM Courses

The lack of academic engagement in introductory science courses is considered by some to be a primary reason why students switch out of science majors. This study employed a sequential, explanatory mixed methods approach to provide a richer understanding of the relationship between student engagement and introductory science instruction. Quantitative survey data were drawn from 2,873 students within 73 introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses across 15 colleges and universities, and qualitative data were collected from 41 student focus groups at eight of these institutions. The findings indicate that students tended to be more engaged in courses where the instructor consistently signaled an openness to student questions and recognizes her/his role in helping students succeed. Likewise, students who reported feeling comfortable asking questions in class, seeking out tutoring, attending supplemental instruction sessions, and collaborating with other students in the course were also more likely to be engaged. Instructional implications for improving students’ levels of academic engagement are discussed.     

大学生学习投入的影响因素及其作用机制

采用追踪研究设计,对南京邮电大学2008级学生进行了四次追踪调查。根据相关理论并结合问卷已有的变量,提出影响学习投入的因素(预测变量)主要是:学生人口学变量(性别、来源城乡、社会经济地位、来源高中、学科),学生的认知变量(向学/厌学),学生的感知变量(归宿感、满意度)。利用多层线性模型分析技术构建了学习投入的非线性发展模型进行追踪数据分析。依次构建了无条件非线性发展模型、仅含有人口学预测变量的非线性发展模型和含有全部预测变量的非线性发展全模型,进行预测变量效应的模型检验。结果表明:第一,人口学变量中,性别、学科、城乡、高中类型以及社会经济地位五个预测变量对学习投入的影响各不相同。性别和城乡因素较学科、高中类型和社会经济地位对学习投入的影响大,只有性别、城乡和学科分别对教育经验丰富度、学业挑战度和主动合作学习的变化有影响。第二,学生认知变量(向学/厌学)和学生感知变量(归属感和满意度)对学习投入的水平和大学期间的变化均有正向促进作用。向学/厌学对学习投入的影响最大,归属感影响次之,满意度影响最小;满意度对学习投入的一次增长具有正向促进作用,归属感对学习投入的一次增长具有负向反作用,向学/厌学对学习投入不同维度的一次增长作用不同。第三,模型检验结果提示,还存在影响学习投入水平及变化的其他因素。第四,针对三类变量对学习投入水平及变化的影响机制,提出:人口学特征是认识学生学习投入的基础;学生的认知是学生学习投入的关键;学生的感知是学生学习投入的催化剂;充分利用学习投入作用机制的特点,是学校认识学习投入背后的原因,促进学生学习投入的教育策略与需要把握的原则。     

How Community College Faculty Members May Improve Student Learning Productivity in Their Online Courses

Eleven experienced community college faculty members were interviewed to elicit examples of how they improved student learning productivity in their online courses. The 11 faculty members represented eight different states, nine different fields or disciplines, and all were permanent or full-time faculty members at community colleges in the southern or western states. Based on a thematic analysis of the examples given, improvement in student learning occurred by (a) emphasizing seven approaches to increase student engagement, (b) using six different structuring tactics to focus student attention on learning, (c) using assessment techniques to improve learning, and (d) pursuing a personal passion for online teaching. These findings suggest that faculty can and do find ways to use different tools in different ways to improve student learning productivity in community colleges.     

Exploring Community College Faculty Perceptions of Student Outcomes: Findings of a Pilot Study

This study explored the paradigmatic differences in perceptions of community college faculty employed at select Virginia and West Virginia community colleges collected via a web-based survey. The study is framed within the faculty self-classification along the “hard” and “social/behavior” science paradigm continuum. Given the paradigmatic continuum, faculty perceptions' of student outcomes were examined. Faculty respondents consistently reported the importance of intellectual growth; however, differences in relative importance of outcomes tied to emotional, cultural, and social growth exist. The potential implications of these perceptions on student experiences and outcomes are considered.     

Student Development Among Community College Participants in Study Abroad Programs

For decades, institutions of higher education have provided study abroad opportunities for college students wishing to increase and expand their intellectual and social skills. While many universities around the country have supported successful international exchange and study abroad programs, there is little research on community college study abroad programs and their impact on student development. Therefore, this article examines specific vectors that impact student development before and after study abroad participation in nine community colleges using Chickering's Theory of Student Development and SAS statistical methods.     

如何提高地质类大学生实习质量

在地质教学过程中,野外地质实习是一个十分重要的环节。如何高质量地完成实习,是每个教师必须要考虑的问题。笔者根据多年参加教学实习的经验,从实习模式的转变、实习基地的建设、师资力量的完善和实习前期知识的储备四个方面探讨了如何在基础地质实习过程中提高实习质量,激发学生学习地质科学的兴趣以及如何培养地质思维能力。     

Baccalaureate Attainment of College Students at 4-Year Institutions as a Function of Student Engagement Behaviors: Social and Academic Student Engagement Behaviors Matter

Vincent Tinto originally asserted, “… it is the individual’s integration into the academic and social systems of the college that most directly related to his continuance in that college” (Tinto, Review of Educational Research 45(10): 89–125, 1975), yet the rates of college degree attainment are still stagnant. Institution-level research on student engagement indicates that both types of engagement contribute to increased student persistence and degree attainment. Research has prompted going beyond institutional-level data and calls for using of nationally representative, longitudinal data to addressing engagement. Using the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09) and logistic regression, this study finds that both academic and social student engagement behaviors significantly impact degree attainment in postsecondary education net of individual and institutional factors. Interaction analysis of the two different types of engagement finds that the impact is not additive but instead is differential and dependent upon the student’s engagement typology as proposed by Coates (Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 32(2): 121–141, 2007).     

Reconsidering the Relationship Between Student Engagement and Persistence in College

Using data from two rounds of surveys on students in the Washington State Achievers (WSA) program, this study examined the relationship between student engagement in college activities and student persistence in college. Different approaches using student engagement measures in the persistence models were compared. The results indicated that the relationship between student engagement and the probability of persisting was not linear. Even though a higher level of social engagement was related to an increased probability of persisting, a higher level of academic engagement was negatively related to such probability. The findings have strong implications for educational research, policy, and practice.     

Psychological Factors in Community College Student Retention

This study explored psychological factors in the context of a community college population purported to impact decisions to remain in college from one semester to another. Researchers examined results from 1191 responses from students attending a community college in the Mid-Atlantic United States. The study further explored the predictive power of four factors—career decision self-efficacy, career locus of control, education-employment connection, and intent to return—on both intent to return and on actual return to the college. Results indicated that intent to return was significantly predictive of actual return among this community college population. Additionally, age and gender differences, along with differences in the various psychological factors had differential impacts on each other, as well as on intent to return and subsequent return. Implications are discussed.