An Examination of The Relationship Between Students Participating in A College Readiness Course and Success Outcomes at a Community College

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dc.contributor.author Speights, Terri
dc.coverage.spatial United States--Florida en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2019-01-02T16:23:14Z
dc.date.available 2019-01-02T16:23:14Z
dc.date.issued 2018-12
dc.identifier.other (UUID) F45528EE-1C95-C7A0-4851-DEEE49D92DB8
dc.identifier.uri https://hdl.handle.net/10428/3287
dc.description.abstract Historically, Community College has been the gateway to higher education for many students regardless of their background or academic achievement level. Perhaps this may explain why the retention rates at Community Colleges are consistently lower than four-year institutions. Only 29% of full-time degree seeking Community College students graduate within three years of their initial enrollment (McFarland et al., 2017). Although several programs have been implemented to increase retention, few studies have addressed how effective these strategies are at Community College. Using data from Florida Community College, this causal-comparative study examined the effects of a Summer Bridge (SB) course on student success outcomes. Also, this study explored how the effects varied by gender and ethnicity. The sample (N = 1735) was comprised of two groups: a cohort of first-time, full-time degree-seeking students who were enrolled in SB during Summer 2015 and a matched comparison group who enrolled the following term, Fall 2015. Findings revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups on academic integration by gender and ethnicity. Results suggest that participation in Summer Bridge promotes integration into the academic and social system of the college which increases the chance of students persisting to graduation. Although findings revealed a statistically significant difference between the groups on success indicators, no causal link can be established. Further in-depth investigation into the effects of enrolling in a SB course using an experimental design with a qualitative component is warranted. en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1 | Statement of the Problem 3 | Theoretical Framework 5 | Purpose of the Study 5 | Research Questions/Null Hypotheses 5 | Definitions of Terms 6 | Summary of Methodology 7 | Significance of Study 8 | Assumptions 8 | Delimitations 9 | Limitations 9 | Organization of Study 10 | Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW 11 | Community College Students 11 | Student Retention 12 | Conceptual Framework 12 | Tinto’s Theory of Student Departure 13 | Astin’s Theory of Student Involvement 16 | The Development of Student Success Programs 19 | College Readiness Course 21 | First-Year Experience Course 22 | Program and Course Components 23 | Academic Support Services 23 | Academic Advising/Counseling 23 | Learning Communities 24 | Campus Activities/Organizations 25 | Service-Learning 25 | Career Development 26 | Faculty Interaction 26 | The Impact of Student Success Courses 27 | Limitations of Retention Studies 29 | Assumptions 30 | Summary 30 | Chapter III: METHODOLOGY 33 | Research Design 34 | Setting 34 | Sample Participants 35 | Data Collection35 | Archival Data 35 | Variables 37 | Academic Achievement 37 | Retention 38 | Graduation 39 | Demographic Characteristics 40 | Data Analysis 42 | Descriptive Statistics 42 | Inferential Statistics 42 | Research Questions/Hypothesis Statements 43 | Summary 45 | Chapter IV: RESULTS 47 | Descriptive Statistics 48 | Inferential Statistics 49 | Summary 58 | Chapter V: CONCLUSION 59 | Discussion 59 | Summary of Findings 61 | Implications for Practice and Policy 63 | Limitations 64 | Recommendations for Higher Education Practice65 | Recommendations for Further Researcher 66 | Conclusion 67 | REFERENCES 69 | APPENDIX A: Institutional Review Board Approval for Exemption 78 | en_US
dc.language.iso en_US en_US
dc.rights This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed. en_US
dc.subject Dissertations, Academic--United States en_US
dc.subject College dropouts--Prevention en_US
dc.subject Community colleges en_US
dc.subject College freshmen en_US
dc.subject Academic achievement en_US
dc.subject Curriculum evaluation en_US
dc.title An Examination of The Relationship Between Students Participating in A College Readiness Course and Success Outcomes at a Community College en_US
dc.type Dissertation en_US
dc.contributor.department Department of Curriculum, Leadership, and Technology of the Dewar College of Education and Human Services en_US
dc.description.advisor Archibald, James G.
dc.description.committee Pate, James L.
dc.description.committee Siegrist, Gerald
dc.description.committee Cruz, Becky K. da
dc.description.degree Ed.D. en_US
dc.description.major Education en_US


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