In spite of the many support structures that attract nontraditional-aged adult students to community colleges, research suggests that participation in community college programs still presents barriers to the success of nontraditional-aged adult students that may ultimately affect retention. A study that seeks descriptions of those barriers and supports from nontraditional-aged adults' perspectives as they work to complete a semester adds valuable information about how to effectively help the growing number of nontraditional-aged adult students in community colleges. Research Questions How do nontraditional-aged adult students in community college describe the barriers and supports to the completion of an associate's degree and persistence in community college? Subquestions 1. How do nontraditional-aged adult students describe their experiences with faculty in the classroom, their experiences with the registration process, and their interaction with the college administration for purposes of information, guidance, and other college-level issues? 2. How do nontraditional-aged adult students describe the experiences they have outside of college that affect their college experiences? Method To answer these questions, a multi-case study approach was conducted. Eleven nontraditional-aged adult students on campus served as focal students for the case study, which took place in the bounds of 1 semester. More than 800 nontraditional-aged adult students answered surveys about their experiences, 11 students participated in two face-to-face interviews during the semester, and participated in 4 telephone interviews. Eighteen nontraditional-aged adult student volunteers participated in focus-group sessions. Seventeen nontraditional-aged adult students posted their experiences on a private message board. Additional interviews and focus groups were conducted with faculty and staff to augment data. Significance Nontraditional-aged adult students are a unique and growing set of students in the community college sector. The characteristics of adults as learners are distinct enough to suggest the importance of a study such as the one conducted here. This study was a qualitative, multiple-case study that sought to provide an in-depth, detailed picture of the barriers and supports for nontraditional-aged adult students from their multiple perspectives and realities. This adds to the knowledge about barriers to success for a subgroup of community college students as well as identifies how nontraditional-aged adult students describe supports that can lead to success in community colleges. The study found that nontraditional-aged adult students at the college in the study faced a plethora of obstacles that were institutional, situational, and dispositional. The institutional issues could be further subdivided between classroom issues and service access issues. I found that the college had multiple exemplary programs in place to support all of the students and in some cases, those exemplary programs successfully helped nontraditional-aged adults students to persist and be satisfied. However, the nontraditional-aged adult students at the college were diverse and therefore the programs in place did not serve and satisfy all of the nontraditional-aged adult students. Nontraditional-aged adult students, those who were satisfied and those who were dissatisfied with the college, shared many of the same obstacles. However, the adults were still different enough from each other to call for the institution to use various methods to help the adult students to overcome the obstacles they had in common.

Published annually since 1985, the Handbook series provides a compendium of thorough and integrative literature reviews on a diverse array of topics of interest to the higher education scholarly and policy communities. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of research findings on a selected topic, critiques the research literature in terms of its conceptual and methodological rigor and sets forth an agenda for future research intended to advance knowledge on the chosen topic. The Handbook focuses on a comprehensive set of central areas of study in higher education that encompasses the salient dimensions of scholarly and policy inquiries undertaken in the international higher education community. Each annual volume contains chapters on current important issues pertaining to college students and faculty, organization and administration, curriculum and instruction, policy, diversity issues, economics and finance, history and philosophy, community colleges, advances in research methodology and other key aspects of higher education administration. The series is fortunate to have attracted annual contributions from distinguished scholars throughout the world.

Prepares readers to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse college student population This is a timely and comprehensive overview of key theories of student development that illustrates their application across a range of student services with diverse student populations. It is distinguished by its focus on nontraditional student populations including adults changing careers, parents, veterans, and international students. The book examines relevant theories of cognitive, ethical, moral, and personality development and theories of identity development in terms of ethnicity, gender, and ability. Also covered are theories relevant to disability issues, LGBT identity issues, and to choice of career and major/degree. Unique to the text is information on how theories can be applied, beyond understanding individual students, to student groups and to guide the coordination of student affairs services across the campus. Engaging case vignettes immerse readers in diverse perspectives and demonstrate the application of theory to a wide range of student types and issues. The book covers the history and development of each theory along with its strengths and limitations. Also included are useful suggestions on how to best assist students with current challenges. Reflective questions concluding each chapter help students to reinforce information. An insightful text for courses in college student development in relevant graduate programs and for student affairs professionals who wish to enhance their abilities, this book reflects the realities of contemporary college student life and student affairs practices. Key Features: Applies student development theories primarily to non-traditional college students Presents chapter-opening/closing examples reflecting student diversity Explores the strengths and limitations of each theory Describes how theories can be applied in varied student affairs settings and in broader contexts of student affairs Includes instructor’s resources

In an effort to create a more educated workforce in the United States, many community colleges are implementing new practices and strategies to assist under-prepared students. These efforts will ultimately support a stronger and more resilient global workforce. Examining the Impact of Community Colleges on the Global Workforce provides relevant theoretical and conceptual frameworks, best practices, and emerging empirical research about new approaches being employed in community colleges to prepare students for their post-collegiate careers. Featuring recent initiatives in educational settings, this publication is a critical reference source for higher education practitioners, policymakers, and graduate students in higher education administration programs interested in the innovative practices utilized by community colleges to educate underserved students.

Transformational Learning in Community Colleges details the profound social and emotional change that nontraditional and historically underserved students undergo when they enter community college. Drawing on case study material and student observations, the book outlines the systematic supports that two-year institutions must put in place to help students achieve their educational and professional goals. The book offers guidance on how a renewed focus on student transformational learning can complement the skills curriculum, accelerate current reforms, and help lead to higher student success rates. "Chad Hoggan and Bill Browning have produced an excellent guide for assuring greater levels of success at the place community colleges and students meet at scale everyday: the classroom. It will provide community college academic leaders and faculty alike with a guide that will significantly improve student success in the classroom. This book is both timely and relevant as the classroom becomes the next frontier for community college reformation." --Kenneth L. Ender, professor of practice, The Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research, and president emeritus, William Rainey Harper College "Transformational Learning in Community Colleges makes a meaningful contribution to the literature on student success by addressing pressing challenges such as the need for coordinated efforts at the program level. Intended for practitioners in community colleges and career pathways training programs, this book focuses on the changes students experience in college and provides helpful real-life examples, case studies, and applied strategies for readers to use." --Meredith Archer Hatch, senior associate director for Workforce and Academic Alignment, Achieving the Dream Chad D. Hoggan is an associate professor of Adult, Workforce, and Continuing Professional Education in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University. Bill Browning is an independent consultant with a thirty-year career combining management roles in corporate training, a community-based nonprofit, community college, and workforce development policy and leadership training. Robert G. Templin, Jr. is professor of the practice at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at North Carolina State University and senior fellow of the College Excellence Program at The Aspen Institute.

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to explore nontraditional community college students' experiences with student support services, their connectedness to the institutions, and their overall satisfaction with the institution. Tinto’s integration framework guided this study to test connectedness and its association with student retention rates. The central research question for this study was: What are nontraditional community college students' perceptions of their overall satisfaction with the institution? The study was conducted at Waynesboro Community College in Waynesboro, NC. The purposeful sample size selected included 10 nontraditional students as research participants. The triangulation of data collection methods used in this study consisted of an interview, journal prompts, and a questionnaire. The data also included field notes and memos were also analyzed by finding commonalities in categories through coding, common themes, and phrases that were synthesized to address the research questions using exploratory analysis. Results indicated that nontraditional students do not feel connected to their institution and need support services that are unique to their needs. Four themes were identified in this study: 1) nontraditional student connectedness is not strong within the college, 2) nontraditional students need additional student support services, 3) nontraditional students with strong academic relationships are satisfied with their college experience, and 4) nontraditional students have personal factors that challenge their success in college. The sub-themes identified are nontraditional students need more knowledgeable and consistent faculty members and they have personal responsibilities that affect their success and need more social interaction in and out of the classroom.