Coaching Toward Completion: Academic Coaching Factors Influencing Community College Student Success

Abstract

Aligned with the American Association of Community College’s 21st Century Initiative for community college completion, coaching has emerged in higher education as a promising practice for student support. Although hundreds of community colleges have implemented coaching programs, few studies have explored the practice of coaching and its relationship with student success. This study examines the influence of specific coaching factors, including the frequency, nature, and contact modes, on community college student persistence. The study utilizes a secondary data set collected by the Ohio Association of Community Colleges. The analysis of the records of 5,808 students from 15 Midwest community colleges engaged in a Coaches Program shows that 31.5% of the variance in credit-hour completion can be explained by 17 factors related to student demographics, community college characteristics, and coaching factors. This established relationship between coaching factors and credit-hour completion is an important contribution of the study to existing research.