Community College Review recent issues

Editor's Note

Palmer, J. C. — 2008-06-05

Community College Faculty What We Know and Need to Know

Twombly, S., Townsend, B. K. — 2008-06-05

This review of existing literature about community college faculty members speculates about why they have received so little scholarly attention, summarizes the nature of existing research, including its methodology and topics, and suggests what else needs to be known about them.

The Effects of Social and Cultural Capital on Student Persistence: Are Community Colleges More Meritocratic?

Wells, R. — 2008-06-05

This study examines the influences of social and cultural capital on persistence from 1st to 2nd year and how these effects differ between community colleges and 4-year institutions. Results show that social and cultural capital have a positive association with student persistence overall but matter less when students begin at a community college.

Does the Elimination of Prerequisites Affect Enrollment and Success?

Abou-Sayf, F. K. — 2008-06-05

The impact of an experimental, one-semester suspension of mathematics and English prerequisites from 12 courses is investigated. Data on enrollment, student performance, and instructor opinions are analyzed for the total group, and results concerning English versus mathematics prerequisites are compared. Implications for further research on the impact of prerequisites are discussed.

Book Review: Hellmich, D. M. (Ed.). (2007). Ethical Leadership in the Community College: Bridging Theory and Daily Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Phelan, D. J. — 2008-06-05

Editor's Note

Palmer, J. C. — 2008-03-06

Security, Dignity, Caring Relationships, and Meaningful Work: Needs Motivating Participation in a Job-Training Program

Ayers, D. F., Miller-Dyce, C., Carlone, D. — 2008-03-06

Researchers asked 17 participants in a job-training program to describe their personal struggles following an economic restructuring. Examined through a critical theoretical lens, findings indicate that the learners enrolled in the program to reclaim security, dignity, meaningful work, and caring relationships. Program planners at community colleges are therefore urged to employ democratic program planning models, ask learners about their educational needs as they see them, and listen compassionately to their responses.

Performing Gender in the Workplace: Gender Socialization, Power, and Identity Among Women Faculty Members

Lester, J. — 2008-03-06

Organizational cultures shape and reinforce socially appropriate roles for men and women. Drawing on a performativity framework, which assumes that gender is socially constructed through gendered "performances," this study employs interviews with and observations of six women faculty members to examine how dominant discourses define and maintain the formation of gender roles within a community college context. The experiences of one of these faculty members, a welding instructor, are highlighted. Results indicate that the women faculty members performed a variety of stereotypical feminine gender roles based on (a) socialization experiences external to the college, (b) socialization within the college's organizational culture, and (c) the individual's construction and negotiation of gender identity.

The Institutional Vision of Community Colleges: Assessing Style as Well as Substance

Abelman, R., Dalessandro, A. — 2008-03-06

Providing an accessible and adaptable education has become an increasingly daunting task for community colleges. Administrators must formulate adaptive strategies as well as purposefully articulate them. A content analysis of the mission and vision statements from a nationwide sample of community colleges was performed, and key linguistic components found to constitute a well conceived, viable, and easily diffused institutional vision were isolated. The prevalence of these components in comparison to other types of academic institutions is discussed.

Editor's Choice Essay: Remembering Raymond J. Young and the Grass-Roots Development of Community Colleges From 1950 to 1976

Katsinas, S. G. — 2008-03-06

Raymond J. Young (1923—2007) played a key role in the post—World War II development of community colleges in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and elsewhere. This article describes his scholarly and professional contributions in developing "bottom-up," grassroots citizen's participatory studies that led to the establishment 60 community colleges in 33 states between 1955 and 1976.

Book Review: Levin, J. S. (2007). Nontraditional Students and Community Colleges: The Conflict of Justice and Neoliberalism. New York: Palgrave MacMillan

Lathe, T. R. — 2008-03-06

Factors Predicting Community College Faculty Satisfaction with Instructional Autonomy

Kim, D., Twombly, S., Wolf-Wendel, L. — 2007-12-11

In light of growing speculation that the autonomy of community college faculty members is eroding, this study draws on the 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty to explore the institutional and personal variables that predict faculty satisfaction with authority to make decisions about content and methods in instructional activities. Results for full-time and part-time faculty members at community colleges are compared, as are the perceptions of community college faculty members with the perceptions of faculty members at 4-year institutions.

Remediation in the Community College: An Evaluator's Perspective

Levin, H. M., Calcagno, J. C. — 2007-12-11

Remediation is the most common approach to preparing students academically and socially during their early stages of college. However, despite its profound importance and its significant costs, there is very little rigorous research analyzing its effectiveness. The goal of this article is to provide a conceptual framework for the evaluation of remedial education programs. Based on previous literature, we review a list of ingredients for successful interventions, present a number of approaches to remediation that make use of these ingredients, discuss alternative research designs for systematic evaluations, and enumerate basic data requirements.

Preparation for Midskilled Work and Continuous Learning in Nine Community College Occupational Programs

Torraco, R. J. — 2007-12-11

This study examines student learning experiences in nine occupational education programs at two Midwestern community colleges. Interviews with 39 program graduates and 10 of their supervisors provided information about the features of the occupational programs that were most beneficial for job preparation, those that were least beneficial for job preparation, and the extent to which the occupational programs prepared students to keep learning on their own after graduation.

The Availability, Prospects, and Fiscal Potential of On-Campus Housing at Rural Community Colleges

Moeck, P. G., Katsinas, S. G., Hardy, D. E., Bush, V. B. — 2007-12-11

Many rural community colleges have long provided on-campus housing. This article profiles the availability of housing at rural community colleges in 2001—2002 and 2005—2006, examines the factors that will continue to make on-campus housing an important service at rural institutions, and draws on 2005—2006 data from the Institutional Characteristics survey of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to analyze the potential importance of housing as a source of revenues for rural community colleges.

Editor's Note

Palmer, J. C. — 2007-09-10

New Learning: Constructing Knowledge in Leadership Training Programs

Aalsburg Wiessner, C., Gonzalez Sullivan, L. — 2007-09-10

This study examined the new learning that occurred in a professional development program for participants who aspire to the community college presidency. Knowledge construction occurred on three levels: personal, professional, and disciplinary. Reframing, embracing, and embodying activities toward knowledge construction were evident, and new knowledge was expressed cognitively, affectively, and conatively. The new learning approach can be used to capture actual learning in a professional development venue, bring the learning into the participants' full consciousness, stimulate individual and group processing for iterative knowledge construction, and provide a higher level of program evaluation.

The Funding of Community Colleges: A Typology of State Funding Formulas

Mullin, C. M., Honeyman, D. S. — 2007-09-10

Community college funding formulas are tools utilized to substantiate the acquisition of funds and delineate the cost of education. This study develops a typology of community college funding formulas placing 48 states in three categories and five subcategories.

Interpreting the Influence of Community College Attendance Upon Baccalaureate Attainment

Townsend, B. K. — 2007-09-10

National quantitative studies examining the impact of community college attendance upon educational attainment conclude that initial attendance at a community college (as opposed to a 4-year institution) reduces the likelihood of attaining a bachelor's degree. Yet these studies, which suggest that initial attendance at a community college is not a rational choice for those seeking the baccalaureate, do not typically consider many of the legitimate reasons students have for enrolling in the community college. In addition, future studies will need to factor in recent developments in the community college environment, such as the emergence of the community college baccalaureate, growth in residence halls, and the development of honors programs.

Research Update: The Community College Survey of Student Engagement

McClenney, K. M. — 2007-09-10

The Community College Survey of Student Engagement, established in 2001 and administered by the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin, provides systematically collected data on the experiences of community college students. This article describes what has been learned through the survey to date and notes plans for the future, including the development of the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) for community colleges.

The Academic Legacy of Berta Vigil Laden

Hagedorn, L. S. — 2007-09-10

Berta Vigil Laden was a scholar who helped raise our understanding of minority-serving institutions generally and Hispanic-serving institutions in particular. She approached her work with empathy and compassion. This article reviews her major contributions.