THE EFFECT OF ACADEMIC FACTORS ON TRANSFER STUDENT PERSISTENCE AND GRADUATION: A COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE CASE STUDY

Critics contend that enrollment in a community college lessens the likelihood that a student will complete a bachelor's degree (S. Brint & J. Karabel, 1989). A number of studies have examined personal, demographic, and environmental characteristics that influence the academic performance of community college transfer students. This research has included characteristics that are not readily available to admissions representatives at four‐year institutions, and studies have not considered the private, liberal arts college as the senior institution.

The purpose of this study was to identify easily ascertainable characteristics that occur prior to transfer and to assess the relationship of these characteristics to persistence and baccalaureate attainment at a private, liberal arts college. Two academic factors related to persistence and graduation were included in the methodology: completion of the associate (AA) degree and community college grade point average (GPA) The subjects for the study were 200 students who completed the AA degree and transferred from one of three community colleges to a private, liberal arts college over a 5‐year period.

Results indicated that whereas completion of the AA degree resulted in a higher persistence/graduation rate, completion of the AA degree with a community college GPA of 3.0 or higher increased the persistence/graduation rate to a level equal to that of native students.     

高校文科学报人文性缺失之我见

高校文科学报在充分体现学术性、具有独特性的同时，还必须注重体现人文性，这不仅是其自身生存与可持续发展应有之意。也是构建和谐社会的需要。高校文科学报要努力做到：发挥传承老一代学人的优良学术传统和注意奖掖新人的作用；拆除学术壁垒，大力弘扬主流文化，同时包容无害于社会发展的非主流文化；跨越校际与地域的界限。努力去承载学科研究的最高成果；在编辑、排版、设计等方面折射出编辑的人文主义理念。     

TRANSITION COUNSELING IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 44% of students entering American colleges and universities in 1995 were over age 25.As increasing numbers of students make changes to enter community college, it is imperative that counselors address the fundamental dilemmas facing this population. Addressing the transition concerns of these students as they navigate through community college may provide a counseling perspective that effectively enhances overall student development while simultaneously influencing future growth and success. This article outlines counseling considerations, from assessment to intervention, designed to help the community college counselor meet students' transition needs.     

ADMINISTRATIVE REORGANIZATION IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Reorganization within the administrative structure of community colleges is an activity that has been much indulged in but little written about during recent years. This study was undertaken to determine perceptions of the roles that community college presidents play when reorganization within the administrative structure takes place. Colleges used for collection of data were two Texas metroplitan community college districts. Collection of data was limited to administrative changes from the division level through the president's level at each college. No attempt was made to study the district level or the department or curriculum levels.     

THE ROLE OF MENTORING IN THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENTS

Since the mid‐1970's community colleges have devoted more attention than ever before to the preparation and inservice training of administrators. Despite these efforts, there is as yet no clearly defined career path to top level administrative posts. Most administrators learn skills for their job by observing others, through trial‐and‐error, and in some cases, through being mentored. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role mentoring has played in the career development of community college presidents.     

A PROFILE OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE LITERATURE INSTRUCTOR

Data from a national survey sponsored by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges formed the basis for this study of the course aims and instructional practices of the two‐year college literature instructor. Lecture and discussion are the two most used teaching strategies, and nontraditional teaching strategies are nearly nonexistent. Approximately 60% of the literature teachers have between 3 and 10 years of classroom experience, but nearly 31% have taught more than 10 years. A majority of respondents indicated that aesthetic appreciation is their primary course aim. Type of degree held by respondents affected their answers on four items: (1) those with doctorates and 3 to 10 years of teaching experience lecture more than their nondoctorate‐holding counterparts, p = .0125; (2) nondoctorate holders with more than 10 years of experience use audiovisual aids more often than their doctorate‐holding colleagues, p = .0005; (3) nondoctorate holders with more than 10 years of experience use student oral presentations more often than their doctorate‐holding colleagues, p = .0008; and (4) doctorate holders with more than 10 years of experience think that critical thinking ability is more important than do their nondoctorate holding counterparts, p = .002.     

A STUDY OF JUNIOR AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE HISTORY INSTRUCTORS IN THE SOUTH

Instructors in community and junior colleges within the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ accrediting region were the focus of this study to determine characteristics and activities of those teaching history. A questionnaire was mailed to each history instructor in 88 of the 285 institutions in the region. A total of 230 instructors responded. After data were compiled and analyzed, it was determined that the typical history instructor in the region is a married, middle‐aged male who is Southern born and bred, and holds at least a master's degree in history. He has been in his present position for at least 10 years, coming to the present position from the high school ranks. The lecture method is used in teaching the 13‐to 15‐credit‐hour average load. Teaching is the primary activity of history instructors, with research and service not a part of usual expectations.     

大学生英语写作中语篇衔接使用研究

写作是学生语言综合技能的体现,是学生在综合吸收所学语言知识的基础上再创造的过程;它与语法能力及语篇能力尤其相关,是体现交际能力的一种重要形式。本文主要研究大学生英语写作中出现的语篇衔接错误,并指出大学生应该具备基本的语篇衔接能力,这是学生写出有条理,主题明确,语义连贯的文章所需的重要因素之一。     

ASSESSMENT OF ENTERING STUDENT WRITING SKILL IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

This article describes an assessment of writing skills (writing sample, objective test, and self‐assessment) made by one community college. Information was gathered to design an entry‐level assessment procedure for placement in English composition and developmental writing courses. Comparing the three approaches, each of which measured different aspects of writing ability, showed that the best predictor of grade in an English composition course was the objective test. However, the statistical results of the study form only one component of an entry‐level assessment program. It may be that a writing sample is needed as part of entry‐level assessment because it points out the value of writing skill in attempting college‐credit courses.     

ORIGINS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

A number of recent articles as well as speeches at national meetings have implied that some terrible plot to denigrate the mission of community colleges by including the function of occupational education (vocational and technical) has been perpetrated by the recent tendency on the part of some to downgrade the arts and humanities. There is no historical basis for this implication. The early leaders of the junior college movement gave appropriate emphasis to the development of a comprehensive institution. This article documentes these emphases and provides a basis for more rational analysis of the curriculum of the community colleges.     

ETHNIC CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CLASSROOM

This article addresses the influence of White American ethnic consciousness on educators in the community college classroom. In the event that issues of a multicultural nature arise in this setting, educators may find themselves responding to the information with differing attitudes and behaviors. These varied stances may stem from the process of moving from an unresolved to a more integrative stage of ethnic consciousness. White identity stages are presented, and their implications for classroom instruction are discussed.     

THE TEACHING THEORIES OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACULTY

The objectives of this study were to determine the percentage of students who felt they were weak in an academic skill and who took a college assistance program designed to correct that deficiency and to identify the reasons given by students weak in an academic skill for not using a college support service from which they could benefit. Analyses of survey data obtained from 268 instructors and 6,428 of their students enrolled in a cross section of courses in a large multicampus urban community college district showed the following: (1) of those students who did not feel confident in a skill, less than 30% took advantage of a support program designed to assist them in that skill; (2) more than 40% of the faculty felt that the primary reason students did not take advantage of a needed support service was that they were not willing to devote the extra time or effort required to avail themselves of the service; and (3) the main reasons most academically underprepared students gave for not using a support service were that they did not feel a need for the service or had no time for the service. Implications of these findings for educational policy are discussed.