North Carolina community colleges provide for Latino student success
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Bonnie Watts Winecoff (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Ann Alexander
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe implemented and planned Latino student
success activities in North Carolina community colleges and to examine variations in
these activities based on the degree of Latino settlement in the college service area. This
study was designed to answer the following research questions: (1) What Latino student
success provisions, programs, and processes have been implemented in North Carolina
community colleges? (2) What Latino student success provisions, programs, and
processes have been planned in North Carolina community colleges? and (3) Are there
variations among North Carolina community colleges’ Latino student success
provisions, programs, and processes based on the degree of Latino settlement in the
college service area? Leaders from 44 North Carolina community colleges, representing
a variety of institutional areas, participated in this descriptive, quantitative research,
conducted through electronic surveys. The survey sample was identified by
recommendations from chief academic officers serving North Carolina community
colleges. Participants were recommended based on their knowledge of implemented and
planned Latino student success activities at their institutions. The response rate for the
survey was 75.9%. The most frequently reported implemented Latino student success
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activities were from the areas of academic and student services. These activities were
related to providing welcoming and safe campuses for Latinos, making an overt
commitment to global diversity in institutional goals, listening to Latinos to determine
their needs, and encouraging Latinos to be active on campus. The least reported Latino
student success activity was using Spanish portals of communication for recruiting
Latino students. The most reported planned activities for Latino student success were
increasing Latino student recruiting, increasing recruiting of diverse staff and faculty,
increasing awareness of Latinos as an asset to the campus, making an overt commitment
to Latino student success, and faculty workshops on Latino student success strategies.
The least reported planned activities were a campus news service in Spanish,
translation/interpretation services, faculty-student mentoring for Latino students, a
Latino college readiness program, and advertising in Spanish. Three Latino density
measures were identified and used in the study to determine if variations in Latino
student success activities were related to the degree of Latino settlement density in the
college service area. The density measures were: percent of Latino population in the
college service area, perceived significance of Latinos in the college service area, and
percent of Latino settlement change since 1990. Overall study findings did not support
settlement density as a key force for implementing or planning of Latino student success
activities in North Carolina community colleges.
North Carolina community colleges provide for Latino student success
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Created on 10/1/2009
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2009
- Keywords
- Community college, Latino, student success
- Subjects
- Hispanic American community college students -- North Carolina
- Community colleges -- North Carolina
- Academic achievement -- North Carolina