27 research outputs found
Absent Voices: The Intersections of Academic Success and Students with Physical Disabilities, A Qualitative Case-Study
No full textThe promise of accessibility: Reconceptualizing college access for students with disabilities
No full textIn this paper, we critically explore college access through the lens of accessibility. We contend that as higher education shifts to address the critical issues related to access, equity, and diversity for underserved students, students with disabilities are often absent from the conversation. Through in-depth interviews with disability services administrators, we examine how they adapt institutional practices and embed strategies to make the promise of equal educational opportunity for all possible. The efforts of these disability services administrators provide insight into how students with disabilities are given voice, can achieve academic success, and begins to shape a new definition of college access
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How You Living in the Halls? The Lived Experiences of Nia Black Scholar Living Learning Community Residents
No full textThis qualitative inquiry examines the lived experiences of Black students in the Nia Black Scholar Living Learning Community (LLC) (Nia) at Oregon State University (OSU). The Nia Black Scholar Living Learning Community was established to address longstanding disparities in retention and graduation rates for Black students at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) by fostering culturally affirming residential environments. Grounded in the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) Model, this study utilized basic qualitative interviews with five returning residents to answer two research questions: (1) How do the lived experiences of Black students inform their decision to reside in Nia and shape their sense of identity, belonging, and community at OSU? and (2) Which specific programmatic aspects of the Nia Black Scholar Living Learning Community do students perceive as most impactful to their academic success and retention?
Participants shared rich personal experiences about their educational journeys, experiences with marginalization, and motivations for joining the LLC. The findings reveal that students were drawn to the Nia community for its promise of cultural familiarity, academic support, and connection. Smaller class sizes, supportive faculty in the Educational Opportunities Program and Ethnic Studies Courses, access to culturally affirming holistic support from the Educational Opportunities Program, and the welcoming and inspiring residence hall staff had the strongest positive impact on students’ academic success and retention. The results demonstrate the importance of identity-affirming residential spaces and culturally relevant programming in supporting Black student success
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Forging their own way : illuminating diverse transfer patterns in higher education
No full textToday’s students move between institutions in a variety of patterns in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. Much of the literature on student transfer focuses on vertical transfer, the movement from a community college to a university or other primarily bachelor’s granting institution. The overall goal of the two distinct manuscripts in this dissertation, however, was to define and describe diverse transfer patterns in higher education, frame them using an asset-based approach, and provide recommendations for practice, policy, and future transfer research. Chapter 2, the conceptual article, examines the evolution of the term “transfer swirl,” critiques its negative connotations, and re-conceptualizes it as “strategic swirl” using current literature and fictional vignettes. I offer several recommendations for practice, including individualized advising support, heightened advisor awareness of post-secondary options that meet student needs, and improved systems to record attendance at multiple institutions. I suggest that future research qualitatively explore student milestones toward completion using tools like maps and detailed narratives. Moreover, those reviewing and developing policies should work toward reducing credit loss and monetary costs when students transfer. Chapter 3, a phenomenological study, explores the experiences of students who decided to enroll in a community college baccalaureate (CCB) program in Washington state after completing coursework at a university. Research questions focused on participant navigation of selecting and enrolling in a CCB, as well as how they made meaning of their decisions. Drawing on Iloh’s model of college-going decisions and trajectories, participants created an educational journey map and responded to interview questions about their program and decision-making process. Findings revealed distinct themes, including the impact of student connections with institutional support staff, student frustrations with the lack of transferability of credits, and the ability for CCB programs to provide exciting educational and career opportunities for those with diverse experiences. I recommend that institutions focus on and expand their ability to support students who do not follow the traditional 2+2 pathway as defined in Chapter 3. Ultimately, this dissertation demonstrates that students successfully move between institutions in a variety of patterns and need continued individual, institutional, and system-wide support to reach their goals. I conclude with suggestions to move this line of research forward, including scholarship that highlights the transfer experiences of diverse populations and those who enroll beyond the prescribed route in degree programs like CCBs that provide critical access to higher education opportunities
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Conference attendance and counselor identity : a qualitative study of Oregon State University's Ecampus Master of Counseling students
No full textProfessional conference attendance is widely viewed as a valuable component of graduate education, intended to strengthen professional identity, expand networking, and cultivate a sense of belonging within the field. In Oregon State University’s (OSU) Master of Counseling (MCoun) Ecampus program, students must attend a professional counseling conference and earn six Continuing Education Units prior to graduation. However, because Ecampus MCoun students are predominantly part-time, working professionals with significant financial and logistical constraints, questions remain about whether this requirement equitably achieves its intended outcomes. This qualitative study examined the effectiveness and equity of OSU’s Ecampus MCoun program’s required professional conference attendance in supporting counselor professional identity development and sense of belonging. Guided by Social Identity Theory (SIT), the research explored how participation in conferences, as well as alternative professional development opportunities, shaped students’ professional identity development and sense of belonging within the counseling field. Eligibility survey responses (n = 13) were used to identify and recruit participants, resulting in nine semi-structured interviews with current graduate students representing both the Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling tracks. Using In-Vivo coding and thematic analysis, three overarching themes emerged: (1) mixed perceptions of the conference attendance requirement, (2) financial and logistical barriers to conference participation, and (3) professional identity development and belonging anchored in practice, relationships, and alternative professional development opportunities.
Findings revealed that while conferences sometimes provided networking and
affirmation, their impact was inconsistent and often constrained by cost, scheduling, and accessibility barriers. In contrast, participants consistently identified hands-on clinical experiences, supportive cohort and supervisory relationships, and targeted local or virtual professional development opportunities as the most influential factors in fostering professional identity and belonging within the counseling field. The study recommends greater flexibility in fulfilling professional development requirements and expanded financial support to ensure equitable access for all students. Implications extend to program policy, equity in access to professional development, and the application of SIT to hybrid counselor education contexts, highlighting that professional identity can be cultivated through multiple, more accessible pathways beyond traditional conference participation
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Decision to select and hire college presidents: A systematic literature review
No full textThere have been some gains in the number of women who occupy the college presidency (Gagliardi, Espinosa, Turk & Taylor, 2017), yet the gains reflect a slow pace towards gender parity, particularly at the community college level. Public two-year colleges are represented by 36% women presidents (Gagliardi et. al., 2017). While this is slightly higher than higher education overall, women lag behind men, though they have made significant gains across the field of education. Women make up more than 50% of the U.S. population (Howden & Meyer, 2011; U.S. Census Bureau, 2010), and earn 57% and 59% of all undergraduate and master’s degrees respectively (Warner, Ellmann & Boesch 2018). Women comprise 47% of the U.S. labor force (U.S. Department of Labor, 2016) and represent over 52% of the college-educated workforce in the U.S. (Warner et. al., 2018). Yet for women, the college presidency seems out of reach. All this being said, the American college presidency is overwhelming male. Given the steady low numbers of women in the role of community college president (Gagliardi, et. al., 2017; Moody, 2018), it becomes invaluable to understand the selection practices that result in the hiring of a college president. A systematic literature review was an ideal choice to examine the selection practices of community college governing boards, relative to the hiring a college president, understand ways in which such decisions impact gender parity. To further unpack the positionality of women in executive leadership, I turned to feminist theory. This framework shifts its assumptions, analytic lens, and topical focus away from the dominant male perspective and experience toward that of women (Grady, 2018; Hirudayaraj & Shields, 2019). Feminist theory has the ability to shed light selection practices that may have been overlooked
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Best Practices in Community College Career Technical Education and Workforce Education Program Review: A Delphi Method Approach
No full textWhile there is an abundance of literature written on academic program review in higher education, there is a gap in the literature found in program review related to community college workforce education programs, employer responsiveness, student employment outcomes, and program discontinuance (Fleming, 2015). Additionally, in the literature review, the researcher did not locate any existing examples of program review templates that are designed for the assessment of workforce education programs at the community college. Using the Delphi Method, this study has provided community college and workforce education leaders with a template that has been created by a panel of experts to address the program review process. Further, the resulting program review template will assist in determining the viability of programs related to established measures of effectiveness. Based upon the feedback of the panel of experts, some of the key measures of program success and viability in workforce education programs at the community college are related to employment and earnings outcomes of program completers
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A Photo-Elicitation Exploration of Nonbinary Community College Student Belonging
No full textInstitutions of higher education serve an increasing number of out nonbinary students but often lack an understanding of how they need to change to best serve this population. Nonbinary individuals have experiences which are distinct from those of binary transgender individuals and of sexuality-minority individuals but have been relatively understudied. This study investigated the sense of belonging experience of nonbinary community college students by collecting their first-hand accounts using narrative inquiry and photo-elicitation. Nine participants who identified as nonbinary or gender nonconforming collected images to illustrate their experience of belonging, and then came together as a group to discuss, make meaning, and build community. Analysis shows that sense of belonging varies by location and is very personal, varying based on the past experience and expectations of the individual. Participants in this study described creating belongingness through identifying places of refuge and through friendships and community. Use of the student’s authentic name and pronouns throughout the institution were critical. Gender inclusive facilities and gender affirming healthcare are also important to student sense of belonging. I conclude that institutions have a long way to go in meeting the baseline for nonbinary student safety, but that simple interventions could improve sense of belonging for these students. Increasing affirming symbols, such as the transgender flag throughout campus; increasing access to gender-inclusive restroom options and publicizing their locations; and increased training for all campus populations would improve the sense of belonging experience for nonbinary community college students
Scholars in tandem: Finding joy in collaboration to cross paradigms and transform research and practice
No full textThe US media abounds with unkind rhetoric brought on by cascading systemic inequities. Many in higher education are calling for scholars to use their collective voice and take action to address these inequities. As critical scholars with a unified social justice lens, we contend that crossing boundaries to collaborate is crucial to addressing the growing social and educational inequities experienced by students and families in underserved communities. In this qualitative paper, we employ scholarly personal narrative to explore how collaborating across research paradigms and cultural differences has broadened our perspectives, advanced our pedagogy, transformed our research, enhanced our practice, and brought joy to our professional lives
Keys to the toolbox: College administrators and the academic success of students with physical disabilities a qualitative case-study
No full texthttps://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/ed-facbooks/1025/thumbnail.jp
