Male Community College Students Research Articles

A Socio-Ecological Outcome Investigation of the Student Engagement, Achievement, and Satisfaction of Latino Men in Community College Developmental Mathematics

ABSTRACT To understand how to best support Latino male community college students, we used the Socio-Ecological Outcomes (SEO) model to examine factors associated with their achievement and college satisfaction. Specifically, we leveraged data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and situated our study in developmental mathematics, given its potentially gatekeeping effects in postsecondary education. In a subsample of Latino men in community college developmental mathematics courses (N = 1,140), we conducted two regression models with GPA and satisfaction as outcomes and various predictors from the SEO model such as background, environmental, academic, and campus factors. Results indicated that academic preparedness, being of older age, college support from friends and family, and use of academic-related resources were positive predictors for both outcomes. Sense of belonging was positively associated with college satisfaction. Conclusions and implications for how CCSSE variables can be used in conjunction with the SEO model are discussed.

“They Are Coming to Get Something”: A Qualitative Study of African American Male Community College Students’ Education Abroad Experience in Senegal, West Africa

This paper is a critical qualitative study of African American male community college students’ education abroad experience in Senegal, West Africa. Currently, there is a lack of research that focuses directly on Black men who are studying abroad. Using African American male theory as the framework, four major themes emerged: men to boys, challenging the notion of counternarratives, identity, and not-so-distant cousins. These themes point collectively to a transformative experience for the participants. Notably, the educational experience transformed the participants’ cultural, social, and racial identities, as the trip fostered a combination of vulnerability and safety that created the conditions for Black men to grow and transform.

Speaking Back to the Neoliberal Community College

This article explores the complexities and contradictions of neoliberal policy reforms on fifteen Black and Latino male community college students who participated in a qualitative, longitudinal study at Urban Community College. Though the conventional wisdom on community colleges assumes that more and better neoliberal policies will lead to improved outcomes and greater equity for educationally disenfranchised students, this study illustrates how the policies that are at the heart of the college completion agenda, such as continuous full-time enrollment, on-time graduation, and guided curricular pathways, were implicated in the study participants’ academic challenges.

Latino Male Community College Students’ Perceptions of Course-Related Interactions: A Critical Race Analysis

ABSTRACT This paper explores Latino male community college students’ perceptions of their course-related interactions with faculty at a Hispanic Serving Institution in California. Using a Critical Race Theory in Education framework, we qualitatively examine the ways in which race and racism shape students’ descriptions of these interactions and the extent to which students attribute negative interactions to racial discrimination and/or oppression. Longitudinal, semi-structured interview data (N = 24) presented underscore the need for structurally diverse faculty in community colleges.

How Students Think About Race: Exploring Racial Conceptions and Their Implications for Student Success Among Latino Male Community College Students

AbstractThis chapter describes the importance of students’ conceptualizations of race, defined as the abstract ideas that students have about race as well as how they express these ideas as influencing their own experience or that of the social identity group(s) to which they belong. Empirical findings from a study of racial conceptualization among Latino male community college students attending a 2‐year Hispanic Serving Institution in Southern California are presented. Implications of racial conceptualization for programmatic interventions and curriculum development are discussed.

Making Meaning of Peer Mentorship for Black Male Community College Students

Making Meaning of Peer Mentorship for Black Male Community College Students

The Role of Spirituality for Black Male Community College Students

ABSTRACTThrough a qualitative study, the authors aim to understand how does spirituality influence Black male community college students’ success. Spirituality has various definitions between races, cultures, and environments, it is important to define spirituality and to understand the context in which it connects with the demographic spirituality is interacting in. The authors define spirituality as an amalgamation of prevailing thought, which consists of individual beliefs that may or may not be associated with a religious institution, but yet provides meaning to an individual’s life. Black male community college students use familial, aspiration, social, and linguistic capitals throughout their daily interactions with society and the world, to understand how spiritually and God, influences their lives, academic accomplishments, and behaviors.

117 - Young Adult Male Knowledge of Emergency Contraception

Purpose: Despite declines in unintended pregnancies in the US, adolescents and young adults continue to have the highest rates of unintended pregnancy. Emergency contraception (EC) can reduce the chance of unintended pregnancy especially in the case of inconsistent contraception use or contraceptive failure, both of which account for a majority of unintended pregnancies. To date, most interventions to increase EC use have focused on young women. While there is research indicating that males can play an important role in supporting their partners' selection and use of contraception (including EC), most males have limited knowledge of contraception. The purpose of the current study is to examine factors associated with males' knowledge of EC and perceived EC use among male community college students.

Leveraging Their Family Capital: How Latino Males Successfully Navigate the Community College

Objective: The purpose of this study is to apply Yosso’s community cultural wealth framework to the experiences of Latino male community college students to understand how they balance family obligations, work, and academics while also navigating their educational pathways. Method: The research team conducted 23 semistructured focus groups with 130 Latino male students enrolled full- and part-time at seven distinct community colleges in Texas. Results: Findings reveal the important role family members play in the educational pathway of Latino males who relied heavily on familismo and familial capital as a source of support as they matriculated through the community college environment. Despite entering the community college with multiple sources of community cultural wealth, Latino males had a difficult time navigating their educational experiences due to their first in family, first-generation status, and their apprehension around help-seeking . Contributions: Despite the multiple roles and responsibilities Latino males hold within their family units, they do not pose limitations on their educational pathways; rather, these family relationships motivate Latino males and provide them with support that strengthens their aspirations to persist onto graduation.

A meta-analysis on critical thinking and community college student achievement

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the relationship between student levels of critical thinking (as established via critical thinking tests) and community college student success. We conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize the extant literature on critical thinking and community college student success. After systematically searching the relevant literature through electronic databases using an array of search terms, we screened studies and reviewed them for inclusion. Included studies were reliably coded using a protocol to extract correlational effect size data and study characteristics. These effect sizes were aggregated meta-analytically. From a total of 23 studies (27 samples, N=8233), we found that critical thinking was moderately related to community college student success. The relationship between student achievement and levels of critical thinking (as skills or dispositions) was constant for both nursing and non-nursing students as well as for grades and individual test outcomes; however, students’ levels of critical thinking was more strongly associated with longer-term outcomes compared with those at the shorter term. Meta-regression results indicated some evidence that effects were weaker for male and minority community college students. Implications for this study include the importance of cultivating critical thinking for all community college students and the exploration of understudied areas for future research.

Promoting Financial Literacy and Latino Males’ Success at Community Colleges

ABSTRACTLatino males across the country enroll in community colleges with the purpose of obtaining an educational degree, which could lead to accomplishing professional and personal aspirations. Even if Latino male students enroll in post-secondary education, they continue to be disenfranchised, vanished, and often rejected through the higher education pipeline. Research regarding access to education shows that money matters to the success of Latino students. Through a metasynthesis, this practice briefly identifies that there is little to no empirical research conducted that explores how Latino male community college students elicit, engage, and explore financial literacy programs. This paper makes recommendations for post-secondary institutions, practitioners, and policymakers to promote Latino males’ success at community colleges.

Determinants of Intent to Transfer among Black Male Community College Students: A Multinomial, Multilevel Investigation of Student Engagement

Background/Context Transfer is a core function of community colleges; this is a critical point given that these institutions serve as the primary pathway into postsecondary education for Black men. However, too few Black men identify transfer as a primary goal and/or eventually transfer to a 4-year college or university. Purpose Using Nora and Rendón's (1990) research on transfer predisposition as a theoretical guide, this study investigated determinants of Black male community college students’ predisposition to transfer from a community college to a 4-year university. This research sought to determine whether student-level and institutional-level measures of engagement were predictive of transfer intent. This research also examined whether engagement predictors at the student level had randomly varying slopes across colleges. Population This study employed a quantitative analysis of secondary data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE). A total of 11,384 Black men nested within 259 community colleges were included in the analytic sample. Research Design Data were analyzed using multilevel, multinomial logistic regression. Students’ predisposition to transfer was modeled in three categories, transfer as a primary goal, secondary goal, or not a goal. The first analysis examined predictors of students’ intent to transfer using student-level variables while the second analysis added institutional-level variables. In the third analysis, the researchers’ constructed random slopes and intercepts models to investigate whether the student-level engagement slopes on the outcome differed across the nested structure. Findings/Results Students with transfer as a primary goal (as opposed to not being a goal) were more likely to be younger, have earned more credits, non-first-generation, full-time enroll-ees, and to have taken developmental education courses. They were also more likely to spend more hours per week studying and involved in extracurricular activities. These students were also more engaged in active and collaborative learning and used student services on campus. Conclusions/Recommendations This research has shown that that the factors influencing Black men's predisposition toward transfer largely mirror that of their White and Hispanic peers. Findings from this study demonstrated that social integration was a positive predictor of students’ intent to transfer; the finding diverges from prior research on Black men in the community college, which have shown social integration to serve as a negative predictor of success outcomes.

Black Men’s Perceptions of Sense of Belonging with Faculty Members in Community Colleges

IntroductionIn 1954, the landmark decision of Brown v. Board of Education ended de jure racial segregation in the United States. After years of tumultuous integration efforts during the 1960s through 1980s, Black enrollment in postsecondary education has steadily increased. For example in 1976, there were 1.033.000 Black students enrolled in postsecondary institutions. The data indicates that there are now 2.962.000 Black students enrolled, a 187% increase (Digest of Education Statistics, 2013). However, access is not always synonymous with success. Unfavorable outcomes have been evident for Black students in the post-Brown era (Dancy & Brown, 2008). Contemporarily, student success outcomes for Black men have been concerning, as indicated by dismal persistence and graduation rates in comparison to their majority male and same-race female counterparts (Newman, Mmeje, & Allen, 2012). Some critics of the Brown ruling have argued that integration led to the demise of many predominantly Black institutions that were successful in serving Black students. In particular, scholars have highlighted that while Black students attended segregated schools prior to Brown and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) post-Brown, faculty-student interactions at these institutions were more affirming, thereby bolstering student success (e.g., Allen, 1985, 1992; Davis, 1994; Palmer & Gasman, 2008; Palmer & Wood, 2012). In contrast, Black students entering predominantly White campuses post-Brown experienced psychosocial challenges from negative campus climates (i.e., racism and isolation) instigated by their White peers and faculty members (e.g., D'Augelli & Hershberger, 1993; Feagin, Vera, & Imani, 1996). Clearly, Black students interactions with faculty members have played and will continue to play an important role in academic outcomes.Sixty years after the Brown ruling, community colleges serve in roles similar to some HBCUs as an open access venue for those who may have received poor academic preparation in their secondary schooling. Therefore, community colleges serve as apt sites for analysis, given these institutions serve as the primary pathway for Black students with 46.6% attending two-year institutions as compared to 42.9% attending four-year institutions (Staklis, 2010). Specifically, for Black men attending public postsecondary institutions, 54.9% of these collegians will begin their academic experience in community colleges (U. S. Department of Education, 2004/2009). Therefore, it is necessary to better understand how Black men who enter these institutions experience and perceive community college environments. In particular, attention should be given to their interactions with faculty members who, according to prior research, play a critical role in the persistence of Black men in community colleges (Wood & Williams, 2013). Bearing the aforementioned in mind, the purpose of this study was to examine factors contributing to Black male students' sense of belonging with faculty members. This study used hierarchical linear regression to examine the following research questions:1. When controlling for relevant extraneous variables, is there a significant relationship between students' perceptions of and interactions with faculty (e.g., perceptions of racial-gender stereotypes, faculty validation, faculty-student engagement) and Black male community college students' perceptions of belonging with faculty members?2. Is the relationship between students' perceptions of and interactions with faculty and Black male community college students' perceptions of belonging with faculty members mediated by their masculine and racial/ethnic identities?This study is an important contribution to the existing literature. Cole and Griffin (2013) reviewed a comprehensive body of scholarship on faculty-student interactions and a vast majority of the published research is conducted at four-year colleges and universities. …

The Effect of Academic Engagement on Sense of Belonging: A Hierarchical, Multilevel Analysis of Black Men in Community Colleges

This study employed a hierarchical, multilevel modeling approach to investigate the effect of engagement on Black male community college students’ sense of belonging. Four measures of engagement were employed at level 1 and in aggregate at level 2 as predictors of belonging, including active and collaborative learning, faculty-student interaction, exposure to diversity, and usage of student services. Models illustrated that three level 1 engagement measures (e.g., faculty-student interaction, exposure to diversity, and usage of support services) were significant predictors of sense of belonging, with and without controls. Of these measures, use of support services had the greatest effect on sense of belonging. Further analyses showed that aggregate active and collaborative learning had a negative effect on sense of belonging, meaning that greater Black male engagement in academic matters and in collaborative learning experiences resulted in lower levels of sense of belonging. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Understanding the Personal Goals of Black Male Community College Students: Facilitating Academic and Psychosocial Development

Similar to 4-year institutions, community colleges are struggling to find ways to increase the success rates of racial and ethnic minority students in general and Black males specifically. According to data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS), compared to their male counterparts, Black males have the lowest retention and graduation rates among their peers. Given this, using national data from BPS, this article has investigated the personal goals of Black males in community colleges and provided context for how community college officials can use these goals to facilitate Black male academic and psychosocial development. Indeed, this article is noteworthy as limited research has focused on personal goals for Black males in community college. The article concludes with implications for practice and future research.

<em>The Likelihood of Transfer for Black Males in Community Colleges: Examining the Effects of Engagement Using Multilevel, Multinomial Modeling</em>

Research indicates that Black male collegians tend to disproportionately seek out postsecondary educational opportunities at community colleges; despite this, a paucity of Black men actual transfer to four-year colleges and universities. In order to help facilitate transfer for Black male community college students, this article investigates the effects of student engagement on Black male students' self-reported likelihood of transfer. The implications of this study provides compelling context for institutional practice and future research to help community colleges be more intentional about improving transfer outcomes for among Black male students.Keywords: Black males, community college, transferCommunity colleges serve many functions and one of the primary functions of these institutions is to facilitate students' ability to transfer into four-year institutions of higher education. Students of color in general and Black males specifically are more likely to seek out postsecondary opportunities at two-year colleges (Wood & Williams, 2013). Of the vast majority of those who will attend two-year colleges, 81.9% will pursue their education at public community colleges. According to research (e.g., Bush, 2004), many Black men attend these institutions because they perceive that they can facilitate their social and economic mobility. A large number of community college students enroll with the intent to transfer into a four-year college or university. Specifically, 43 % of Black men indicate intent to transfer upon enrollment in the community college.Despite this, limited empirical research has investigated the likelihood of transfer for Black male community college students. One study that comes close is Nora and Rendon's (1990) research on factors predictive community college students' predisposition to transfer. Using data from students attending six community colleges in Texas, Arizona, and California, Nora and Rendon explored the applicability of Tinto's (1975) model of attrition on student's predisposition to transfer. Specifically Nora and Rendon (1990) were interested in the effect of academic (e.g., library use, interactions with faculty, attending campus lectures) and social integration (e.g., involvement in extra-curricular activities, seeking out special campus events, reading the college newspaper) on students' predisposition to transfer. Findings from their study indicated that students with greater levels of academic and social integration were significantly more likely to have transfer goals than their peers. A critical limitation to Nora and Rendon's (1990) research was that the sample included only Hispanic (74%) and White (26%) students. To this end, their study did not provide insight on Black students' predisposition to transfer. Despite these drawbacks, Nora and Rendon's study served as a conceptual guide for this research on predisposition to transfer among Black men.With this in mind, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of student engagement on Black male students' self-reported likelihood of transfer. Specifically, the effect of engagement on transfer likelihood focused on Black men who indicated a predisposition to transfer to a four-year college or university. Four types of engagement were explored, including: active and collaborative learning, faculty-student interaction, exposure to diversity, and usage of student services. Three primary questions guided this research:* Research question 1: Is there a significant relationship between Level 1 measures of engagement (with controls) on Black male community college students' self-report likelihood to transfer?* Research question 2: Is there a significant relationship between Level 1 and Level 2 measures of engagement (with controls) on Black male community college students' self-report likelihood to transfer?* Research question 3: Do engagement predictors at Level 1 have randomly varying slopes across colleges? …

Capital identity projection: Understanding the psychosocial effects of capitalism on Black male community college students

This study examined factors impacting the success of Black male students in a Southwestern US community college. Data were collected using multiple sources, including semi-structured interviews (n=29), unstructured concept mapping, non-participant observations, and a focus group. Study findings revealed the harmful effects that glory-seeking, materialism, and excessive consumerism can have on student success, in and out of college. This notion is termed capital identity projection, and is described as a harmful psychosocial disposition that occurs in a capitalistic value system when an image of economic success is extended to the point of one’s own detriment. This notion is presented in light of extant research from masculinity studies, economic sociology, and economic psychology.

Reasons for Tanning Bed Use: A Survey of Community College Students in North Carolina

Tanning bed use is classified as carcinogenic and is associated with an increased risk of skin cancer. The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to identify the most commonly stated reasons for tanning bed use among a sample of male and female community college students in eastern North Carolina. A brief, self-administered survey was distributed to students during English, Art, or Psychology class periods in 5 eastern North Carolina community colleges during the 2010 fall semester. The 95% response rate consisted of 487 returned surveys. Of the 487 respondents, 12.7% (N = 62) were current users, 24.5% (N = 119) were past users, and 62.2% (N = 303) reported never using tanning beds. Women (79%) were more likely than men (18%) to be current or former tanning bed users. Three African Americans reported current tanning bed use (4.8%). Reasons for tanning bed use were similar among men and women, with "I think I look better when I am tan" being the most commonly cited reason (70.2%) for tanning bed use. A convenience sample limits generalizability to all North Carolina students attending community college. Current tanning bed use was not widely reported. However, educational strategies for preventing tanning bed initiation or recurrence among male and female community college students should include appearance-driven factors.

Factors promoting academic success among African American and white male community college students

AbstractThis chapter examines factors that predict and promote academic success, defined as grade point average and course completion, among African American and white male students in a large, urban community college district.

PEER AND STUDENT-FACULTY RELATIONS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

This study investigated differences in peer and student?faculty relationships of male and female community college students. Men reported more frequent participation in college activities, whereas women reported more frequent involvement in less formal activities such as studying with other students. Women had less difficulty than men meeting and making friends. For both men and women, little student?faculty interaction outside the classroom was reported.