In the United States, community colleges serve nearly half of the 18 million students enrolled in postsecondary education. However, it has only been the last decade or so where these public, two-year institutions have claimed substantial attention from the research community. This dissertation consists of three essays that focus on aspects of the…

We identify "tenacious persisters" as returning students who have stopped out of college or who delayed their entry into college for more than three years after high school. Using a mixed method approach, we compare the experiences of tenacious persisters enrolled in a community college to students who followed more standard persistence paths.…

As more students enroll at community colleges, questions are raised about whether learning is the same in the two- and four-year sectors, both overall and for sub-groups, and whether effects of student backgrounds and college experiences on learning are similar. This study used structural equation modeling with CCSSE and NSSE data from a sample…

A random sample of regular attenders and a sample of chronic absentees at a community college were studied to identify the reasons for absenteeism and the nature of the absentees. The absentees are little different from the regulars, but two basic causes for absenteeism are suggested. (Author)

In 1990, a study was conducted to investigate the relationship between students' locus of control and the extent to which they participated in a voluntary exercise program. First-time participants in the "Shape Up" program offered at the Porterville College Fitness Center during the summer and fall semesters of 1990 were identified through the…

This publication provides historical data on enrollment, weekly student contact hours, and average daily attendance for the district and for each college in the district. Detailed enrollment data (by student category and also by ethnic group) are provided for the 1972-73 and 1973-74 academic years. Ten-year trends are available for less detailed…

In 1997, Florida's St. Petersburg Junior College (SPJC) conducted a study to determine whether students who needed remediation completed their degree programs and, if so, the time that they took to complete their program. The academic records of students who graduated in summer 1995, fall 1995, and spring 1996 were analyzed, with findings compared…

In spring 1994, enrollment began to drop at Virginia's Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC), after having steadily increased between 1986-87 and 1993-94. The number of annual full-time equivalent students dropped 3.5% in 1994-95 to 4,394, another 3.8% in 1995-96 to 4,226, and another 11.3% in 1996-97 to 3,745. The college sought to provide a…

In an effort to provide statistical support for more stringent attendance policies, a study was conducted at McCook Community College (MCC) to determine whether there was a significant relationship between absences and grades in freshman composition classes. A literature review of similar studies conducted at both the secondary and postsecondary…

In spring 1994, a study was conducted to compare student outcomes for instructors use of a mixed teaching repertoire (i.e., lecture, student-centered discussion, cooperative learning, and computer-assisted instruction) and those using lectures alone in social science, science/math, humanities, and business classes at Cosumnes River College, in…

A study was conducted at Bunker Hill Community College to assess the impact of the use of learning groups on student absenteeism and academic performance. The study involved four sections of a Biology 1 class. Two sections were designated as the control group and were taught using the traditional course format, which involved a 2-hour session in…

Data from the postsecondary transcripts of high school seniors included in the High School and Beyond (HS&B) study of the class of 1980 and the National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of the Senior Class of 1972 were analyzed to investigate the participation of students in two-year postsecondary programs. The analyses focused mainly on the…

This report compares the 1980-81 freshman and sophomore enrollments at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College (MGCJC) with the 1979-80 lower-division enrollments at Mississippi's eight state universities and with the fall 1980 enrollments at the state's 15 other junior colleges. In the report six comparisons are made. First, MGCJC is compared with…

In June 1990, a statewide telephone survey was conducted of 1,200 former full- and part-time Michigan community college students who had not returned for classes in fall 1989. The 29 colleges were classified as urban, suburban, and regional institutions, and a total of 200 former full-time and 200 former part-time students were contacted from each…

This three-part report provides tables and graphs describing the South County Community College District in California in terms of district population demographics, registration patterns and student characteristics for fall 1989, and longitudinal trend data on student characteristics. Section 1 provides U.S. Census data for the district population…