The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to describe how community college students in Northeastern states describe the motivation to enroll in a non-required foreign language course. Self-determination theory was the theoretical framework for this study. One overarching research question guided the study: How do community college…

World language study exposes students to more than just language; they are also exposed to different cultures. After graduating, students will be exposed to different languages and cultures in the workforce, and they must be prepared. Students often leave their language of choice after the one or two semester course requirement; it takes more than…

Literature on international students discusses the creation of programs to assist with adjustment to U.S. education, explores negative experiences on campus and in the surrounding community, and discusses in-classroom experiences for ethnic groups within the international student population. Within the literature, developmental education articles…

Current literature addressing the challenges English learners in community colleges face is limited. While research examining Black, Indigenous, and People of Color encompasses aspects of being an English learner, little research has focused on what makes this demographic unique, their language ability. The purpose of this study was to identify…

Experiencing education as an English learner (EL) is challenging and can result in lower persistence and graduation rates for ELs in community colleges. The overall three-year graduation rate in the United States for two-year institutions is low, but graduation rates are even lower for EL learners. One way to support EL students is through an…

This study explored the experiences of Latina immigrant parent students enrolled in a noncredit English as a Second Language (ESL) program at a California community college. It sought to uncover how these students navigate the processes and services of community colleges to support their academic success while also examining how they draw upon…

Distance learning has become an attractive pathway for stakeholders in the field of higher education. It promotes affordability, convenience, and accessibility for many students who wish to pursue post-secondary education (Allen & Seaman, 2008; Travers, 2016). Therefore, many non-traditional students gravitate towards fully online programs at…

This mixed-methods study investigated the effectiveness of multimedia instruction for phrasal-verb education with community-college English as a second-language learners (ESL) in Northern California. Previous researchers have found that ESL learners have difficulties and barriers in learning phrasal verbs, and other researchers have found that how…

Reading skills are critical for English as a Second Language (ESL) students in higher education to achieve academic success. However, effective ways to promote student success in ESL reading courses are under-researched. Identifying factors that may enhance the quality and outcomes of learning ESL reading is essential. One such factor identified…

In the last decade, the number of English Learners (ELs) in higher education has significantly grown due to the increase of immigrants and refugees coming to the United States. For these students, attending community colleges is usually the first foray into higher education. This is particularly the case in New England, which is experiencing rapid…

This case study was to designed to identify the types of educational technology being used by ESL faculty at a suburban New Jersey community college and at what level in the substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition (SAMR) structure is technology being incorporated. Finally, faculty attitudes and influences regarding educational…

While community colleges have traditionally been the leading providers of adult learner programs and the entry point for many minority students into higher education, very few English language learners (ELLs) transition to higher education. This qualitative gap analysis of the systems in place at a large urban public community college in the…

Although community colleges strongly espouse student-centered approaches, the actual experience of student populations remains a source of information and insight that needs to be tapped. English Language Learners (ELLs) in particular, with diverse backgrounds, needs, and experiences, need to have those experiences heard and accounted for. Much…

This study examined the differences and similarities among the writing of three types of developmental English and advanced ESL United States community college students, comparing the writing of resident English learners (RL2), whose home language was not English but who attended United States public schools for five years or more, to that of…

This dissertation consists of three empirical studies that explore the educational experiences and trajectories of English learners (ELs) and students with disabilities. The first study uses longitudinal data from four large California school districts to examine the characteristics of long-term ELs (LTELs) and former ELs--those reclassified as…