Abstract
ABSTRACT Community college STEM students often aspire to transfer to baccalaureate institutions to pursue careers requiring advanced degrees. To support their efforts, community colleges offer programming and support to aid degree attainment and transfer. While their community college experiences are critical to understanding the whole of STEM education research, few studies attend to these experiences and those that do often focus on curricula and teaching. This study contributes to the community college experience literature by evaluating Lunch & Learn – one component of a community college STEM Scholars program that was designed around model of student retention. The goal is to understand how Lunch & Learn supports transfer-intending STEM students. This longitudinal qualitative study uses iterative thematic analysis of observational data and an interview with the program’s director to determine the most salient practices critical to persistence and retention. Findings indicate that this program supported social and academic integration by (a) sustaining a supportive social community, (b) providing opportunities to access and capitalize on information networks, and (c) building STEM student self-efficacy and identity. This work can inform the design of others’ spaces within the community college structures that support the work done inside the classroom and how these programs are contributing to the successful transfer of STEM students.
Published Version
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