The Influence of Financial, Cultural and Social Capital on the Likelihood of Success of Community College Students

The Influence of Financial, Cultural and Social Capital on the Likelihood of Success of Community College Students PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
Community colleges are an integral part of the postsecondary education system in the United States. Unfortunately, college completion rates continue to decline. Additionally, median income in the United States is also declining. The idea that each successive generation of students will do better than the previous one is quickly becoming a fantasy. Children born in a low socioeconomic status family will most likely remain in that status as they become adults. At no other time in the history of the United States has this been more likely. The middle class is becoming smaller and the gap between rich and poor is widening each year. The idea that education is the solution to many societal problems is ingrained in the national consciousness. Children are taught that education will elevate individuals beyond their economic situation. Community colleges were supposed to facilitate that elevation through expanded access. However, that promise has been broken for many students across the country. Thus, there is a need to investigate the underlying factors that contribute to success throughout the community college system. Drawing on the theoretical formulations of Becker, Bourdieu, Coleman, and Yosso, the researcher endeavored to investigate the relationship among the three forms of capital, financial, cultural and social, and success in community college. Success in community college was defined not only by how far the student progressed through the postsecondary education system, but also the student’s expectations for postsecondary degree attainment in high school. The main research question that was asked in this study was: In what ways do levels of financial capital, cultural capital, and social capital influence the likelihood of success in community college? Data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002-2012 were used to quantify the level of financial, cultural and social capital held by a nationally representative sample of high school students. Multilevel binary, ordinal, and multinomial logistic regression models, as well as discriminant function analysis, were employed in the analysis. The unweighted sample size for the study was 3,280. Through the use of survey weights and Taylor series expansion robust variance estimation techniques, 1.1 million high school students from across the United States were represented. The main findings of this study suggest that along with financial capital, cultural and social capital do contribute to the success of community college students. The most influential of these include: parental expectations, parental education, the tendency of individuals to associate with others of the same ethnicity, student-parent discussions, parents engaging other parents, and college information sources. While it may be difficult to influence financial capital levels, if the relationship between other types of capital and persistence in, completion of and transfer from the community college system can be better understood, it is feasible that the levels of capital can be influenced to effect changes in student outcomes.

The Influence of Financial, Cultural and Social Capital on the Likelihood of Success of Community College Students

The Influence of Financial, Cultural and Social Capital on the Likelihood of Success of Community College Students PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 178

Get Book Here

Book Description
Community colleges are an integral part of the postsecondary education system in the United States. Unfortunately, college completion rates continue to decline. Additionally, median income in the United States is also declining. The idea that each successive generation of students will do better than the previous one is quickly becoming a fantasy. Children born in a low socioeconomic status family will most likely remain in that status as they become adults. At no other time in the history of the United States has this been more likely. The middle class is becoming smaller and the gap between rich and poor is widening each year. The idea that education is the solution to many societal problems is ingrained in the national consciousness. Children are taught that education will elevate individuals beyond their economic situation. Community colleges were supposed to facilitate that elevation through expanded access. However, that promise has been broken for many students across the country. Thus, there is a need to investigate the underlying factors that contribute to success throughout the community college system. Drawing on the theoretical formulations of Becker, Bourdieu, Coleman, and Yosso, the researcher endeavored to investigate the relationship among the three forms of capital, financial, cultural and social, and success in community college. Success in community college was defined not only by how far the student progressed through the postsecondary education system, but also the student’s expectations for postsecondary degree attainment in high school. The main research question that was asked in this study was: In what ways do levels of financial capital, cultural capital, and social capital influence the likelihood of success in community college? Data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002-2012 were used to quantify the level of financial, cultural and social capital held by a nationally representative sample of high school students. Multilevel binary, ordinal, and multinomial logistic regression models, as well as discriminant function analysis, were employed in the analysis. The unweighted sample size for the study was 3,280. Through the use of survey weights and Taylor series expansion robust variance estimation techniques, 1.1 million high school students from across the United States were represented. The main findings of this study suggest that along with financial capital, cultural and social capital do contribute to the success of community college students. The most influential of these include: parental expectations, parental education, the tendency of individuals to associate with others of the same ethnicity, student-parent discussions, parents engaging other parents, and college information sources. While it may be difficult to influence financial capital levels, if the relationship between other types of capital and persistence in, completion of and transfer from the community college system can be better understood, it is feasible that the levels of capital can be influenced to effect changes in student outcomes.

The Influence of Social Capital and Community Cultural Wealth on College Completion

The Influence of Social Capital and Community Cultural Wealth on College Completion PDF Author: Pamela K. O’Neal
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic dissertations
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Adult learners and first generation students are less likely to persist to graduation than their traditional counterparts, however, some do manage to succeed in college and graduate (McCall et al., 2018; Means & Pyne, 2017). Studies indicate that while both group persist at lower rates, those who have gone on to graduate often cite having resources and personal support to help them achieve their academic goals (Zacharakis et al., 2011). Using narrative inquiry, this study explored the lived experiences of six first generation adult learners who graduated from a public research university. Bridging and bonding social capital was used to examine the stories of three white first generation adult learners. Community cultural wealth offered a useful framework for examining the stories of first generation adult learner students of color. Their stories were unique in many aspects, yet they shared some themes from childhood to graduation. These themes include struggles growing up; doing academically well in both high school and college; difficult life situations; troubles paying for college; and a tenacious attitude toward graduation. The first generation adult learner graduates relied less on bridging social capital than they did on bonding social capital. First generation adult learner students of color used their community cultural wealth in different ways to persist to graduation. Implications for university practitioners include having in depth conversations with students. Implications for university leadership includes a shift away from the university focus on finances to caring about the student. Implications for students include helping students understand their strengths that might not be recognized as such. Developing a strength based test, using the tenants of cultural community wealth for first generation adult learner students of color, could help those students see the strengths they possess and thus, empower them to not only graduate, but be successful students as well.

First-generation Students

First-generation Students PDF Author: Anne-Marie Nuñez
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 142892728X
Category : College attendance
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description


Student Success in the Community College

Student Success in the Community College PDF Author: Terry U. O'Banion
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1475856334
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
For much of the twentieth century, the definition of success for most community colleges revolved around student retention and graduation. This definition no longer works—if it ever did. In Student Success in the Community College: What Really Works? respected community college leaders, researchers, and innovators argue that student success is about redesigning community colleges in a manner that is consistent with each college’s mission, goals, student population, and resources. Concluding that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to increasing student success, chapter authors analyze national, state, and regional efforts to increase student success; identify principles institutions can use to frame student success initiatives; and outline specific actions community colleges can take to increase student—and institutional—success. Student Success in the Community College: What Really Works? also provides concrete examples of effective student success initiatives in a variety of community college settings.

Cultural Capital Facilitators and First-Generation Community College Students

Cultural Capital Facilitators and First-Generation Community College Students PDF Author: Karrie Denise Mitchell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 490

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Book Description
Cultural capital facilitators are an unexplored phenomenon in the higher education literature despite their crucial presence on community college campuses. Through the use of social capital theory, social networks, and cultural capital theory, this study explores the role that cultural capital facilitators play in first-generation, community college student information acquisition and ultimate success. Multiple qualitative methods are utilized to discover the cultural capital facilitator characteristics and attributes, social networks and types of cultural capital information shared between first-generation students and cultural capital facilitators. Implications for community college practitioners are also presented in terms of the role that classroom instructors play as cultural capital facilitators as well as the characteristics and attributes that these individuals can acquire through professional development opportunities. Finally, the interconnectedness of cultural capital facilitators' social networks and the domination of academic, cultural capital information are elaborated on for community college personnel in their examination of structural and functional barriers to first-generation student success.

Rethinking College Student Retention

Rethinking College Student Retention PDF Author: John M. Braxton
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118415663
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 166

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Book Description
Drawing on studies funded by the Lumina Foundation, the nation's largest private foundation focused solely on increasing Americans' success in higher education, the authors revise current theories of college student departure, including Tinto's, making the important distinction between residential and commuter colleges and universities, and thereby taking into account the role of the external environment and the characteristics of social communities in student departure and retention. A unique feature of the authors' approach is that they also consider the role that the various characteristics of different states play in degree completion and first-year persistence. First-year college student retention and degree completion is a multi-layered, multi-dimensional problem, and the book's recommendations for state- and institutional-level policy and practice will help policy-makers and planners at all levels as well as anyone concerned with institutional retention rates—and helping students reach their maximum potential for success—understand the complexities of the issue and develop policies and initiatives to increase student persistence.

Increasing Effectiveness of the Community College Financial Model

Increasing Effectiveness of the Community College Financial Model PDF Author: S. Sutin
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230120008
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
This book seeks to explore thematic and pragmatic applications of financing the community college to help facilitate educational reform, to assist efforts related to internationalization and to create systemic support systems to maintain the mission.

The Hidden Curriculum

The Hidden Curriculum PDF Author: Rachel Gable
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691216614
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
A revealing look at the experiences of first generation students on elite campuses and the hidden curriculum they must master in order to succeed College has long been viewed as an opportunity for advancement and mobility for talented students regardless of background. Yet for first generation students, elite universities can often seem like bastions of privilege, with unspoken academic norms and social rules. The Hidden Curriculum draws on more than one hundred in-depth interviews with students at Harvard and Georgetown to offer vital lessons about the challenges of being the first in the family to go to college, while also providing invaluable insights into the hurdles that all undergraduates face. As Rachel Gable follows two cohorts of first generation students and their continuing generation peers, she discovers surprising similarities as well as striking differences in their college experiences. She reveals how the hidden curriculum at legacy universities often catches first generation students off guard, and poignantly describes the disorienting encounters on campus that confound them and threaten to derail their success. Gable shows how first-gens are as varied as any other demographic group, and urges universities to make the most of the diverse perspectives and insights these talented students have to offer. The Hidden Curriculum gives essential guidance on the critical questions that university leaders need to consider as they strive to support first generation students on campus, and demonstrates how universities can balance historical legacies and elite status with practices and policies that are equitable and inclusive for all students.

The Impact of Culture on Organizational Decision-Making

The Impact of Culture on Organizational Decision-Making PDF Author: William G. Tierney
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000978389
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 116

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Book Description
Colleges and universities are currently undergoing the most significant challenges they have faced since World War II. Rising costs, increased competition from for-profit providers, the impact of technology, and the changing desires and needs of consumers have combined to create a dynamic tension for those who work in, and study, postsecondary education. What worked yesterday is unlikely to work tomorrow. The status quo or bromides such as “stay the course” are insufficient responses in a market that demands creativity and innovation if an organization does not simply wish to survive, but thrive.Managerial responses or top-down linear decisions are antithetical to academic organizations and most likely recipes for disaster. In today’s “flat world”, decision-making for most organizations has become less hierarchical and more decentralized. Understanding this trend is of particular importance for organizations with traditions of shared governance. The message of this book is that understanding organizational culture is critical for those who recognize that academe must change, but are unsure how to make that change happen. Even the most seasoned college and university administrators and professors often ask themselves, “What holds this place together?” The author’s answer is that an organization’s culture is the glue of academic life. Paradoxically, this “glue” does not make things get stuck, but unstuck. An understanding of culture enables an organization’s participants to interpret the institution to themselves and others, and in consequence, to propel the institution forward.An organization’s culture is reflected in what is done, how it is done, and who is involved in doing it. It concerns decisions, actions, and communication on an instrumental and symbolic level. This book considers various facets of academic culture, discusses how to study it, how to analyze it, and how to improve it in order to move colleges and universities aggressively into the future while maintaining core academic values. This book presents updated versions of eight key articles on organizational culture in higher education by William G. Tierney. The new introduction that sets them in the context of current and future challenges will add further value to articles that are already in high demand.

The Costs of Completion

The Costs of Completion PDF Author: Robin G. Isserles
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421442086
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
To improve community college success, we need to consider the lived realities of students. Our nation's community colleges are facing a completion crisis. The college-going experience of too many students is interrupted, lengthening their time to completing a degree—or worse, causing many to drop out altogether. In The Costs of Completion, Robin G. Isserles contextualizes this crisis by placing blame on the neoliberal policies that have shaped public community colleges over the past thirty years. The disinvestment of state funding, she explains, has created austerity conditions, leading to an overreliance on contingent labor, excessive investments in advisement technologies, and a push to performance outcomes like retention and graduation rates for measuring student and institutional success. The prevailing theory at the root of the community college completion crisis—academic momentum—suggests that students need to build momentum in their first year by becoming academically integrated, thereby increasing their chances of graduating in a timely fashion. A host of what Isserles terms "innovative disruptions" have been implemented as a way to improve on community college completion, but because disruptions are primarily driven by degree attainment, Isserles argues that they place learning and developing as afterthoughts while ignoring the complex lives that define so many community college students. Drawing on more than twenty years of teaching, advising, and researching largely first-generation community college students as well as an analysis of five years of student enrollment patterns, college experiences, and life narratives, Isserles takes pains to center students and their experiences. She proposes initiatives created in accordance with a care ethic, which strive to not only get students through college—quantifying credit accumulation and the like—but also enable our most precarious students to flourish in a college environment. Ultimately, The Costs of Completion offers a deeper, more complex understanding of who community college students are, why and how they enroll, and what higher education institutions can do to better support them.