Administrator and Faculty Perspectives Regarding Community College Baccalaureate Degrees in Texas

Abstract

This quantitative correlational study examined administrator and faculty perspectives regarding factors that may have contributed to the development of community college baccalaureate degrees in Texas. It was hypothesized that factors such as student need, workforce need, college relations, and college mission were linearly and positively correlated. To test the hypothesis, an online survey was administered to a random sample of 530 faculty and administrators at the three baccalaureate granting community colleges in Texas. Correlation coefficients were computed for all possible pairs of the four variables to determine whether or not there were statistically significant correlations between variables. The results of the Pearson's correlation analyses produced four statistically significant correlations among variables at the p = .008 level. Results revealed a strong positive correlation between student need and workforce need r(359) = .82, p < .008. Findings of the study indicated that respondents perceived factors of student need for baccalaureate degrees and employers’ need for employees with bachelor's degree had the strongest influence on the development of community college baccalaureate degrees in the three community colleges in Texas.