Life issues leading to success in community college degree seekers
Abstract
Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain the in-depth descriptions of the life issues which either contributed to the success or failure of high-load adult students in obtaining associate degrees. The sampling strategy for the study was purposive in nature. Participants in the study were fifteen former high load adult students of a community college located in Oklahoma. High-load adult students were defined as those over twenty-five years of age whose community college experience coincided with the responsibilities of supporting and maintaining a household in which a dependent child or parent lived. Current community college instructors, counselors, administrators of student service programs, and students were queried to identify past students whose descriptions of their community college experience and head of household roles might prove to be particularly informational. Ten of the students had been successful in obtaining their associate degrees while five failed to complete their programs. A phenomenological approach of individual interviews was used to gather the data from each of the former students. The data were then logically linked to one of eleven preordained categories of life issues identified by the Harrison (2004) study which used McClusky's Theory of Margin as a framework. Findings and Conclusions: The participants described not only an initial anxiety upon returning to school but also an overriding feeling of excitement. Math and science were cited as providing the most daunting academic challenges. A "you just do what you gotta do" attitude was described in dealing with the balancing of outside responsibilities and economic challenges incurred while maintaining their duel head of household and student roles. Serving as a role model for their children was described as being a key element of their motivation to return to school as well as their determination to finish. The descriptions of good time management methods consisted primarily of multitasking, task integration and task elimination. Only two of the participants indicated that they made any concentrated effort to institute improved self-care practices while in school. Support from family and friends as well as positive relationships with the college faculty, staff and fellow students were described as being helpful in allowing the students to complete their programs. The major value in this study comes from the high-load adult students' descriptions of life's load and power issues, which may have influenced their success or failure in community college. These real-world student perspectives may serve as an expedient to further evaluate the current literature on adult student retention as well as add new insight to community colleges when making policy decisions.
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- OSU Dissertations [11222]