Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Parenting Adult Learners Regarding Persistence In Two-Year Community Colleges

<p>This qualitative phenomenological study examined the results of semi-structured interviews conducted with six parenting adult learners (ParentALs) enrolled in three public two-year community colleges in the United States. This study investigated the problem of a lack of understanding of the experiences of ParentALs enrolled in community colleges. The purpose of this study was to examine how the lived experiences of ParentALs enrolled in community colleges may influence their persistence. Three themes emerged from the literature review and data analysis: the identity of the ParentAL, characteristics and intersectionality of factors, experiences, and perceptions that may influence ParentAL persistence in community college, and practices that support ParentAL persistence. This study affirmed that entry characteristics, student motivations, the external environment, internal campus and academic factors, and student sense of belonging influence ParentALs college experience as supported by the theory of adult learner persistence (Bergman et al., 2014; & Bergman and Olson, 2020) and the Terenzini and Reason framework (Reason, 2009). This study asserted that community college leaders must recognize that ParentALs experience college differently than traditional students. ParentALs lived college experiences are connected to their work, family, and life responsibilities. Recommendations include: increasing data and understanding, reducing barriers, evaluating institutional culture and recruitment, attendance, grading, and other practices that may place ParentALs at a disadvantage, and professional development which informs practice. This study confirmed a need to further study the experiences of ParentALs enrolled in four-year universities and graduate programs as well as the experiences and interactions shared between parenting faculty and ParentALs.</p> <p><strong><em>Keywords: community college, student parent, parenting adult learner, persistence, 2Gen</em></strong></p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Year dc:date.available

2023

Author dc:creator

• Webb, Michelle T, Ed.D.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Gizelle Luevano
• Darren Akerman
• Nena Cunningham

• community college
• student parent
• adult learner
• persistence
• 2Gen
• higher education
• Adult and Continuing Education
• Community College Education Administration
• Community College Leadership
• Education
• Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
• Educational Leadership
• Educational Methods
• Educational Technology
• Education Economics
• Gender Equity in Education
• Higher Education Administration
• Higher Education and Teaching
• Holistic Education
• Instructional Media Design
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• Teacher Education and Professional Development

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dune.une.edu/edu_diss/5

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dune.une.edu:edu_diss-1005