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Students in basic skills mathematics: perceptions and experiences of community college progress and help-seeking

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Students in basic skills mathematics: perceptions and experiences of community college progress and help-seeking

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Content Running head: BASIC SKILLS PERCEPTIONS

Students in Basic Skills Mathematics: Perceptions and Experiences of Community College
Progress and Help-Seeking
by
Jason A. Hayward

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Education in Educational Counseling
University of Southern California

May 2015

BASIC SKILLS PERCEPTIONS ii
Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank the following individuals for their support in writing my thesis:
Dr. Kristan Venegas, my thesis chair. Without your help, I would have not had the proper
guidance on the thesis writing process, and I cannot think of anyone else that would have been a
better advisor than you were for me. It is in your nature to support me and my colleagues and I
will always remember your encouragement throughout.
To my committee members, Dr. Patricia Tobey and Dr. Ryan Cornner: thank you for
giving me insights on my research and the invaluable perspectives that brought my study to
where it is now. After my program is completed, I will be considered your colleague, but I will
always think of you two as my mentors.
To my colleagues in my master’s program, I thank you for exuding positivity throughout
my endeavors. Every so often, one of you would ask me how I was doing on my thesis, and those
seemingly small inquiries meant a lot to me to show that you all care and are looking out for me.
Throughout our careers, I will be looking out for all of you as a token of my gratitude.
To the counselors and staff at the sample site, I thank you ever so much for being
cooperative with my thesis research. Without your help, I would not have met my participants or
have the encouragement to pursue my data collection.
To my friends and family: thank you for putting up with my schedule and understanding
that I could not spend time with you all when requested. The moments where we were all able to
be together were not taken for granted, and there now will be more time to make that up.
To Sarah – Thank you so much for being there for me, even though writing this thesis felt
like juggling a second relationship to you. You have been the single greatest emotional support
to me throughout this journey, and your patience and understanding are a testament to our love.
BASIC SKILLS PERCEPTIONS iii
Finally, to my participants: thank you for your cooperation with my research study and
discussing these topics with candid veracity and enthusiasm. It is my hope that your voices are
translated into further action to make your experience in higher education full of as much support
and encouragement as possible.

BASIC SKILLS PERCEPTIONS iv

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ ii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii
Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... viii

CHAPTER 1 – Overview of the Study ............................................................................................1
Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1
Background of the Problem .................................................................................................2
Statement of the Problem .....................................................................................................4
Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................5
Importance of the Study .......................................................................................................6
Organization of the Study ....................................................................................................7

CHAPTER 2 – Literature Review ...................................................................................................9
Remedial Education ...........................................................................................................10
Overview ................................................................................................................10
Assessment .............................................................................................................12
Perceptions and stigma ..........................................................................................13
Self-efficacy and Help-seeking ..........................................................................................14
Self-efficacy ...........................................................................................................14
Self-regulation through help-seeking .....................................................................16
Gender and cultural differences in help-seeking ...................................................18
Completion in Community College ...................................................................................20
Grounded Theory Perspective ............................................................................................21

CHAPTER 3 – Methodology .........................................................................................................23
Sample Population .............................................................................................................24
BASIC SKILLS PERCEPTIONS v
Sample site .............................................................................................................24
Selection criteria ....................................................................................................24
Selection process and issues encountered ..............................................................26
Instrumentation and Protocol .............................................................................................27
Reliability and validity ...........................................................................................28
Data Collection and Analysis.............................................................................................29
Limitations .............................................................................................................29

CHAPTER 4 – Findings ................................................................................................................31
Table 1. Focus Group and Interview Participant Information ...........................................31
Perceptions of Academics and Completion .......................................................................32
Perceived Math Ability and Self-efficacy ..............................................................33
Time to Completion ...............................................................................................35
Experiences and Views on Learning......................................................................37
Classroom Experiences ..........................................................................................39
Motivational and Supportive Factors .................................................................................40
Self-Reflection .......................................................................................................40
Encouragement ......................................................................................................42
Goals ......................................................................................................................45
Persistence..............................................................................................................46
Challenges of Community College Progression ................................................................47
Discouragement .....................................................................................................47
Institutional Barriers ..............................................................................................50
Limited Resources .................................................................................................51
Perceptions, Experiences, and Decisions about Help-Seeking ..........................................53
Experiences with Help ...........................................................................................53
Awareness of Resources ........................................................................................55
Accessibility and Availability of Help ...................................................................56
BASIC SKILLS PERCEPTIONS vi
When to Get Help ..................................................................................................58
Judgment ................................................................................................................59
Peer Support ...........................................................................................................63
Comparative Experiences with Culture and Identity .........................................................64
Sociocultural Experiences ......................................................................................64
High School Experiences .......................................................................................65
Special Population Identity ....................................................................................67

CHAPTER 5 – Discussion .............................................................................................................70
Summary of the Research Study ........................................................................................70
Discussion ..........................................................................................................................70
Table 2. Participant Challenges and Responses .....................................................71
Experiences and Perceptions of Help-seeking .......................................................71
Perceptions and Approaches to Academic Challenges ..........................................74
Interpretations and Influences of Completion Progress .........................................75
Use of Focus Group Methodology and Group Dynamics .....................................76
Future Research .................................................................................................................77
Implications for Practice ....................................................................................................79
Conclusion .........................................................................................................................80

References ......................................................................................................................................82

Appendices .....................................................................................................................................88
Appendix A: Focus Group Protocol ..................................................................................88
Appendix B: Follow-up Interview Protocol .....................................................................89
Appendix C: Informed Consent for Focus Groups ............................................................90
Appendix D: Informed Consent for Follow-up Interviews ...............................................93

BASIC SKILLS PERCEPTIONS vii
List of Tables

Table 1. Focus Group and Interview Participant Information .......................................................31
Table 2. Participant Challenges and Responses .............................................................................71

BASIC SKILLS PERCEPTIONS viii

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to observe and understand the experiences and/or
perceptions of students enrolled in basic skills mathematics courses at a community college in
California. The study focused on student perspectives on basic skills academics, help-seeking,
and progression toward completing a two-year degree, certificate, or transferring out to a four-
year university. Research questions were developed from the problems and challenges students
in remedial education face, specifically for those who start at the lowest or basic skills level of
mathematics. Focus groups and interviews were used to study the perspectives of 14 students
enrolled in basic skills mathematics. Participants consisted of 3 focus groups (with 6, 3, and 4
participants respectively) and 3 interviews (2 interviews were focus group follow-ups and 1 did
not participate in a focus group). Several themes emerged from the data such as perceived
judgment from college professors, types of encouragement, immediacy of help, barriers to
completion, and cultural differences. Themes were then arranged into the following 5 different
categories: 1. Perceptions of Academics and Completion, 2) Motivational and Supportive
Factors, 3) Challenges of Community College Progression, 4) Perceptions, Experiences, and
Decisions about Help-Seeking, and 5) Comparative Experiences with Culture and Identity.
Future research and implications from these findings are discussed.
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Students in Basic Skills Mathematics: Perceptions and Experiences of Community College
Progress and Help-seeking
Chapter 1 - Overview of the Study
Introduction
Community college is seen as a pathway to accessible higher education (Perin, 2006).
Many community college students see higher education as a pipeline toward a better life in terms
of career and financial gain (Cox, 2009). However, community college students encounter more
barriers and obstacles in educational attainment than students who are admitted into four year
colleges out of high school (Karabenick, 2004; Melguizo, Hagedorn, and Cypers, 2008). For
example, time to degree or transfer completion can be impacted by the number of times a student
takes courses in remediation - classes that are below college-level that prepare students to move
on to college level English, mathematics, or reading (Boroch et al., 2007). Bailey, Jeong and
Cho (2010) found that across 59 community colleges and over 250,000 students in the United
States, 59% of students were referred to remedial math and 33% were referred to remedial
English. Students referred to remediation take developmental/remedial courses in math, writing,
and English, either at the pre-college level (one level before college-level) or at the basic skills
level (several levels below college-level) (Melguizo et al., 2014; Scott-Clayton, 2012).
The concern with remediation and its relationship with degree attainment is prevalent
among scholars, institutions, students, and other stakeholders, with evidence that community
college students who are further behind in the developmental course path are less likely than
those who are at a college level to persist through to completion - transferring out, completing a
degree or acquiring a certificate (Attewell et al., 2006; Bahr, 2012). Because of this discrepancy,
we must examine the mechanisms of remediation for basic skills courses. The purpose of this
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study was to understand the perspective of help-seeking, self-regulatory behaviors along with
interpretations of persistence among students who are enrolled at the basic skills level of
mathematics. The action of help-seeking contributes to classroom success on a variety of
conditions and is linked with self-confidence and a heightened sense of self-efficacy
(Karabenick, 2004; Stavrianopoulos, 2005; Vazquez, 2008). My study examined the
interpretations and experiences of help-seeking behavior among community college students
who enroll in basic skills mathematics courses, and investigated the connections that these
students made with their own beliefs for completing these courses, the remedial sequence, and
program of study progression.
In this chapter, I provide a background of the topic and state the problem being
addressed. I explain the purpose of the study and follow up with the research questions. Lastly, I
discuss the importance of the study to the growing body of literature on developmental education
and the community college, and give an organizational summary of the thesis.
Background of the Problem
If students wish to pursue transfer to a four-year college or complete a degree offered by
a community college, they are assessed on their reading, writing, and math ability to determine
the classes they need to take as part of their education path (Boroch et al., 2007). When students
test below college-level in these disciplines, it can have several effects on a student’s self-
perceptions of their academic development as well as their time to completion (Melguizo,
Hagedorn, and Cypers, 2008; Bahr, 2008). The placement of students in these courses at lower
levels not only lengthens their time in the community college system compared to peers that
place higher in English and math, but also prevents them taking many courses needed to fulfill
major prerequisites or general education requirements. College-level English is a requirement at
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some institutions before becoming eligible to enroll in general education or major preparation
courses, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors require
multiple mathematics courses at the college level (Boroch et al., 2007).
To conceptualize the mathematics remediation pathway, we can look at the standard math
course sequence needed for a prospective engineering student at Santa Monica College, a
community college in California (“Mathematics Course Sequencing Chart,” 2012). A student
who tests into the lowest level of mathematics and would like to transfer to a four-year
engineering bachelor’s program must go through basic arithmetic, pre-algebra, elementary
algebra, intermediate algebra, geometry, and anywhere between four and six college-level
courses that contain advanced mathematical concepts such as calculus and trigonometry.
Assuming the student does not take year-long alternates of said courses, it will take him or her
nine to eleven sessions (full semesters or intersessions such as summer or winter, if offered at the
institution) to fulfill requirements to transfer to a four-year institution with an engineering major.
Melguizo et al. (2014) found that of the students enrolled between 2005 and 2007 in the Los
Angeles Community College District colleges, only 2% of those who assessed into basic
arithmetic moved on to complete a college-level transfer course in mathematics. When a student
begins with the lowest level in the mathematics remediation pathway, they are less likely to
transfer or completing a degree (Melguizo, Hagedorn, and Cypers, 2008).
Students who enroll in basic skills courses have a disadvantage due to the extended time
to completion, the funds and resources spent on courses that are not degree-applicable or
transferrable, and the need to persist in a sequence to stay on their educational plan. Their
educational pipelines can be further lengthened if these students fail courses and have to repeat
them. Students also delay enrollment in remedial English or math; putting off enrollment means
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students have limited access to more advanced classes necessary for their educational goals
(Bahr, 2008; Bettinger and Long, 2009, Melguizo, Hagedorn, and Cypers, 2008; Fike and Fike,
2012). Students would have to increase persistence in their remedial work to improve their
program completion pathway. On way this can occur is through examining a student’s self-
concept in regards to academic self-efficacy and self-regulatory behaviors (Bahr, 2008). Students
that have self-empowering and self-regulatory processes believe they can meet demands placed
on them externally and have higher rates of success (Martin, Galentino and Townsend, 2014).
Statement of the Problem
The issue with remediation and persistence to completion is that students who take
courses in basic skills may not be seeking help or utilizing support from faculty, staff,
counseling, tutoring, and other resources on-campus. Available resources can aid persistence in
their courses and ultimately improve their pipeline of basic skills achievement (Vasquez, 2008;
Karabenick, 2004; Bahr, 2012). Studies have shown that when students utilize forms of support
and are able to identify with support systems, it improves their campus engagement, social
development, and academic success at the community college (Grant-Vallone et al., 2004;
Martin, Galentino and Townsend, 2014).
Without adequate support, students who take basic skills courses may be uncertain about
their own efforts and ability to successfully transfer or obtain a degree at the community college.
This may be due to stigmas associated with remediation or fixed mindsets of the developmental
learning process (Bailey, Jaggars, and Scott-Clayton, 2013; Deli-amen and Rosenbaum, 2002).
Stigmas of their placement into remedial courses can affect a student’s completion outlook and
self-determination (Deli-Amen and Rosenbaum, 2002; Goeller, 2013). Students may also feel as
if they are fixed in a particular mindset in developmental learning. For example, a student may
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feel that they are stuck at the understanding or skill level of math such as elementary algebra and
cannot progress beyond that understanding because they feel they are just not good at math
(Bahr, 2008; Dweck, Chiu, and Hong, 1995). Finding help when it is needed is critical for
students to improve their understanding of the material and to move away from a fixed mindset
of their perceived ability in academics (Stavrianopoulos, 2005; Hodges and White, 2001).
Unfortunately, many students who have a performance-avoidance goal orientation (not wanting
to feel inferior compared to peers) do not help-seek as a solution to their learning (Karabenick,
2004).
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to explore what community college students in basic skills
courses perceive about help-seeking and progress toward their educational goals in-depth. Some
of the topics focused on whether participants believed help-seeking or academic support to be
worth their time, why they do or do not utilize support, why they will use one type of support
over the other, and any relevant information regarding how they regulate their learning and
progress toward program completion. I observed the interpretations of students who were taking
basic skills mathematics within the context of their own community college completion:
certificate, associates, or transferring out to a four-year institution. I collected and analyzed the
data and responses from these students and formulated research questions in the context of
findings in the literature review, such as goal-orientation, self-efficacy, and self-concept and how
they all affect college completion. Help-seeking is a critical behavior by which students can
move forward when they are stuck academically; maladaptive behaviors such as avoiding help or
dropping classes due to low self-efficacy can hinder the development of the remedial math
pathway for students (Bahr, 2013; Stavrianopoulos, 2005). In relation to the problem of practice,
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I gave the opportunity for students to discuss how they overcame certain challenges or barriers
while enrolled in basic skills courses and how they view of their own progress to completion.
Examining perceptions of students in relation to their self-efficacy, help-seeking, and
outlook on completion will allow us to understand the reasoning that community college students
have when approaching academic challenges at the basic skills or remediation level. For
instance, I facilitated a discussion regarding the prevalence of help-seeking avoidance and the
connection to a lack of support-seeking behavior in a group discussion. I found that the focus
group methodology is not as prevalent in the literature regarding remediation perceptions and
help-seeking among community college students as it is with interviews, quantitative inventories
or existing data analysis when searching through relevant literature on the topic. I used focus
group methodology with the intention of capturing data that cannot be found in methods such as
interviews, observations, or ethnographic study, and that the interactivity and the facilitated
discussion between students who take these courses aids in developing data-rich responses from
participants (Gall, Gall, and Borg, 2010).
I developed the following research questions:
1. What are the experiences and perceptions of help-seeking among community college
students enrolled in basic skills courses?
2. In what ways do students in basic skills courses perceive or approach challenging academic
tasks?
3. How do students who take basic skills courses interpret their progress to completion?
Importance of the Study
Utilizing focus group methodology aided my exploration of perceptions and opinions of
students regarding meaning within the context of basic skills remediation. My research study on
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academic help-seeking seeking within basic skills classes in community college will presumably
extend more research in self-regulatory behaviors, with an emphasis on community college
students who have lower completions rates compared to their peers. Currently, there is much
research regarding help-seeking behavior among middle school, adolescent, and university
college students (Karabenick, 2004). However, there is a dearth of information focusing on the
community college student population and examining their experiences and explanations
connecting to help-seeking behaviors. By examining their perceptions in help-seeking and their
own self-concept related to completing coursework in developmental classes, we can view
evaluation of student completion rates from the critical lens of the student perspective.
Attempting to change information about how students perceive developmental courses without
the feedback from students can lead to confusion about the purpose of remediation (Deli-Amen
and Rosenbaum, 2002). My intent is to generate follow-up discussion and research to close the
gap of completion rates for those in basic skills by taking an exploratory approach to student
perceptions in the community college. Hopefully this study will contribute to the body of
research for student perspectives in basic skills remediation.
Organization of the Study
Chapter 1 serves as the introduction and gives the reasoning behind why I chose to study
the perceptions and experiences of community college students taking basic skills courses.
Chapter 2 outlines the literature review in three sections: remedial education, self-efficacy and
help-seeking, completion at the community college, and the theoretical perspective I utilized
(grounded theory). Chapter 3 is the methodology, where I detail the population and sampling
strategy, focus group protocol, data collection and data analysis, as well as limitations I
encountered during the process. In Chapter 4, I report the results in a narrative format and group
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the findings into five thematic categories. Lastly, I reintroduce the findings in Chapter 5 for
discussion and implications for future research and recommendations for practitioners in student
services as well as present my concluding thoughts.

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Chapter 2 - Literature Review
To frame my research questions and purpose for the study, I sought to find information
regarding the current state of remedial education in the United States and discuss research on
help-seeking and community college completion. Many researchers note that remedial
coursework is not only costly to taxpayers, but to community college students themselves, not
only in monetary costs, but in the time spent to catch up to college level writing or mathematics
(Melguizo, Hagedorn, and Cypers, 2008; Bettinger and Long, 2009; Bailey, Jeong and Cho,
2008). Students may sometimes find their assessment into basic skills courses unwanted because
of certain stigmas they must have to deal with as pre-college level (Goeller, 2013; Deli-Amen
and Rosenbaum, 2002). Self-regulatory behaviors such as help-seeking were important for class
persistence, but students who were performance-avoidance oriented may try to persist without
such help (Karabenick, 2004; Vasquez, 2008). Persistence in basic skills is also cited as a
positively influencing factor in student perceptions of community college progress (Martin,
Galentino and Townsend, 2014; Shields, 2001).
The purpose of this chapter is to compile the current research on the relevant themes that
will drive my study and set up my research questions. The chapter is organized into three parts:
remedial education, self-efficacy/help-seeking, and completion in the community college.
Remedial education is split into three sections: the overview, assessment into remediation, and
perceptions and stigmas that students encounter. Self-efficacy and help-seeking are split into
three sections: self-efficacy, self-regulation through help-seeking, and gender and cultural
differences among student help-seeking behaviors. Next is an overview of completion in the
community college, including completion rates as well as student perspectives on course
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completion. Lastly, I discuss framing my study from a grounded theory perspective and justify
why I chose the framework.
Remedial Education
Overview. Remedial education in higher education refers to the practices or curriculum
that addresses skills in reading, writing, and math that are below the college level (RP Group,
2007; Bettinger and Long, 2009; Bahr, 2008). Though the term “remedial” is used widely in
academic literature, other terms referring to remedial education are “developmental education,”
“basic skills,” or “foundational courses” (Boroch et al., 2007). Because of the association that
these courses are below college level, many students who enroll in these courses are labeled as
“underprepared” for college in which two-thirds of high school graduates in the United States are
identified (Bettinger and Long, 2009). Many institutions, both at the four year university level
and the two year community college level, offer remedial courses in English, mathematics, and
reading. In the United States, approximately 40% of traditional college students across all types
of institutions enroll in at least one remedial education course (Attwell et al., 2006). For public
colleges and community colleges, remedial education has resulted in costs of up to $1 billion
nationally (Breneman and Haarlow, 1998).
The effectiveness of remedial courses is discussed frequently by academics in higher
education (Bahr, 2008; Bailey, Jaggars, and Scott-Clayton, 2013; Bettinger and Long, 2009;
Levin and Calcagno, 2008). Bahr (2008) observed the increased likelihood of academic
attainment for individuals who completed math remediation successfully versus those who did
not complete remedial sequences successfully. Data was extracted from the Chancellor’s office
of California Community colleges over a six-year cohort between 1995 and 2001. Bahr found
that when students successfully completed math remedial sequences, they achieve academic
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attainment similar to their non-remedial counterparts. In this regard, “when remediation works, it
works extremely well” (Bahr, 2008, p. 444). However, 75.4% of the students in the data cohort
did not successfully complete remediation sequences, and only 19.5% of these students were
able to transfer out or complete a degree at the community college (Bahr, 2008). Fike and Fike
(2012) measured the effects of delayed enrollment in developmental math courses and found that
those who enrolled in developmental math courses earlier had positive effects on not only their
mathematics understanding, but a significant, positive effect on their overall academic
success. Levin and Calcagno (2008) addressed the evaluative processes behind remediation and
how institutions can look at effective remedial interventions through a new conceptual
framework and new standardization.
However, there are many criticisms regarding remedial implementation. Attewell, Lavin,
Domina and Levey (2006) state that remediation “functions partly as a second-chance policy and
partly as a form of institutional quality control” (p. 916). Bailey, Jaggars, and Scott-Clayton
(2013) found that those who are able to bypass remediation are not screened or assessed properly
and are put in a disadvantaged position academically. Perin (2006) addresses the fact that
remedial courses may hinder the mission of equitable access with which community colleges are
normally associated. Utilizing a case study method of fifteen community colleges across six
different states to investigate practices of remediation assessment and implementation, Perin
found that many institutions required remedial coursework early in a student’s academic career,
even if state policy did not mandate as such. Because of these practices, Perin concludes that
there is a conflict between access goals and standards goals; standards goals are met if students
successfully complete remedial courses and are college-prepared, and access goals are met if
students are able to bypass remediation goals and can take courses regardless of academic skill.
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Melguizo, Hagedorn, and Cypers (2008) looked at the potential costs of an average student going
through remediation. Drawing from data and sampling from the Los Angeles Community
College District of community colleges, Melguizo, Hagedorn, and Cypers found the potential
opportunity costs - time and money - of remedial education students attending more classes than
their peers. Similar to Perin’s concern with access and equity, Melguizo, Hagedorn and Cypers
addressed the consequences of taking remedial coursework seen as a financial burden as well as
the decreased likelihood to completion, especially among low-income minority students who did
not have the social capital or resources going into higher education as their higher-income
counterparts.
Assessment. When students take assessment tests at a community college, they are
assigned a course depending on the score they receive on a test in reading, English, or
mathematics (Boroch et al., 2007). Assessment ranges anywhere from one level below college
level to sometimes three or more levels; when a student is placed in the lowest-level
developmental class, it is known as a “basic skills” course (Boroch et al., 2007; Melguizo, 2014).
Students who place into remedial or below college level courses in English and math may not
fully understand why they placed at that level and at times are not given an adequate amount of
information that can better prepare them for their assessment tests (Goeller, 2013). Fike and
Fike (2012) argue that assessment testing can be a “high-stakes” venture: if one does not place
into at least a college level of math or English, the risk is having to take extra courses that do not
count toward transfer or a degree at the community college, increasing the monetary costs as
well as extending time to completion. Thus, assessing into a lower level is a disadvantage to
community college students since they have to pay for more courses in addition to not being able
to take courses that require college-level competencies; not only do remedial education students
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have extra coursework, but they are limited to the amount of courses they are able to register for
unless they progress to college-level English or math (RP Group, 2007; Bailey, Jaggars, and
Scott-Clayton, 2013; Melguizo, Hagedorn, and Cypers, 2008).
Hagedorn et al. (1999) found that assessment distribution is disproportionate based on
socioeconomic status, gender, and ethnicity. Hagedorn et al. discovered an “overrepresentation
by women and minorities in college remedial math classes,” with the implications that these
students did not take the proper preparation math courses in high school (p. 279). Their findings
were linked to the contrasting demographics in more affluent high schools that were
predominantly white and male, having access to more robust academic preparation than their
counterparts (Hagedorn et al., 1999).
Perceptions and stigma. Students have their own perceptions about taking basic skills
courses, and being enrolled in these courses can be associated with a particular stigma. The term
“remediation” itself implies that students taking these courses need to be readjusted or corrected
in some fashion (Boroch et al., 2007). Many researchers, though recognizing the term remedial
in the literature, preferred to look at such courses through the developmental education lens to
avoid any negative connotation toward a process that should be seen as procedural rather than as
a remedy (Boroch et al., 2007; Bailey, Jaggars, and Scott-Clayton, 2013). Regarding the practice
of dissuading such a stigma on students, Deli-Amen and Rosenbaum (2002) examined what
happened when counseling, instruction, and student affairs staff de-stigmatized remedial
education. Developmental education in itself may be seen as a euphemism for remedial
education, and students may have misconceptions as to how to view remedial courses and any
terminology relating to basic skills courses is sometimes lost on such students who have
unfamiliarity navigating college and expectations in higher education (Deli-Amen and
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Rosenbaum, 2002). Deli-Amen and Rosenbaum (2002) expressed the need for community
colleges to convey a non-stigmatized view of basic skills courses, while at the same time being
transparent with students on where they stand in their English or math capabilities at a given
point in their development.
Self-efficacy and Help-seeking
Self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is defined as the interpretation or belief that one has of their
own success at completing tasks or goals (Bandura, 1977). In regards to persistence in basic
skills sequencing, Bahr (2008) observed that although math remediation works when students
succeed in passing courses in sequence, when students do not pass their remedial sequence, the
level of discouragement and lowered self-efficacy from failure is significant enough for students
to not continue in the course sequence and not improve their math skills. Letter grades and
passing scores are seen as a driving force for students moving through the community college
system as well as a tool of assessment for their own self-efficacy beliefs (Cox, 2009). Hodges
and White (2001) asserted that students who are taking basic skills courses are seen as high risk
and there is a tendency for them to have lowered self-efficacy, which can be improved through
support programs such as supplemental instruction, which is a collaborative learning
environment associated with a specific course. However, not all students taking basic skills
courses are seen as “high risk” or have low self-efficacy. According to Mesa (2012), many
students who take courses in remediation are in fact driven to succeed and seek mastery of their
course topics. Mesa (2012) found that community college faculty assumed students would be
more performance-oriented, and that their students only wanted to appear they knew the material
(i.e. students who spoke out the most in class were those who struggled the most).
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High self-efficacy can lead a student to believe in themselves to persist in their academic
coursework and find ways to support their learning. On the other hand, students can react to the
high stress and expectation of a concept they do not understand (such as writing a paper or
solving a word problem) by not completing the work, or worse, dropping out of the course.
Shields (2001) found that when presented with an academic stressor, students would either seek
help regarding how to cope and resolve the issue, or go in the other direction and leave the work
behind. Help-seeking behaviors can be then seen as more adaptive and reflective of a student
with more self-efficacy than avoidance (Karabenick, 2004).
To explain how students approach challenges to their own efficacious beliefs in basic
skills or developmental courses, we can examine it through the lens of student perceptions of the
learning process. Yeager and Dweck (2012) examined several studies that were based on implicit
theories of mindsets. The collection of studies and experimental designs generally had the same
theme: students in an experimental or treatment group were given an idea of how the brain
works, and that learning changes the brain in a positive way such as growth or plasticity, while a
control group was not given such direction about the brain. The findings revealed that when
measured based on task ability or grade point average (GPA) gains, students who were told that
brain growth was malleable and can change over time resulted in statistically significant
improvements in student academic task ability and GPA from one semester to the next. The
studies were found to have a connection with college students who test into remediation, as these
students may believe that “math is not a fixed ability that they possess” (Yeager and Dweck,
2012, p. 305). By examining a student’s belief system about learning, we may find information
relevant to how they assess their own ability and efficacy in English and math, and whether or
not they feel confident in moving through the developmental academics expected of them.
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Self-regulation through help-seeking. To assist in framing help-seeking behaviors, the
concept of self-regulation is important to understand in regards to students who need to take
basic skills courses. In the context of higher education, self-regulation explains the practices of
students who take the initiative of acquiring new knowledge beyond their current scope without
relying on external sources to tell them exactly how to progress (Ley and Young, 1998). Self-
regulation is cited as an important trait in the development of college students, and low self-
regulation may be seen as a distinction between students accepted into college at college level
versus at a developmental, underprepared level (Ley and Young, 1998). Self-regulation is also
the process of reflecting on one’s behavior and adjusting their learning behavior based on
strengths and weaknesses, such as observing one’s own note-taking habits (Karp and Bork,
2012). Self-regulating behaviors are both metacognitive (being able to evaluate and monitor
one’s own learning) and is applicable to how one copes with stress (Shields, 2001;
Stavrianopoulos, 2005).
Help-seeking is a form of self-regulation that involves taking initiative to seek academic
assistance through office hours with professors, meeting with counselors or advisors, or engaging
with academic support staff and services such as tutoring or supplemental instruction
(Karabenick, 2004). Higher self-efficacy is associated with the likelihood that students will want
to seek help to improve on their understanding of course material (Karabenick and Knapp,
1991). Hodges and White (2001) assert that “high risk students may not accurately perceive
their own need for academic assistance” (p. 2). Students can misjudge their self-efficacy to their
actual ability and will not seek the help because they feel they can overcome the challenge on
their own. When they finally do seek help it can be at a point where they struggle for too long for
any meaningful assistance to occur (Vasquez, 2008). Studies have found that the primary
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motivation for seeking help was getting a satisfactory mark on an assignment, test, or overall
grade, and therefore perceptions of class goals can be narrowed down to the passing with a good
grade in the class (Cox, 2009; Vasquez, 2008; Karabenick, 2004). Clegg, Bradley, and Smith
(2006) found that at the university level, students felt that they would resort to help-seeking
behavior solely out of fear of failure. However, the help that these students were seeking
consisted of informal sources such as peers or family, rather than support such as tutoring
services or faculty office hours which are provided by the institution (Clegg, Bradley, and Smith,
2006).
Karabenick and Knapp (1991) established the groundwork for examining student help-
seeking behaviors and found a relationship between help-seeking behavior and achievement-
oriented learning. Achievement-oriented learning involves the student’s desire to master and
grasp a particular concept from a developmental perspective (Stavrianopoulos, 2005).
Karabenick (2004) did a follow-up on achievement goals and help-seeking and found that
achievement goal-oriented students had a higher tendency to seek help as a self-regulatory action
than students who were perceived as performance-goal oriented. Performance-goal orientation,
or performance-avoidance, is a behavioral tendency for students to persist through learning as a
function of comparison to their peers. In this regard, they see themselves getting a better or
worse grade than other students, or perhaps they see themselves passing a course or falling
behind if they do not perform well enough (Karabenick, 2004; Stavrianopoulos, 2005). In the
community college environment, Clegg, Bradley and Smith (2006) found the opposite: students
in remedial courses wanted to strive toward mastery, and the researchers felt that this was due to
the open-door admission policy of the community college system facilitating a need to
understand material as necessary in order to succeed versus what their peers thought of them.
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Such findings align with Cox (2009) as community college students can look at education in a
pragmatic, utilitarian way, in which understanding and mastery of material equated to social
mobility through course persistence.
An example of a maladaptive response is having tutors or instructors hand-hold a student
through an academic task and repeating this behavior means that their assignments are done for
them without significant input from the students themselves (Vazquez, 2008). Though students
ostensibly are seeking help in this regard, they are not utilizing the service for a learning or
mastery purpose, but rather to diffuse responsibility of doing the work to someone else.
Karabenick (2004) refers to these maladaptive self-regulatory actions as “expedited help-seeking
behaviors,” acting in contrast to “instrumental help-seeking,” or seeking academic help to
improve one’s understanding rather than having the answers or work handed to students.
Gender and cultural differences in help-seeking. Help-seeking tendencies are not only
affected by a student’s efficacy or regulatory affinity, but also demographic differences such as
gender and cultural background. Angrist, Lang, and Oreopolous (2009) did a study on
incentivizing academic support services for college students. Three groups were used in the
study: one that used academic support services and supplemental instruction, one that were
provided scholarship incentives for raising their GPA for the next semester, and a third group
that utilized both services and incentives. The study concluded that the group with both
incentives and support improved the most; however, women showed the most improvement and
highest levels of participation. Angrist, Lang, and Oreopolous attribute this to the notion that
“women may have more foresight when making decisions with long term consequences” and are
more inclined to participate in support programs that help them succeed (p. 160). Shifting the
focus to male help-seeking behaviors, Vianden (2009) studied college men’s perceptions to
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support-seeking behaviors in regards to office hours with instructors. The study interviewed first-
generation male college students that interacted with their instructors outside of class. Vianden
concluded that through a male identity framework, college males tend to keep their interactions
with instructors very brief and are deterred from seeking help due to underlying assumptions of
maintaining masculinity; males do not want to appear weak and experience peer pressure acting
as a deterrent for seeking support. To further elaborate on male help-seeking, Harris and Harper
(2008) draw from the masculinity mindset, using the lens of male gender role conflict as the
basis of explaining the lack of help-seeking among males. In this view, help-seeking, especially
in counseling, is not as prevalent among males because of restricted emotions, which is “men’s
difficulty or unwillingness to express their feelings, their refusal to display emotional
vulnerability, and their disdain for male femininity” (Harris and Harper, 2008, p. 29). Males not
seeking help can be interpreted as avoidance of inferiority, similar to that of performance-
avoidance goal orientation (Karabenick, 2004).
Cultural differences were also examined by researchers regarding help-seeking behaviors.
Saunders and Serna (2004) examined college experiences of first-generation Latino college
students and found the importance of maintaining both old and new networks in college and how
social capital (having access to a network or group that can act as a beneficial resource) relates to
the utilization of student resources on campus. Positive help-seeking behavior was connected to
students who had access to networks that were trustworthy and fostered the support needed to
succeed in college (Saunders and Serna, 2004). Gloria, Castellanos, and Orozco (2005) found
that for Latina students, cultural congruence on campus was associated with being open-minded
to help-seeking, though this study in particular focused on counseling-related help-seeking. The
concept of cultural congruity is also utilized in Edman and Brazil’s (2009) research related to
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self-efficacy and ethnic differences. African-American and Caucasian-American groups tend to
have more cultural congruity as well as higher reports of self-efficacy than Asian-American and
Latino groups. Though there were no major help-seeking differences reported in Edman and
Brazil’s study, students reported low levels of peer support and mentor support overall and noted
that a significant amount of their sample were enrolled in remedial English or math courses.
Completion in Community College
Ideally, the path through remediation leads to community college completion, which is
defined as obtaining a form of credentialing at the community college or successfully
transferring to a four-year institution (Bahr, 2013). Unfortunately, only 30-40% of students who
have a remediation sequence actually complete it to move on to college-level material (Bailey,
Jeong and Cho, 2008). In terms of completion rates among California community colleges, only
53.6% of students receive a certificate, degree, or transfer to a four-year university, and of those
entering at four levels below college-level mathematics, only 25.5% will successfully complete
community college (California Community Colleges Student Success Task Force, 2012).
Martin, Galentino and Townsend (2014) state that students who have successful
completion in the community college tend to have clear goals, strong motivation, manage
external demands, and are able to practice self-empowerment. Perceptions of completion can
motivate students to successful degree attainment and transfer, which can be linked to their self-
efficacy and self-concept (Shields, 2001). However, these perceptions can be affected by both
assumed and actual college completion time. Melguizo, Hagedorn, and Cypers (2008)
emphasized the importance of examining remediation effects on the completion timeline. Using
data from students in California Community Colleges, enrolling in one remedial course can
increase costs of education by $3000, and being in a remedial sequence increases the amount of
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time-to-degree (for transfer students) by about three years. Policies such as not being able to
repeat a course at one community college institution after three attempts can significantly affect a
student’s outlook on educational attainment (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s
Office, 2012).
The motivation and assumptions students have about what is required for completion can
affect their approach at academic tasks as well. Cox (2009) interviewed several community
college students and found that many students approach learning from a utilitarian perspective.
In this study, Cox found that students would rather focus on “making the grade” by focusing not
on the intrinsic learning concepts or real-world application, but the rote, repetitious information
or critical concepts needed for tests or essays. Anything that is not considered raw information
felt like wasted time for these students, and getting an adequate grade was the most valuable
outcome of learning. Cox finds that the focus on utilitarian principles is due to both the
responsibilities and time management of students outside of class, but for the fact that the end
goal (higher income or obtaining a better vocation) is dependent on satisfactory grades. A
utilitarian view of courses equates to a grade-oriented, performance focused student - one who
will have a tendency to not seek instrumental help in their academics (Karabenick, 2004).
Grounded Theory Perspective
I framed my study from a grounded theory perspective because I used methodology that
explores opinions, perceptions, and experiences of students who are enrolled in basic skills
remediation courses. A grounded theory discovers themes and categories through constant
comparison to infer a theory out of the data collected in a study (Gall, Gall, and Borg, 2010, p.
350-351). Much of the existing research tests hypotheses and already existing theories to prove
relationships or predict behavior – for example, Karabenick (2004) posits that a lack of help-
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seeking occurs with students who are performance-avoidance goal-oriented, which means that
these students do their best to avoid looking inadequate in their academics versus true mastery of
the material. However, because of the purpose of my research and the information I sought
related to my research questions, I followed the grounded perspective in order to generate
understanding and explanations from the viewpoints and experiences of my participants.
Grounded theory requires both a constant comparison of data and seeks to make
conclusions based on general themes or categories from the perspective of the participants
(Creswell, 2009). However, since I have done a literature review and framed research questions,
I approached my research with preconceived notions and possible expectations for the
participants – therefore, my framework will not be purely constructivist (Creswell, 2009).
Though my research questions are intentional in seeking out information on help-seeking
behaviors and completion perceptions, doing so from a grounded perspective facilitated the
exploratory nature of participant responses and placed emphasis on their voice and opinions
(Gall, Gall and Borg, 2010). Because of the data I collected, I discuss phenomena in a thematic
and descriptive way. The literature review serves as guide to analyze data from the ground up
rather than to test established theoretical principles.

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Chapter 3 – Methodology
The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and experiences students have
about basic skills remedial courses in community college. I wanted to accomplish this by
structuring inquiries about student help-seeking as well as student views on time and ability to
community college completion. I intended to answer following research questions:
1. What are the experiences and perceptions of help-seeking among community
college students enrolled in basic skills courses?
2. In what ways do students in basic skills courses perceive or approach challenging
academic tasks?
3. How do students who take basic skills courses interpret their progress to
completion?
A semi-structured focus groups was utilized because it is methodology that is somewhat
absent from the current literature on remediation perceptions and academic help-seeking within
the scope of community college students. Focus groups allows researchers to find underlying
factors that may disrupt student success in higher education by allowing the students to voice
their concerns in a group environment with their fellow peers (Gonzalez, 2009). Interaction
between focus group members and the facilitator generates discussion and insight not found in
interviews or field observation (Gall, Gall and Borg, 2010). I also used follow-up interviews for
qualitative data triangulation and to explore topics brought up in the focus groups more in-depth,
as well as give voice to students who feel they were unable to speak to the extent they wanted.
The focus groups and interviews produced data that helped with the exploration of student
perceptions of their own academic task ability (self-efficacy), avenues in which they overcame
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barriers in progress or learning (help-seeking), and how both of these viewpoints affected their
interpretation of the community college educational path (completion progress).
Sample Population
Purposeful sampling was used to draw from students with characteristics that will best
provide information-rich responses relevant to understanding the problem and my research
questions regarding students enrolled in basic skills mathematics (Creswell, 2009). I conducted 3
different focus groups with 3 to 6 participants in each group. I maintained the number of groups
and students per group so I could manage the flow of information and discussion easily. These
numbers also allowed for feasibility of recruitment within the time frame of the research study.
Sample site. The sample site is a community college in Los Angeles, California. For
confidentiality purposes, I use the pseudonym “East Valley Community College” (EVCC) in all
references to the college. I chose the site due to convenience sampling; I used this campus due to
ease of access and familiarity with faculty and staff. East Valley Community College is a
Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS), with 52.7% of the population identifying as Hispanic/Latino,
17.2% Asian, 11.9% Caucasian, 4.2% African American, 3.2% Filipino, 1.9% multi-ethnic, 0.3%
Pacific Islander, 0.2% American Indian/Native Alaskan, and 8.3% declining to state. 51% of the
student population is female, while 49% is male. 63% of its students are part-time students, and
as of 2012-2013 the total population of credit students is 36,131.
Selection criteria. As discussed in the purpose of study, I drew from the population of
students who have assessed into basic skills remediation courses at East Valley Community
College. The criteria I used for selection was based solely on the fact that the students were
enrolled in a basic skills remedial mathematics course during the term I conducted the study. To
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make recruitment easier, I recruited students of the same section of each course, which made
logistics of scheduling the focus groups easier to manage for students.
To achieve meaningful data for the purpose of my research questions, I used students that
are enrolled in mathematics basic skills courses at the lowest tested level of remediation, as there
may be differing perceptions of self-concept for students in the basic skills level versus the
higher levels of remediation; for example, a student who tests just one level below college-level
mathematics does not have to take as many classes as someone who tests in basic skills
mathematics. Basic skills in this study is defined as taking a “fundamental review” course – for
example, basic arithmetic for math (Boroch et al., 2007). Drawing from the basic skills
population is important as the research reflects students who assess into basic skills as a more
burdened educational path in comparison to their peers. Testing at the basic level of mathematics
means that these students have the longest possible remediation path compared to peers who test
higher, and their completion rate success is much lower than those starting at higher levels.
There is a higher probability of delayed completion or not being able to reach college-level
coursework for basic skills students (Melguizo et al., 2014). Placing low in mathematics,
especially among STEM majors, means that transfer or degree completion is much longer since
they need to take multiple college-level mathematics courses to move on. Thus, utilizing a focus
group of basic skills education students was of great interest to my study and helped answer my
research questions. In addition, using this criteria to select students allows for convenience
sampling of being able to obtain participants for a focus group from one type of class. This eased
the burden of participant turnout and the convenience favors the student. For the follow-up
interview, I did not have any specific criteria – the only requirement was that they had previously
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attended a focus group so that we could discuss topics and themes that came to attention in these
groups.
Lastly, the review of the literature revealed significant differences in help-seeking
behavior between males and females (Angrist, Lang, and Oreopolous, 2009; Vianden, 2009;
Harris and Harper, 2008). I felt that a balance of gender representation was necessary as to not
skew opinions and experiences that reflect one gender’s view over another which was achieved
among all groups in the study, with the exception of Group 3 that had one female and three
males.
Selection process and issues encountered. Students were selected from three different
basic skills mathematics sections at EVCC. Instructors were asked before recruitment for
permission to speak with students about the focus group research opportunity. Recruitment
consisted of going to each professor’s section to speak briefly about myself and my research,
what the study entailed, and how to participate in the study. To incentivize students, food and
refreshments were offered. Interest form sheets were distributed to students with information
about when the focus groups would be held. Initially, students were instructed to circle
availability and to provide their e-mail addresses to indicate that they would be selected for a
group. However, there were two instances where only one or two individuals showed up. In
consideration with their schedules, to improve turnout, and based on my ability to schedule a
conference room, I held the focus groups to be after class so that students who were interested
could attend. I met with students after class to escort those who were interested in the study to
the conference room on campus where the focus groups were held. This method was successful
for the remaining two groups.
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The selection process for the interviews occurred after each focus group concluded. I
gave students an interest form asking them whether or not they were interested in a follow-up
interview, and if they were, to leave their contact information. Students would circle “yes” or
“no,” fill out the information (if necessary), place the sheet face-down (for confidentiality
purposes), and leave the focus group conference room. I would then collect the sheets of paper
and contact students who have selected “yes.” Out of the 9 students total who indicated “yes,”
only two students followed-up for the interview. The third interviewee was a special case – she
was a student who showed up to a cancelled focus group with an inadequate amount of
participants. I offered her the option of the interview since I had a few topics from Focus Group
1 that I felt I could discuss with her, and she accepted.
Instrumentation and Protocol
As mentioned, the focus groups were all held after the participant’s corresponding basic
skills mathematics section. The conference room for the focus group was in a public building on
campus with the door left open. Before the session began, I distributed food and the informed
consent forms. I introduced myself and read the informed consent to the group and had them
follow along. I discussed the purpose of the study and what topics of discussion that we would
go over according to the focus group protocol (see Appendix A). In the informed consent
(Appendix C), I let people know that they must be 18 or older to participate, and that they must
agree to be recorded or they cannot participate. I then had students go around and introduce
themselves and their educational goal for EVCC; all focus groups were classmates from their
respective section, so they all already knew each other. Each focus group lasted between 45
minutes and 1 hour.
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My focus group protocol was semi-structured and I discussed new or relevant topics as
they developed, while keeping to the focus of the research questions: basic skills and math
perceptions, help-seeking experiences, and perceptions of completing a degree or transferring
out. The topics discussed in the protocol were challenges and barriers in course progress, what
students do when they run into challenges in coursework, acknowledgement or awareness of
resources on campus, educational goals and outlook, and overall beliefs of when they will be
able to attain their educational goals.
After the focus group session, I thanked the students for their participants, and had them
fill out the follow-up interview interest form. Once students indicated their interest, I contacted
those interested for a follow-up and scheduled them to meet in the same conference room based
on their availability at a later date. Three students showed up in separate sessions for the follow-
up interview. I also created a follow-up interview semi-structured protocol (See Appendix B and
D). After thanking the participants and going over the interview informed consent forms, I asked
participants to discuss topics that were brought up in the focus group they attended, and to
elaborate on topics that they wished to discuss, but were unable to do so in the depth and
confidence they could in a focus group environment. Each interview lasted between 30 and 60
minutes. Light refreshments were provided, but that did not seem as much of an incentive during
the follow-up interview. After the interview I thanked them for their participation and they were
free to leave.
Reliability and validity. To maintain reliability among groups, I did not drastically
modify the focus group protocol between the groups, though there were times where the
conversations went into different directions. This was intentional as I wanted a rich set of data
that was diverse, yet stayed within the confines of the themes sought after in the research
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questions. The questions I asked as a facilitator were adaptive to the discussion and at times I
was unable to address every question on the protocol. Unfortunately, I was unable to either
member check or measure coding validity with the data, as the overall data collection process
was time-constrained.
Data Collection and Analysis
I transcribed all six audio recordings (three from the focus groups, three from the
interviews) manually from the audio recording device. From the raw transcription data, I used a
word processor to convert each pieces of dialogue into cells that comprised of a large table. Each
part of dialogue was coded specifically based on my interpretation of the data; for example, if
one section of dialogue contained phrasing where a student said they were not good at math, I
coded it as "bad at math." After coding for all of the transcribed dialogue, I analyzed and
interpreted the data with respect to the research questions. I found that major themes could be
clumped into a higher category and arranged them in a spreadsheet file for better organization. I
then created five major categories to arrange the major themes I discovered.
Limitations
One of the limitations of the study is the nature of the methodology and the sample size.
Because the study is structured around qualitative data collection, these findings cannot be
generalized to all community college students in basic skills courses. The intent is to potentially
generate research interest that uses different types of methodology in the future (see Chapter 5
section on “Implications for Research”). Ideally, more focus groups and interviews would have
provided valuable research and possibly have generated or supported themes that were expressed
in the existing data of the study, but I was unable to recruit any more students because of time
constraints with the semester duration at EVCC and my research submission deadlines.
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As a researcher, I need to also understand my biases and how it can affect the protocol of
both the focus groups and interviews. At times, I found myself asking questions that may have
had leading responses (i.e. “so you felt judgment, right?”), but they were typically inferences or
interpretations that mirrored answers or comments participants made. Biases could also affect the
coding validity of my data analysis. Unfortunately, I was unable to do member checks or coding
checks due to time conflicts with my colleagues and the timeframe of the study deadline.
Lastly, I had overlooked collecting demographic information from participants. Though I
am not trying to control for any attributes or variables, demographic data would have been
helpful for themes such as cultural experiences or special population identification. Many
participants disclosed demographics such as ethnic backgrounds or age group (i.e. “adult
learner”) either during sessions or outside of sessions.

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Chapter 4 – Findings
The study used the guiding research questions related to help-seeking experiences and
interpretation of a path toward community college completion among students enrolled in the
basic skills level of remedial math.
Three focus groups and three interviews were conducted. Focus Group A consisted of 6
participants: 2 male and 4 female. The participants were in the 18-24 range. Focus Group B
consisted of 3 participants, 2 male and 1 female, with 2 adult learners. Focus Group C consisted
of 4 participants – 3 male and 1 female, with varying age ranges between 18 and 28. All
participants were recruited from basic skills courses that they were collectively attending – as in,
all of Focus Group A’s participants were enrolled in the same section, as with Focus Group B
and C.
There were 3 total follow-up interviews to the focus groups. One participant was part of
Focus Group A, another was a participant of Focus Group C. The third interviewee was not part
of a focus group, but was interviewed with follow-up interview protocol from Focus Group A.
Table 1 provides participant names as pseudonyms, the groups and interviews of which they
participated, and gender.
Table 1
Focus Group and Interview Participant Information
Name Group Interview Gender
Stacy - 1 Female
Hannah 1 2 Female
Rob 1 - Male
Jessica 1 - Female
Peter 1 - Male
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Veronica 1 - Female
Cheryl 1 - Female
Joe 2 - Male
Keith 2 - Male
Amber 2 - Female
Smith 3 3 Male
Daniel 3 - Male
Daisy 3 - Female
Richard 3 - Male
Note: Stacy was not part of a focus group but wanted to participate in the study. Interview
protocol was drawn from Group 1 for her interview.

There were a number of themes that emerged from both the interview and focus group
data. Each of the themes are organized under the following categories: 1) perceptions of
academics and completion 2) motivational and supportive factors 3) challenges of community
college progression 4) perceptions and experiences of help-seeking and 5) comparative
experiences with culture and identity.
The categories are based on the research questions for this study and the need to organize
emergent themes into larger categories. Many of the themes that are presented can produce
overlap between categories. For example, the theme of “outside experts” under help-seeking
experiences can also fall under “motivational and supportive factors” and will be indicated as
such when addressed.
Perceptions of Academics and Completion
Themes in this category deal mostly with the concepts of math, learning, academics, and
completion of their educational objectives. It addressed what students think of their own ability
to succeed in math, difficulty with the topic, and how long they think they will take to be
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finished with their coursework at the community college. This category addresses any classroom
learning experiences; however, experiences with the instructor were more focused on help-
seeking and will be addressed in that category.
Perceived Math Ability and Self-efficacy
Student perceptions of math generally focused on the idea that they are not good at math.
Stacy states, “I wasn’t really good at math, I already knew that. Being placed in this math class, I
really liked it because it’s a lower class. It’s basically what I need to help me to improve my
math and get to a higher math that I need.” Participants felt they were bad at math because it is a
subject that, according to Amber, is “totally different than any other subjects.” She also stated
that: “With the other subjects, I don’t know why it’s like, okay, I’m there. I don’t care how tired
I am. But the MATH… [sighs],” indicating possible disagreement with her views on math. She
went on to further discuss her math placement, stating,
I, through persistence, could have, if I conquered the math a little bit more, I could have
tested into something more like [Level 2 remediation]. Because I could have waited three
months to take an assessment again, and test at [Basic skills], or test straight into [Level 2
remediation]. But after careful consideration, and listening to whichever, it was advised
to me that I should just go with [Basic skills]. Can’t jump straight into [Level 2
remediation] because I would just get lost.
When I asked whether or not participants agreed or disagreed with their math placement,
most individuals generally agreed with where they were placed. For example, Jessica said, “I
knew when taking the placement test, I was not going to be placed in not basic math.” Many
knew that they were not going to be placed in a higher level of math because they felt they did
not excel in the subject, and others felt that the gap between when they last took math and high
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school and when they took the placement test was so great, that they did not remember or were
not sure as to what they learned. Participants felt comfortable that math for them at this level is a
review or “refresher.” Richard said, “So this class I take positively, because I know this stuff and
I’m kind of relearning this for the upper classes and stuff. I’m pretty sure when I get there I’ll be
okay, because I’m getting that basic… you know.” A response from Rob expressed his
understanding of how placement and assessment works, stating,
I think it was a good thing they had a placement test, you know? So people just don't
walk in and take a class they think they can pass and they realize they come to realize
what they can actually take.
Participants were at an understanding of where they were in terms of math ability, and the
purpose of basic skills courses as “a good stepping stone” that they need to “work their way up.”
Stacy in particular expressed the most responses that coded for self-identifying herself as
bad at math and low self-efficacy. She discussed issues about her own self-efficacy beliefs and at
some points displayed feelings of low self-esteem. She disclosed,
Well… sometimes I feel like I’m not smart enough. So that’s why like, sometimes, for
example… I took English, I took the placement test at [other community college] and I
scored [Level 1 English remediation]. When I took the class over there, it was really
confusing for me and hard. I already knew it was going to be hard for me, so in a way I
didn’t believe in myself, like I couldn’t do it. Like I’m not smart enough for that. Yeah,
so, that also gets in the way. I don’t know… sometimes, I think it’s like psychological
stuff.
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Not only did she feel as if she was bad at math, but Stacy generalizes her self-efficacy to all
facets of academics, stating that “even though I’ll try to do good in it, I just can’t be good at it.”
She originally attributed her difficulty with academics to procrastination:
First of all, well, I don't know if this has to do with it, but I procrastinate a lot. Yeah, I'm
always procrastinating. Ever since high school. And I've been trying to change it, but it's
really hard. I've been trying to do my homework sometimes, and I try to find something
else, like a distraction. Also, I don't really study as much as I should. So studying also
gets in the way, like I leave it off to the side, like, ‘Oh, I don't need it.’ I also get lazy
with homework.
However, when asked later in the interview about how she feels about her successes with
academic work, she states,
Yeah, I feel like, oh it was easier maybe because I did all the work and maybe because I
studied for it. That’s how I feel like. Even how I told you for the English placement test, I
think I scored good on English. And even though I’m like, ‘okay, I scored good’ when I
took the class I felt, ‘okay…’ like I wasn’t smart enough to take that class.
Stacy minimized her academic achievement by externally attributing her successes and did not
consider her own ability and efficacy. Though she is the only participant to discuss her perceived
weakness with all of her academics, I can only speak of the difficulties with mathematics from
other participants as that was mostly their concern.
Time to Completion
Based on one of the research questions for the study, I wanted to find out how long
students thought they had before they finished their educational goals in community college.
Many participants believed that they would be able to complete their coursework under two
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years. Others believed they could do so within a year. Participants indicated that they were either
in their first year of community college, or that they were just beginning their math sequence.
Daniel stated, “I think it’s going to take me like, 2 years going year round. That’s the only thing
I’m going to have to be on it, and not like, drop a semester or not come a semester because that
would be wasting time.” The idea of “not wasting time” was a common sentiment as well. Rob
states that students should “have an idea of at least what you can do and not waste your time.
And not fail classes.”
It is of note that though the majority of students indicated that they would like to finish
under two years, the fastest they could feasibly complete their math sequence starting at the basic
skills level and ending with the algebra 2 equivalent would be a year if they were to do
intersession terms (summer and winter). Algebra 2 is the math requirement for associate’s degree
completion at EVCC. After students complete this math, a college-level mathematics class such
as statistics is required to transfer, which adds another semester of progress for those students.
Many of the math classes split into two semester terms for those who need extra time to grasp the
material. Participants did not elaborate as to whether or not they saw a counselor for their
educational plan, nor did they discuss to take the year-long options for some of the math courses
in the remedial sequence. These students cannot predict whether or not they may fail a class in
the sequence or may take term breaks in between semesters. However, Smith expressed
importance in persisting in the sequence, wanting to tell students that “you got two years. Don’t
miss a semester. Stay on top of those semesters.”
Regardless of participant community college completion estimates, some of the
participants have expressed that though they wish completion time would be best if they can
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leave the community college sooner, they are okay with extending their time in the system. “
Jessica expresses her thoughts as follows:
I never really given it much thought, to be honest. I just figured, like, hey and go get the
ball rolling, see where it goes from there. But, thinking about it now, you know, I’d like
to be here 2-3 years and transfer. Hopefully that’s all it takes. I don’t want to stay here for
4 years. [Group laughter]
Daniel stated that he had a year and a half left, but, as he puts it, “was not rushed to group up or
something or to get to where I want to get. Because, I mean, I have the time, until I fucking die.”
Interestingly enough, he gave another response later on in the group as the topic progressed:
I don’t know like, I don’t know if it would take a year and a half. I feel like it would if I
really did a lot, but, I did want to get a job too and have a part time job, so I don’t know.
It will probably take longer, like two years.
The participant stated that he came to that conclusion as he thought about it more while in group
and considered other factors that might affect his time at EVCC.
Experiences and Views on Learning
Participant views on learning correlate with their views on completion time. Depending
on their own assessments of math ability, some of the students expressed the importance of
needing to learn basic mathematical concepts so they could feel more confident for future
classes. In her interview, Hannah stated,
If I don’t get something, I’m going to learn it. Again, like last time, we were talking
about how our teacher likes to do things easy or hard. Easy is like, faster to do, but it’s
not that much easier to comprehend, so I’d like to do it the harder way just to see if I can
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see what steps he took to get to where that was. So for me if I’m going to take classes I’m
going to do that also. I’m probably going to go slower so I can understand everything.
She went on to talk about the importance of understanding the material and, as she stated, “how
to do the exact same problem the way they did so I can know it.” Hannah then said, “I want to
prove myself in math and writing, I want to improve on those skills I don’t really have. That’s
what motivates me.” The importance of understanding material becomes a driving force for some
students, which crosses over with the theme of persistence.
However, some participants questioned taking math at times. When I asked Group 1 what
they initially thought of the subject math itself, three individuals consecutively stated that they
hated it, followed by group laughter. Peter states that sometimes in class he “does not feel like
doing this.” Though many of the participants stated their difficulty and disinterest with math,
they understand the importance of math in their educational progress. Rob stated:
Well, the workforce is changing a lot, you know? They’re going to require a lot more
math, and you know they’re going to have a lot of math, they’re going to actually have a
test for math to see how good you are at math because they’re going to be very selective
now. So math is going to be one of those important things.
Individuals enrolled in STEM majors, like Stacy and her pursuit of the animal sciences major,
understand how much math is required for their field of study. As with the topic of basic math as
a review, Smith in his interview expressed a comparison to education as a building, and that the
basic skills form of education is necessary as a foundation, and subsequent levels are “floors” to
building progress. Understanding why math is important allows students to attribute value to
their learning, and as Smith puts it, “it’s personal development. It’s the way they [students] want
to move throughout the world.”
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Classroom Experiences
When exploring views on learning, I found another theme relating to individual
experiences with being enrolled in a basic skills class. There are some overlapping concepts with
the help-seeking category, such as their concerns with how the teacher presents material. Daisy
commented about how the professor uses coloring and posters in her pedagogy, and how there
are more “appropriate” ways to teach the material besides coloring. Some individuals were
confused when they were trying to learn the material. Veronica talks about how she overthinks
even the easiest of problems. Hannah talks about not understanding the steps to solve a math
problem, and how “there’s like a step [the instructor] did in his mind, but he doesn’t show us. A
magic trick.” For these participants, it appears that learning certain mathematical concepts at first
can seem challenging, and finding help becomes the next response to alleviate uncertainty.
Another example of this process illustrated by Hannah as follows:
He’ll put a problem up, and he says, ‘how did you [all] do it?’ I’ll have it correct on my
paper, but no one will say, but then I’m like, ‘I don’t want to say either.’ [Group
laughter] What if I’m wrong? So I’ll just wait for him to be like, ‘this is how I got it.’
And I’ll be like, ‘Ah! I got it!’
The theme of not answering questions out of fear of being wrong is addressed further in the
“judgment” theme section.
One common aspect of the classroom experience is the fact that many participants felt the
class was too fast-paced – both learning the material itself and the speed in which the professor
teaches it. The pacing concern is due to the fact that the study was conducted with students
enrolled in a shorter-term winter intersession and not a full 16-week semester.

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Motivational and Supportive Factors
Motivational and supportive factors represent internal motivators and external support
that students perceive, experience, or desire. The theme of self-reflection talks about how
participants assess their own motives and attitudes. Encouragement is internal and external, as
well as vicarious from observed success stories. Goals play as an important framework of
motivation, purpose, and value in participant’s educational paths and persistence keeps students
afloat when hardships get in their way.
Self-Reflection
Similar to the themes of self-efficacy and learning, participants found ways to motivate
themselves through a self-assessment of who they are individually, what attitudes they bring to
their education, and how they keep themselves accountable. Rob reflected on his status as the
first-born child of his siblings, and how that kept him accountable for his progress:
I was, I was uh the first-born child. I feel like I am the model, you know what I’m
saying? I want to be the model, I don’t want to fuck up. [Group laughter] And having
you know, have them look at me like, ‘you didn’t go to school,’ you know what I’m
saying. Or even have them succeed and them saying ‘oh, he didn’t do anything.’ I was
the first-born and usually they’re more disciplined.
During the individual follow-up interviews, the topic of self-reflection and assessment
resonated with all three participants. Stacy discussed having to catch herself about
procrastination and the consequences of not doing schoolwork:
I know… you don’t have to go to college for example, “you don’t have to go to college,
you don’t have to do your homework.” But then I think of the consequences if I don’t do
my homework. Or I don’t go to school. So that just… even though I’m procrastinating,
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sometimes I end up doing it the day before. But I just think about it like, yeah I do it
ahead of time. I’ll have more time to study and go over it and make sure it’s right. And
not stress about it at all. So that’s what I think about it.
Hannah similarly shares that “you don’t have to do [the work], no one is forcing you,” adding
that that professors are not teachers, and that accountability lies solely on herself if she wanted to
continue school. She further discusses the freedom aspect of college, and how she has to be
willing to continue her education and utilizing that “willpower” to motivate herself.
Smith had much to say on the issue of self-assessment and accountability. His
educational path began back in 2006 and he experienced having to drop out of college and
returning a few years later. He talks about his experience coming back to higher education and
how accountability impacted his motivation:
When I came back, I just came back on fire. I was like, more responsible than I was
before. I had a clear plan for what I expected and what I wanted my end result to be. Ever
since then, with that in mind, that helped me be responsible. Because I had to tell myself,
“Listen. This is your education. You have to let it make sense to you on some level. If
not, if you’re not invested in this wholeheartedly, why are you here?”
He then discusses the attitudes other students may have about approaching college coursework
and how they may not have enough buy-in to stay motivated.
…this is your job to be a student. You’re going to have to manage things that are going to
come down the pipe. Tests, homework, whatever it is, you’re going to have to manage
these like any other job. You’re going to have assignments and things else you’re going
to have to carry out. It’s the same exact thing. “Well if it’s the same exact thing, then why
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am I not getting paid for it?” Are you kidding me? You’re getting paid hand-over-fist for
this.
Smith utilizes education as a form of currency in this example. He views his educational path as
an input-output system, and through this attitude, he is able to stay motivated and track his
progress. He talks about how math is particularly challenging for him, especially as a student
who has dyslexia (further addressed in the “special population identity” theme findings). The
participant uses grade-tracking and progress report applications on his computer and smartphone,
as it lets him “see the encouragement from what [he’s] actually doing, and the numbers it was
bringing back… was impressive.” His motivation hinges on “doing everything you can to pass a
class,” while addressing weaknesses and seeking help for said weaknesses.
Encouragement
One of the themes that resonated well with participants was that of seeking and
appreciating encouragement and knowing that such support was there for them. Encouragement
was broken up in three different aspects: 1) encouragement from within, 2) encouragement from
others (friends, family, instructors, etc.), and 3) encouragement from vicarious or observed
successes.
To exemplify encouragement, participants mentioned the need to go back to school and
prove to themselves that they can accomplish something, utilizing themes similar to self-
reflection. For Smith, “moving beyond discouragement and seeing encouragement” was
important to him. In particular, he used the film Good Will Hunting as an example of someone
who did not know of his capabilities, and how the film depicts an individual who then found his
passion and proved greatness to himself. Amber mentioned a similar conversion - challenges for
her are opportunities to grow, and instead of “being something as a negative, I turn it into a
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positive.” She discusses her experiences being a teenage mom and moving beyond
discouragement:
In my personal experience, it makes me stronger. Anything that makes me think that I
can’t do, or that I feel is… first I weigh out, “can I do this?” It’s not like I’m going to bite
more than I can chew. I try to see if it’s workable, if it’s something that I can handle. Is
this something I can do within my time and schedule and everything. But then, I believe
when it’s a challenge, I’m up for the challenge. I enjoy being productive, and being able
to take advantage of the challenge and making it work. That’s just the way I am and how
I’ve been. I was a teenage mom and I graduated high school, and I went to college. I
didn’t finish college, but, you know, I worked all my life. I didn’t collect welfare. So, you
know, I raised my kids. And people tend to look down on teenage moms. Because they
think, “Yeah, you’re gonna drop out.” And it’s something I’ve always strived to do. To
do something. To be something. To have my children look up to me.
Family members were cited as both sources of encouragement and facets of inspiration
for participants. Joe, who is also a single parent like Amber, used his kids as an example of
encouragement, with his son and daughter approaching him about going back to school. Parents
were another form of encouragement with Hannah during our discussion in her interview, saying
that “as long as they support me and encourage me to do what I want to do. That’s the best
support for me.” Other important figures included instructors as well. In particular, this was more
of a request than something students experienced themselves. Hannah stated that she “works
better with encouragement than with constructive criticism… if I’m going to be encouraged, all
the time, that’s going to push me to be really, really, good, you know? All the time.” For her,
direct encouragement appeared significantly impact her motivation to do well. For others,
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support systems such as instructors and counselors are important supplements to motivation and
drive. Smith also used spiritual leaders and music as forms of inspiration and support.
Motivational support did not solely consist of direct outside encouragement or self-
encouragement. Participants also found motivation from observing individuals in their lives who
have college education, especially those who are from first-generation families. Some students
cite their siblings who attend or have attended college as their biggest support system. One
interaction in the focus groups addresses this:
Veronica: I think for me, personally, my parents never like, it wasn’t a big thing, like “go
to school” type of thing? But when I think like, now I’m getting older, that I can get with
a different type of people, people that are like actually in college or have their master’s,
it’s like a motivation. I think that the support systems of people are there, that are already
in school or already have their master’s, I think that’s the support.
Hannah: … my biggest support system is my sister who is also in college.
Veronica: Yeah, my brother too, who is already in school. He motivated me-.
Hannah: Yeah, they like pushed us, to do it.
Veronica: Yeah, like, “you can do it.”
Participants mentioned observing their siblings and what they had to go through in order to
succeed in college. Stacy discussed how her sister initially did not do well in college, but was
now “getting A’s and B’s and a good GPA and she’s always involved in everything” which
motivates her. In that sense, students who have family who have attended in college form
mentoring roles and serve as role models for success.

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Goals
A major motivational factor for participants was the sense of accomplishment from goal
progression. Joe spoke about how students generally want something out of education:
I think we all have the same goal. Even the young kids in the classroom. Everyone wants
to get something out of it. Even if it’s getting to the next math or getting into the next
class, some people want to get to the end of this so they can transfer to a 4-year school.
So, you know, everybody wants something. Even if some of us don’t know what that
something is, they know they want something.
Students can be driven and have goals even if they are not exactly sure what is at the end of their
educational path. Many of the goals discussed were either short term (class completion related or
taken by semester at a time) or long-term (transferring out, completing a degree, getting a good-
paying job). Life improvement is related to the ideas of completion and career attainment for
these students. For example, an interaction between Group 1 members discussed the importance
of getting a degree. Hannah tells Peter that for Peter’s major (Kinesiology), “a lot more people
are going to go to you when you have the degree. When you don’t have the degree, they’re going
to be more skeptical,” attributing value to the educational goal. Sometimes the view of life
improvement is more philosophical in nature, as expressed by Daniel, who feels their “ultimate
goal in life” is to “live completely free” and not repeat a mundane cycle of living – “Go to
school, get married, have kids, go to work, die, repeat process.”
Linked to goal attainment is the sense of accomplishment that motivates students. Amber
stated that she feels best when she is “going in there, getting it done, and leaving with a good
sense of ‘I got this,” or I feel like I was productive. You know, just accomplishing something. As
opposed to not doing anything.” Improving one’s life and educational attainment is better than
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the state these students were in before coming to community college, and it is the main aspect of
goal-oriented thinking that drives some of these participants to progress. To drive this point
further, Rob talks about avoiding a life full of struggles:
Because like, you look at our families and their situation, you know, how much they
struggled just to survive and you’re like ‘I don’t want to be like that.’ Like I actually want
to do something with my life and not struggle.
Persistence
Students expressed their need to persist despite any negativity or discouragement they
face (see the themes of “discouragement” and “self-reflection” as a cross-reference). Smith in his
focus group states, “as long as health, God… my health is there, and he’s there to help me, that’s
all that matters. Persistence. I want to keep going. Other than that, nothing else is really impeding
me.” Others talk about the importance to keep at a topic so that they can move through the math
sequence.
Persistence for some participants is related to their independence or reliance on support.
For example, Daisy mentions that her drive to go through school is because of her
responsibilities to pay bills and rent, and Hannah expresses the drive to be independent of her
parents “to discipline you.” Smith believes that help should only be there to a certain extent, and
that it is not the instructor’s job to “hand-hold” students through their learning experience:
But like I said, it all comes down to the student ultimately. I mean, professors are there to
teach you material and they’re really not there to hold your hand. So you have to take on
– you have to do most of the heavy lifting on your own. They’re going to assist you here
and there, but you have to do your own heavy lifting.
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Participants desired to be self-sustaining and independent, addressing the need to conquer
negativity. However, critical factors affecting their attitudes through persistence were the
existence of support structures and finding help when necessary. The category “Perceptions,
Experiences, and Decisions about Help-Seeking” explains these factors in greater depth.

Challenges of Community College Progression
Some of the challenges participants faced in the study had to do with internal and
external discouragement (perceived or experienced) and limited resources such as time and
money.
Discouragement
As an antithesis to the “encouragement” theme, discouragement was a frequently-cited
challenge among participants in the study. Discouragement was present in several forms.
Participants discussed discouragement from others and internalizations that they have about
themselves.
Smith faced a lot of struggles with math throughout his educational pursuits and ran into
unsupportive individuals. While discussing the topic in his focus group (Group 3), he talked
about his experience:
Math for me is interesting because I always knew I could do math and would excel in it,
but the luck of the draw I guess always would run into professors, teachers, whatever that
would just give up on me real fast.
He talks about how he will soon be 28 years old and that people have questioned, “Shouldn’t you
have went to college?” and condemns having to deal with “small-minded people.” During our
one-on-one interview, I asked if we could talk about the subject of discouragement. He said that
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throughout his experiences taking math classes before college, he was told, “oh, you’ll never be
good at math. You should just learn how to master a calculator now. You’ll never get it.” The
participant further expressed that he would like to be a teacher who will not give up on students:
The goal for me to be a teacher would be two things: 1) communicate the curriculum
effectively, 2) make sure everyone is benefiting from what I’m teaching. Some professors
I’ve heard them flat out say “You know, you’re never going to reach every student. It’s
just impossible.” That’s just like saying not everyone has the capacity to learn. Seriously!
Negative feedback and discouragement from instructors can be particularly detrimental for
students who wish to find encouragement and help from these figures.
Parents and family are individuals that are assumed to be supportive for students, but can,
like instructors, be sources of discouragement. The discouragement from family stems mostly
from the idea that school may be a “waste of time” for some students and that they should be
working instead of paying for college. Hannah had an issue with her father telling her to work
instead of going to school, and it was a common concern she discussed in both the focus group
and the interview:
That’s kind of like how my dad was. Like, “don’t go if you’re not going to get a job out
of it.” But his biggest thing is that I would have gotten a job first and then go to school.
It’s not easy but it makes more sense to go to school first then get a job, or get a part-time
job while in school. But his biggest thing is kind of like, “you don’t need school as much
now.”
Other participants state that they have heard they would be wasting time because a job will give
you experience and that you can “move up” instead of getting an educationally related credential.
However, Jess expressed that there is “no easy way” to get a career like this and that “the
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minimum you’re going to make is like, $13-14 bucks at the highest” working at a place like
Starbucks (a popular coffee shop chain in the United States). Though the participants understood
the value of education, they believed that school “isn’t for everyone.” Peter expressed:
I can kinda see where that’s coming from. Also I think that school isn’t for everybody.
Even for me, I think that, to be honest, I don’t like school. At all. People say “go to
school and do this,” but what I wanna do really doesn’t have to deal with school. It’s
more personal stuff.
Relating to motivational factors, students feel that sometimes education itself can be a
barrier to progress, even though themes of learning importance and accountability were
addressed. At times, the math sequence alone is interpreted as a barrier or “obstacle” Peter put it,
and Stacy talked about how she has a “long way to go” coming from basic skills all the way to
statistics, which is required for her to transfer to an animal science related bachelor’s program.
Much of the discouragement comes from a student’s thoughts on math or other coursework;
Smith says that the number one reason why students drop out is because “they’re not
comprehending the material.” Hannah admits, “Study, umm, just don’t be discouraging. Like, I
discourage myself a lot. If I don’t get it the first time, I’m like, ‘okay whatever.’ I’ll just leave it
alone. Which I know I shouldn’t do.”
Two of the participants admitted to delaying their math sequence because they did not
feel confident enough to approach math. Smith elaborates:
It got to the point where… it’s almost hard to explain. It’s like you know you can do
something if you were given the opportunity. The right training to be a success at it. And
I didn’t necessarily get that. So math was something that I avoided at all costs if I could.
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Participants at times considered themselves as a barrier to progress. Joe shares his
thoughts on the matter:
The biggest barrier would be me. I’ve been out of school for so long. I’ve been working
for some time, too. So just basically breaking habits, sticking to the routine of making
sure I study. Obviously my biggest barrier would be myself.
A participant from a separate group (Daniel) considered himself as the biggest barrier
because of his “personal emotions and state of mind” would affect his output, but takes
accountability as to “whether or not I let the negativity affect me or not.” Participants identified
certain thought processes such as cognitions and bad habits, such as distractions or
procrastination, as affecting their motivation negatively. Stacy mentions how she is late all the
time and develops stress from these habits. Rob discussed bad habits in general, stating that “we
got phones, we got social media, we got concerts, we got everything, you know what I’m
saying?” Rob takes to identifying his generation as the “party nation,” possibly revealing a
cultural divide and a deviation from educational persistence.
Institutional Barriers
Some participants felt that there were institutional barriers that hindered their educational
paths. Several participants cited the frustration of the availability of classes at their community
college. Smith puts it, “You gotta be on it. The first day or whatever day they tell you, you can
register, boom, you register that day. Because those fucking classes go by like that. Especially all
of the general eds.” Another participant from the same group furthers the discussion, stating that
it is “super difficult” to get some classes, but that the math classes themselves are not hard,
possibly due to the fact that they are enrolled in basic skills remediation. As discussed in the
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discouragement section, math itself can be a barrier for students, especially those who started
their math sequence later than their other coursework, which two interviewees disclosed.
Others mentioned that the college process and navigation itself can be difficult. Smith
mentions how ill-prepared he was for college, and that everything moved too quickly. He states,
That’s all you do. It’s like a relay system. Go get it and bring it back and retrieve it. But
even then it’s like with a dog. You go and train a dog to retrieve different things.
Sometimes, you know, the dog will get lost in the shuffle and bring the wrong thing. And
that’s how some students are. No, I wanted the orange ball, not the blue ball. So with
college, now you know where the blue ball is and where to find it. And bring it back.
The counseling department is established to aid students in the college navigation process.
However, participants noted dissatisfaction with the availability of appointments - some waiting
as long as four weeks to obtain an appointment. This form of support is further explored in the
help-seeking experience theme.
Limited Resources
Paying for college is an institutional barrier that involves the limited resource of money
or funds. Some did not mention specifically paying for tuition - they just mention books, things
for class, and “school stuff.” Daniel discloses his use of financial aid, but it is not enough:
The reason why I want to work and go to school at the same time is because I need
fucking money when I transfer [group laughter] and I gotta pay those real bills that
Financial Aid isn’t going to be paying. Once you get to the university level, eventually at
one point in time, some students will have to take out a loan and have that money. Me, I
just would rather pay that money myself and pay it off as quick as possible.
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Work is a responsibility that participants found challenging to juggle, which relates to another
limited resource: time. Smith expresses his struggles with working and going to school:
I came here originally in 2008 or 2009. But working and going to school at the same time
was a nightmare for me. So the job I had at the time, I was praying every day, like how I
could I get fired from this job. [Group laughter] Why won’t they let me go? I’m not even
saying that to be silly. I just knew that it’s going to take me an eternity to get through
this two year program working. Because when I get out of work, I’m exhausted. And I’m
not thinking about busting a mission all the way out of school. I don’t care how
committed I am, but 8 hours, that’s your energy level for the day. I don’t care what
you’re doing. 8 hours, that’s gone. Turn around and you invest another 3 hours into that,
then invest an additional 2 hours for homework? No. No. Some people, I don’t know
what they do to get through it, but that’s not me. I know what my limits are.
After this, a different group member from Group 3, Daisy, directly stated that work is a
barrier, as she works 8 hours a day, only has two days off, and is “exhausted” throughout the
week. Many other students have responsibilities outside of work, such as driving family around,
and taking care of siblings, that can impact time management significantly. For Keith, it was the
logistics around having to go to East Valley Community College with his brother:
So about these conflicting roles, well, for me really, it’s a problem I told you guys about.
Of course I love my family, but it’s a hard time to manage schedules and get them to fit.
Because of my brother. He comes to this campus, so he’s taking classes. And I’m taking
classes. And we try to make them fit. Because of the time variations in our classes, it’s
hard to make that match and get the proper classes we need. And also I have to carpool
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with him because we live so far, and that makes it a real challenge for us to sign up our
schedules.
Keith mentions the frustration of living far away and going to this college, as well as any
important medical appointments he might have to schedule.

Perceptions, Experiences, and Decisions about Help-Seeking
Many of the perceptions and experiences revolved around themes of resource awareness,
the preference for available help, at what point should a student go get help, being judged for
asking for help, and peer support.
Experiences with Help
For the most part, experiences have centered on either positive or satisfactory
engagement with instructors and tutors, or negative experiences with tutoring and counseling.
Most of the participants had good things to say about their instructors in math, but had varying
experiences with tutoring services.
Stacy was the only individual who used tutoring as her choice for help-seeking, stating
that they “helped her with simple mistakes like subtracting or changing up the sign or I
multiplied wrong.” She states that the basic skills math class she enrolled in that semester was
the only class in community college where she felt like she needed to go to tutoring. For other
participants, it seemed that tutoring was not enough for them. Veronica, when asked about tutors,
was hesitant at first. I probed and asked if there was something on her mind, and she said, “I
don’t know if I want to put her [the tutor] on blast,” which meant that she was apprehensive of
speaking negatively about the tutor. She had this to say about her experience with tutoring:
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So the girl there is, I guess she’s like me? So we took a test with the professor, so I take it
back to her so we can review why I got it wrong and his answer was right, and she kept
getting the same answers. I did one problem, and she was like ‘I don’t get it.’ She was
getting the same answer I got. So I said ‘let’s do another one while we wait.’ So I did
another one. And she got the same answer as me. So I’m like ‘let’s do ANOTHER one
while we wait for someone else.’ Same answer. So I’m like, ‘seriously? 30-45 minutes
with those questions?
After sharing her experience with the tutor, more individuals opened up about their
experiences. A different participant said that he tried to pick and choose a tutor, seeing if any of
them fit his specific needs because “some tutors don’t know what they’re talking about. Other
tutors genuinely do want you to know.” The experience with tutors is similar in other groups,
where Daniel said that tutors “are not as knowledgeable as the professor. I’ve had this tutor for
this math class and she doesn’t even know what the hell to do… we were going back and forth
with each other.” Another person from Group 3, Smith, echoed the negativity about tutors,
stating that they are not “passionate about what they are doing” which “kills the motivation.”
There is also dissatisfaction with counseling, mentioned earlier as an institutional barrier.
Students value the immediacy and availability of help when they need it which associates also to
the theme of “accessibility of help”. Within the area of academic counseling, some students have
had difficulty seeing counselors. When Amber was finally able to see a counselor, she was
dissatisfied with the experience:
It’s just, you know, for the time they [counselors] give you 10 minutes to pretty much
wrap up. And basically for them to present you with an answer. It’s not always, you
know, you have to keep going back and going back. You make these appointments two
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weeks out, and you go back and you find out.. and 10 minutes sometimes doesn’t work
when you’re not even sure. Sometimes it’s just the person knowing, ‘hey, you know
what, you need a special appointment, let’s do that for you.’ As opposed to letting you
walk out and knowing at least there’s other options available. But I already addressed my
comments to the counselors. Hopefully they do fix it. Because when the student is new,
they don’t know the process.
The other two participants in the group described their experiences with counseling as having no
trouble with receiving counseling services – Keith in particular was “shocked” that this student’s
experiences were that bad. However, the two participants unable to empathize with her utilized
either veteran or disability services counselors that were specific to their needs and availability –
their experiences are discussed in-depth in the “special population identity” section.
Awareness of Resources
I asked participants how familiar they were with helpful resources on campus, regardless
if they had used them or not. Daniel fully-endorsed the student bridge program on campus,
which helps first-generation students usually in their first year of college:
With the bridge program? Yeah definitely. It gives me priority registration, I’m in there
like swim wear. [Group laughter] I literally don’t have to wait for nothing. That’s the
advantage of being in programs like that, you get first registration. So whenever I can, I
will take an advantage of a program like that.
Stacy was aware of Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), a department on
campus that helps disadvantaged (financially and/or academically) students with a variety of
services. However, she did not try to utilize the service out of “laziness,” though she utilizes
Financial Aid as it is a “big help” for her. In Group 2, the adult learners talked extensively about
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resources related to public assistance. It was unclear if they were talking about services such as
CalWORKS for single parents, but they felt that there was a certain “stigma” in using public
assistance. Joe mentions a number of services he was aware of:
Other than the counselor, they have the health department down there with the help for
health concerns, they have student center that help with the clubs like groups like the
student senate to help with changes in school policies and things like that. So I mean, if
there’s help, and you’re not sure where to get it, to me you can always just ask one of
your classmates. Somebody is going to send you in the right direction. Somebody has the
answer.
Besides this participant’s knowledge of services and the individuals mentioned previously, other
participants were unsure of resources on campus other than the professor and tutoring.
Accessibility and Availability of Help
The access to help was a common theme among participants. They valued resources that
were immediately available to them or appeared accessible. For these participants, the professor,
online resources, and outside help (such as family) were the most accessible to them.
Participants, especially in Group 1, found that online resources were the easiest to access
and most available. As Hannah elaborates, “because everyone teaches it differently, they are
each going to show you different ways on how to do it. So I like to use Youtube a lot. Because I
feel like it’s one of my best resources. They teach you a lot of different tricks and how to do it
easy and everything.” Peter responded, “I can see how Youtube can help you, but could also be
seen as a crutch... I looked that up. And then I was like, I paused it, because I was stuck. But how
he does it in class, I’m like, ‘Wait.. how did you do that.’” In the follow-up interview to Group 1,
Hannah discussed the focus group conversation regarding online help in more detail:
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I think it definitely plays a huge part for me. Like, there are so many different websites
out there to help you. I feel like as soon as people hear “online,” they assume you went
and got the answer online, but that’s really not what I’m doing. Yeah, it shows me the
answer, but that’s not my main goal. My main goal is to figure out the steps and the
problems and how to get the answers. So, for me, I’ll go on and I’ll use one of the online
calculators or the fractions. Yeah it gives me my answer, but I’m mainly looking at the
steps they took, and I’ll rewrite it down. I want to see if I can understand it. That’s like a
big thing for me. I can go online on my computer for that.”
Instructor availability was highly regarded among students who considered seeking help,
even if they did not feel like the instructor was as available as they wanted he or she to be.
Common requests were to have the instructor stay after class longer so they could ask questions
individually, go over test corrections, and responding to e-mails as fast as possible. Participants
also appreciated the fact that an instructor would go out of their way to assist someone and
actually reach out to those that are struggling. Smith talks about his experience with the
instructor:
The professor, what can I really say about her? I have no accurate adjectives I can
describe. She is more than amazing because she takes her time with us. She understands
the problems. She does her due diligence, making sure that we’re in the lab after class,
she’ll come over and be like, ‘Are you getting it? Do you understand it? Do you need
help?’ She makes me, personally, want to strive to really learn math. Make it important to
myself. She thinks I can do it, so why wouldn’t I want to do it?”
In this instance, an available instructor is an empowering and encouraging instructor. As another
example of encouragement and access, Daniel talks about his bridge instructor: “Like, our bridge
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teacher, he was a good teacher. So far, I’ve been blessed truly with my professors because all of
my professors, because for them it’s more than a paycheck for them.” For these students, buy-in,
initiative, and accesses were all important qualities of an instructor.
One intriguing form of help was that of “outside experts” – friends and family who knew
a subject, such as math, that were readily available to students outside of being on campus. A
participant from Group 1 shared that she knew people who were good at math, and says, “when
it comes to something I don’t understand, I go to my sister ‘cause she’s really good. Like, she
doesn’t say she’s really good, she says she’s average. But for me, someone who is really bad at
it, she’s good.” This is also the case with counseling help, as Amber, who expressed frustration
with EVCC counseling, went to her friend that goes to another community college for advice
because “they kind of have the same system things.”
When to Get Help
Decisions on help-seeking involved a participant’s previous experiences with a resource
(as previously mentioned), choosing which resource to go to, when they would resort to that
resource, or simply choosing not to seek help. Some participants would either go to the easiest to
access resource or the resource they felt would help the best. When talking with Hannah about
online help, I wanted to see what circumstances she would not be able to use online resources:
Researcher: If you were put in a situation where you couldn’t use YouTube or immediate
resources and your only avenues of resources were to go to your instructor or what not.
What are some of the things that pop up into your mind?
Hannah: Oh, crap… [laughs]
Researcher: Walk me through what you’re thinking.
Hannah: At first I’d probably be a little bummed.
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Researcher: Like, say, the internet was down.
Hannah: Yeah, ugh.. everywhere? [laughs] I mean, obviously, I’m going to be bummed.
On the other hand, I tend to be more optimistic also. So I probably look at the bright side,
like ‘at least this way in person, one on one, I’m getting it first hand from them.’ It’s just
something I’m going to have to deal with. I definitely have to go to them and ask for
help, despite how I feel about it. If it’s going to help me, I’m going to do it.
This apprehensiveness she exhibits is further discussed in the “judgment” theme.
On the other hand, students will go to a trusted source when they know help is needed.
For example, Daniel states, “Nah, I seek help when I need help. If I can do it on my own, if I can
figure it out and look at the problem, I’ll do that. But if I’m truly just dead stumped on
something, the first person I personally go to is the teacher because they tend to be more
resourceful than the tutor or any other outside source.” Keith illustrated the thought process in
his head on which resources to use for what situation – the professor, tutors, or his peers.
Lastly, some students recognize that other students do not seek help, but have observed
that their peers struggle with classwork. From a participant’s perspective, Hannah in her
interview stated that “I’d rather just work alone than seek help.” When assigned lab hours for
their basic skills class, some students disclosed that they do not ask any staff, instructors, or
tutors on duty for any help – they just do their homework and leave.
Judgment
Why is it that some students are not using the resources available to them, besides a lack
of understanding/awareness of some resources? A critical discovery I made about help-seeking
perceptions was the fear in seeking help – particularly because of thinking that instructors or
other individuals would judge them for asking for help. The theme first appeared Hannah
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mentioned that when seeking help online, she does not feel like she is being judged. When I
brought up the topic of avoiding judgment to Group 1, there was a brief silence, and then
Veronica said she did not want to get help because she might be asking a “dumb question.” The
following discussion occurred:
Hannah: I mean like, honestly, you shouldn’t care what they think about you. You’re
getting the help you need obviously. But there’s still always that kind of pull on me that’s
like, “look it up online. You can do it online.”
Peter: I think for that judgment part, they can show you how to do the problem and you
still might not get it. It’s like they think they have to show you more than once or even
more so you can get it. I think that’s why they said judgment comes in – “why isn’t this
person getting it? I showed them this many times. That’s what goes through my head.” I
wonder if they’re like, “why isn’t he getting it?”
Hannah: What if they’re like, what if they start getting frustrated with me?
Peter: Why don’t I get it? What am I missing?
Rob: That happened to me one time.
Researcher: How’d you feel about that?
Rob: I was like, right then I knew that was the tutor I wasn’t going to come back.
Hannah: It’s awkward. It’s awkward to be like, “can you help me with this?” And it’s so
simple and easy for them. When they explain it to you, you feel like “I’m so dumb.”
Much of the judgment stems from participants asking what they perceive as “dumb,”
“silly “or “stupid” questions. Judgment and intimidation were consistent themes across all
groups and interviews. When asked to elaborate on what makes students apprehensive toward
seeking support, Smith said the following during his interview:
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Stigma. Huge. ‘You’re stupid. You’re incapable of doing the work. “Why don’t you
know this?” And some teachers are passive-aggressive about that, you know? My new
word is “passive.” [laughs] Judgmental…. Yeah, passively judgmental because they’ll
give you the look. Students are not stupid. They know sarcasm at all levels. Teenagers
and students are usually sarcastic. So they don’t want that. And they don’t want to feel
like their intelligence is insulted just because they don’t understand it the way you’re
teaching it… but this is one thing that professors are quick to say: “Well, you’re in
college.” Well, they have tutoring in college. So that doesn’t mean that it’s automatic
because I’m in college. They even have tutoring at the university level, are you kidding
me?
Another notable interaction dealing with Daisy’s decision of wanting to use a tutor over an
instructor, which prompted the rest of Group 3 to ask her why she would think that way:
Daisy: I guess a tutor. Because-
Researcher: You have a different view? You’d go to a tutor first.
Daisy: Yeah.
Smith: You afraid of your teacher?
Daisy: Yeah… [Group laughter]
Daniel: Why don’t you go to the teacher first?
Smith: You shouldn’t go to a random tutor...
Richard: [To Daisy] You’re still scared?
The conversation shifted, but I wanted to go back to her feelings about intimidation. I asked the
group to try to interpret her fear of the instructor:
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Researcher: I wanted to back to [Daisy’s] sentiment about going to tutoring first. I
wanted you to just elaborate on why you kind of said you did tutoring first instead of
other forms of support other people have said.
Daisy: Umm… I’m just scared of the teacher. [laughs]
Researcher: Yeah, so we want to talk about why you feel you’re scared of the teacher, if
you don’t mind us asking.
Daisy: I don’t know, I guess It’s just the asking questions part? I don’t like to ask
questions. But a tutor is the same person as me… The teacher is like, up here [Daisy
makes a horizontal hand gesture and raises upward].
Researcher: What do you feel like the teacher is going to do to you if you ask a question?
Daisy: Nothing. I just, I don’t feel comfortable with the teacher. I will if the tutor didn’t
get it.
Researcher: What do you all think she might be intimidated by?
Richard: Maybe, like, I just feel like she’s intimidated. I think she holds up the teacher
like a pedestal kind of. Like she’s a higher power, but, honestly, we’re all adults now. So
they’re pretty much the same person as us. Pretty much. In high school I kind of felt that
way, but…
In Group 1, Veronica talked about her encounter with tutors passing judgment, where she
overheard them say that students “do not have common sense,” which reinforced her beliefs on
help-seeking judgment. However, it is unclear if the other participants do not necessarily know
for sure that they will be judged for asking questions since they admit that they do not ask
questions to trigger such an encounter. As a result, participants disclosed across the board that
they wait for their peers to ask questions to see if it will fix their understanding in class. Some
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participants blame it on shyness as well. Whether it is assumed or experienced intimidation,
students will find help-seeking averse if they fear negative responses someone will give them.
Peer Support
Some participants discussed how peer support is either very helpful for them or desired
more peer support and interaction. If students did not want to go to an instructor, it was because
they chose their peers as a form of support. Participants identified with their peers as they can
comfortably talk to one another without feeling judged, and relate with one another because they
are going through the same struggles. Some participants appreciated the forced grouping that
their instructors utilized in class, but Daniel did not like working in groups that involved a
collective grade for their work.
Many participants wanted peer interaction and group work, but felt that there were no
structural ways to go about it other than running into each other in the computer lab. Group 1
discussed solutions to creating the peer support they wanted. Peter described a “classroom-sized”
area where students can study, but for a specific class section and not generalized to all of the
same math class. The process involved teaching each other particular topics in class and showing
each other work on the board. As an aside, I explained to the student that what he was looking
for was Supplemental Instruction (or SI), but it was only offered at higher levels of remedial
mathematics. Hannah compared a desirable peer support system akin to the television show
Community (though when she inquired, no one else knew of the show):
In that show [Community], it’s about like, 6-7 people. In the first episode, they all form a
study group. And the rest of the seasons they’re all based on how they study and become
friends and for me it’s like, if I had people in the same boat as me – like you guys –
[laughter] if you form a study group, no one’s passing judgment ‘cause you’re all
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learning it together, step by step. Whereas other people in the class that are… not better,
but they understand it more. They don’t necessarily need it as much, but like, if there’s a
place to go sign up… several people 5 or 6. You go and you study together. They’re
about the same level as you, so you feel less… intimidated I guess? That I think for me
would be the ultimate study goal.
The central reasoning behind peer support was the sense of non-judgment and being able to
understand each other on the same level.

Comparative Experiences with Culture and Identity

Sociocultural Experiences
When discussing topics such as persistence, progress, and help-seeking, participants
brought up differences in their cultural identities and experiences. For example, participants
compared Asian cultures in Group 1:
Rob: Because if you look at the Asians, I mean, they’re making like, a lot more income
than us. Than any of us, you know what I’m saying? [Group laughter]
Peter: Because they work for it, too. Well, everyone works hard, but we work different.
Work is a different definition for everyone.
Hannah: Maybe some of their parents work too hard for them to just come to school and
slack off, whereas opposed to other parents they’re like, not that they don’t push us, but
just maybe not as much as their parents… I feel like they’re more goal-oriented. That’s
why they’re… not higher up than us, but they’re, how do you say it, where we want to be.
The conversation then went to cultural comparisons for identifying as American. Perhaps
in this regard, students are referring to the international Asian student population versus their
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own cultural identification. Rob says that “this is America, we do more,” yet others argue that
compared to the Asian students, their group is more “distracted” and take things for granted. Rob
states, “I just feel like we have more freedom, you know what I’m saying?” while Hannah
responded with “We’re not as disciplined, you know?”
Touching on the subject of cultural comparisons, Stacy had this to say:
About Asians… I see that their better at math at school. They just seem smarter and
better at everything. I feel like, me as a Hispanic, we’re like lower – or at least that’s how
I see it – you know, like lower. We’re not really up there. People mostly don’t go to
college. They’re just working and supporting their family.
Her experiences with culture revolved around her identity as a first-generation Latina student.
Stacy’s parents came from Mexico where “you don’t have to go to school,” and she feels that
many from her ethnic background “don’t go to college right after high school. They just start
working, work, work, work. Or a lot of girls end up pregnant.” She talks about how much her
dad struggles to provide for her family, and that her mom did not have a choice to go back to
school, and that her mother encourages her to go to school because she has the choice to do so.
High School Experiences
The topic of culture crosses over to educational culture and how students had certain
expectations going into college that they believed would carry from their high school
experiences. One major issue was the gap between when some students took math in high school
and when they enrolled in the basic skills math course at EVCC. According to Stacy, the gap
exists because she stopped taking math at the sophomore level of high school and they were only
required to take two years of math. However, for Stacy, it has been 4 or 5 years since she had
completed a math class. Other participants mention they have 3 to 5 year gaps between their final
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year of high school and when they began attending community college. Veronica shared, “I’ve
been out of high school for like, 5 years, so um, even taking the test, it was like, I don’t
remember anything.”
Some students commented directly about the difference between high school and college.
Daniel states that, “It’s college. It’s not high school, that’s fine. It’s whatever. In college, I don’t
mess around with my grades.” Smith in the same group further elaborates on the difference based
on his experience with the basic math professor:
If more professionals were like the math professor, it would be a breeze for many
students because what people don’t understand is that students are coming from different
backgrounds. I don’t mean just economic backgrounds. Let’s say, for instance, I’ve been
fortunate enough in my family that some have went to college. Some have graduated,
some haven’t. But some of them, the majority of them, know what college is to be
expected. Now, I have a lot of friends that, it’s their first year. They’re first generation in
college. And it’s like, “I’m lost, I don’t know what to do. I thought it was just going to be
like high school.” But I tell them, “You know what, the difference between college and
high school is this for me: It’s like high school on steroids. Imagine – everything in high
school is going to be drugged out a little bit more. It’s going to be a little bit longer. If
you was doing math problems in one or two columns, they go up to three or four, and
they get longer and longer. But if you come in with a plan and get organized, and you
stay on top of you, keep a journal.
Once again, a participant speaks of examples where first-generation college students may have
disadvantages compared to those who have had family in their lives experience college in some
capacity.
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Special Population Identity
Participants discussed certain aspects of their identity and how it related to their
experience with college progress and help-seeking. Three of the participants discussed
disabilities they have – two of them being deaf and hard of hearing, and one of them with
dyslexia. Keith disclosed that he uses Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) as a
resource. For the focus group, he used an interpreter to communicate. Because of the amount of
support he has with DSPS, he was genuinely surprised that other students are unable to receive
the same type of support:
I have a counselor in DSPS and so we have a counselor who works directly with the
students. And there’s no rush. She helps us figure out our schedule, she answers
questions, she helps us interpret what things mean, and she sends an interpreter to our
classes. I feel we have plenty of help.
Though he feels he gets adequate support, and confident when he utilizes an interpreter, he
sometimes fears speaking to a professor due to his disability:
And also because I’m deaf, our interpreter has to be a little behind the speaker, and so by
the time I ask the question, I’m interrupting them now. So, yeah, I get a little scared.
Hannah discloses that she is hard-of-hearing and needs to use hearing aids to listen well,
but sometimes she does not bring them to class.
I feel like as long as I’m sitting close to the teacher and speaking with a good voice, a
loud voice, I’m good. But with my classmates, if the professor is like, “okay go ahead
work out problems, work together in the group,” I’m a bit more hesitant. With them,
they’re not talking loud and clear. It’s just small whispers or really quiet so it’s just like a
little bit more, I have to strain more for that one. That’s another thing. In the lab, it’s
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really quiet in there, so if I’m asking for help, I’m either going to be talking too loudly, or
I’m not going to hear what they’re telling me. If I’m going to study or ask anyone for
help, I’d rather be outside of a quiet room. Somewhere like, where the environment
around me is alive and I can hear.
She clarifies that she tries to avoid any situation where she might not be able to hear correctly
and having to ask people to clarify what they are saying. She is not “ashamed” as much as she
feels “awkward” to ask people to repeat what they have to say. Of note, she did not use DSPS
services like Keith does.
Smith has dyslexia and his experience with the disability is as follows:
Being dyslexic with math is a nightmare. [laughs] I have to work harder than other
students to keep everything straight. Like I could see a number, say, 1492. And I would
see the numbers in the middle of it switch places. Yeah, so, it’s not that I can’t do math,
it’s just going to require more effort on my part. And possibly a little more time. But I’m
confident I could do it.
Growing up dyslexic meant that he had run into “impatient” math instructors who would give up
on him from time to time. He says that “being a disabled student… can be debilitating,” but is
driven to move beyond the disability, stating that he has to “work harder than the other students.”
Much of his motivation and drive to succeed in math is to defy the negativity and
discouragement he has encountered (see “Discouragement” and “Persistence” themes). After our
interview, he disclosed that he uses DSPS assistance for test-taking accommodations. However,
he also disclosed that he was taking the class as audit and will be attending the class for credit/no
credit in the Spring semester.
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Group 2 had two adult learners (Joe and Amber). Both are single parents with children
who also attend college. Joe discussed his classroom interactions with younger students and the
comparison between his identity and theirs:
At first I thought, “I’m going to sit in here. I’m older. I’m not going to be able to
communicate with anybody.” The way she did it, I actually found myself communicating
with a lot of the younger students and I had to be careful not to turn into dad. [laughs]
Well, I mean, I know I’m more focused on a lot of them. I hear them talking, and they’re
like, “I’m gonna do this and gonna do that,” and so the focus is different. Now that I’m
an adult learner, I’m like, okay I gotta do this. I want this for whatever reason. But, there
are some students more focused than I am and they’re younger, so I know that they’re on
their way. And there are some that aren’t focused, they’re taking it for granted, like,
they’re here because mom or dad told them “Either you go to school or you get a job.”
You know, you can tell.
This participant was aware of the various services on campus, more so than any of the other
participants in the study. Joe identified as a veteran and appreciated the support from both the
VA and the counselor who specialized at working with veteran students.

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Chapter 5 – Discussion
Summary of the Research Study
Students enrolled in basic skills mathematics encounter significant disadvantages in the
community college completion pathway. Compared to others who are higher up in mathematic
remediation, these students not only have to enroll in extra coursework that is not degree-
applicable or transferrable, but must spend extra resources to enroll in these courses (i.e. time
and money). Seeking help can increase the chance of success for students enrolled in basic skills
mathematics and it can empower and motivate these students to persist toward their educational
goals. By understanding the experiences and beliefs of students regarding progress toward their
completion, we can best assess follow-up research and updates to practice that best addresses
student needs. Thus, the purpose of the study was to collect and interpret data in respect to the
following research questions: 1) What are the experiences and perceptions of help-seeking
among community college students enrolled in basic skills courses? 2) In what ways do students
in basic skills courses perceive or approach challenging academic tasks? 3) How do students who
take basic skills courses interpret their progress to completion?

Discussion
The summary of the findings and discussion is organized by addressing each of the
research questions. I also discuss the effectiveness of the focus group methodology in this
research study. Table 2 summarizes the discussion by challenges students faced and their
responses according to the data collected.

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Table 2
Participant Challenges and Responses
Research Question Category Challenges Encountered Response from Participant
Experiences and Perceptions
of Help-seeking
Judgment, availability of help Transactional responses to
help, avoiding help if they see
judgment, determining what is
best available versus what is
most valuable
Perceptions and Approaches
to Academic Challenges

Low self-efficacy for
mathematics, discouragement
in math, judgment from help-
seeking, fixed mindsets of
math skill
Self-empowerment and
persistence, finding
importance in learning basic
skills math, encouragement
from others (family,
instructors, etc.)
Interpretations and Influences
of Completion Progress

Burdened by institutional
barriers (availability of
classes, math sequence),
discouragement from family
(i.e. school is a “waste of
time” compared to work
experience)
Looking toward positive
influences (positive role-
models, encouragers),
focusing on educational goal
achievement versus time to
completion

Experiences and Perceptions of Help-Seeking
Themes related to help-seeking experiences and perceptions center on the decision-
making process of getting help. Much of the avoidance of help was due to the perceived
judgment of help-providers or because participants experienced negative or ineffective services.
Going back to the literature, it appears males were not afraid to seek help, and even endorsed
services such as the Health Services center or special programs for first-generation students. I
was expecting to hear topics about pride or gender masculinity conflict as per findings from
Vianden (2009) and Harris and Harper (2008) that focused on first generation and/or community
college males. The male participants were very motivated to use help services and were surprised
of some of the female student reactions to getting help. An explanation could be that the males
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would not want to appear incompetent in their educational pathways in the long run and sought
help to understand foundational aspects of their academics, and see help-seeking as a means
necessary to do so rather than a sign of weakness. Though Angrist, Lang, and Oreopolous’
(2009) findings suggest women have a similar long-term foresight into their educational progress
and therefore seek help when needed, there was still perceived apprehension from getting help,
mainly because of the judgment they perceived would occur from asking questions. Why this is
the case cannot be determined by the data of this study and would need further research with
female students at the community college level.
Intimidation or judgment from seeking help was common among all participants, male or
female. Though males were eager to seek help, they still feared “feeling dumb” if they were to
ask a question to the professor. Most students wanted to avoid going to the professor for
questions, especially asking questions in front of the class. Avoiding help-seeking due to
inferiority relates to Karabenick (2004) as performance-avoidance attitudes are due to wanting to
not appear incapable to other students. Students with disabilities felt similarly – one student who
identifies with a disability mentions that it is more awkward for her than embarrassing, though
she makes it her duty to avoid scenarios where she has to ask people to repeat themselves out of
her hard-of-hearing condition.
Finding immediate, accessible help that involves familiar or nonjudgmental interactions
is perceived as a solution for not asking for help from the professor or individuals that will make
students think they are not smart enough. Two of the easiest solutions to help-seeking were 1)
waiting on others to ask the same question they had, or 2) using resources at home like the
internet or math experts in the family. For some participants, however, finding the easiest or
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most accessible resource was not always the best solution, and they would seek help from what
they thought was the most effective resource (usually the instructor).
Why is it that there is a divide between students who defend the instructor as the trusted
resource versus those who are apprehensive and fear the instructor for help? Judging from the
data from both the interviews and focus groups, I surmised that those who had actually went to
the professor and asked for help would endorse using the instructor wholeheartedly, and those
who were too afraid to ask for help have not attempted to do so to experience it for themselves.
The perceived fear of judgment is strong enough for students to not use a resource until they
have to “resort” to using it. Sometimes this meant using tutoring, but participants for the most
part felt that tutoring was ineffective because they believed the tutors were at the same level of
understanding as the students enrolled in basic skills class and in some cases would be as
confused as the students who actually need the help when addressing math problems. Some
participants found value in the instructor as the main source of academic understanding, yet other
participants apprehensive to go to the instructor for first-line assistance, avoiding any
compromises to self-esteem.
Some students were only cursorily aware of on-campus resources and did not use them.
Instead, they felt that their support structures at home, such as family encouragement or brothers
and sisters who went to college were their biggest forms of support, rather than support
programming, instructors, or counselors at the community college. Though as Saunders and
Serna (2004) find that support structures on campus are important for students, the participants
did not identify with any in particular. Though participants did not identify any support
structures on campus, they did endorse the idea of peer-focused study groups and a sense of
community. Unfortunately, they were not aware of any established structures such as these on
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campus. Those that were aware of or used these resources on campus frequently were avid
endorsers of said resources, such as DSPS or the bridge program.
Many of the participants approached help-seeking in a transactional manner. For some
participants, help-seeking was a means to move beyond a hurdle or barrier to reach a better
grade. Finding help is a sequential and hierarchical, where students rank help based on
availability, value, and potential to harm one’s esteem. When one type of help does not work or
is inadequate enough, students will either seek a new type of help or not find help all together,
the latter of which could be detrimental to their academic progress.
Perceptions and Approaches to Academic Challenges
Student’s low self-efficacy about mathematics became apparent very quickly among each
group and interview, as it was a common theme across the board. Perhaps this is also why they
were accepting of where they were placed after taking their assessment in mathematics. Stacy
had notable low self-efficacy and self-esteem issues and felt that some people are just “born”
into not being smart. She felt her intelligence was fixed and difficult to change, similar to
implicit mindsets about personal characteristics (Dweck, Chiu, and Hong, 1995). Other students,
such as Smith, were able to break away from this mindset; though he felt he was weak at
mathematics, Smith understood how important math was for his educational goals, and did what
he felt he needed to complete the basic skills course.
An important aspect to how students approached math or other academics was the belief
that they can change their aptitude despite where they currently were in their math ability.
Despite their beliefs in math and enrollment in basic skills, the participants were aware of self-
regulatory practices and knew how to assess their own learning and sought to find answers when
needed, although not necessarily from the most optimal sources, such as asking the instructor for
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help. What motivated many of these students was learning and mastering the foundational
aspects of mathematics, aligning with goal-oriented and mastery-oriented beliefs (Karabenick,
2004; Stavrianopoulos, 2005). Some students were aware enough of their own ability to
understand material that they were willing to approach it at the pace they set for themselves,
which also affects the pace in which they felt they were going to complete their educational
goals.
Interpretations and Influences of Completion Progress
Participants all wanted to finish in the time estimates they set out for themselves, but
were willing to take their time with completing a degree or transferring from the community
college system. Some stated that they do not mind taking their time because they want to take
their classes at a slower pace to fully understand the material. Others stated that aspects of their
life could get in the way of their schooling and it is something one has to deal with. In general,
there seemed to be a conflicting mixture of influences that affected either the persistence or
attitudes of participant’s progress toward completion.
Internally, students struggled with their low self-efficacy toward math and considered
themselves as barriers to progression by their negative thoughts or emotions get the best of them.
Bad habits can be a significant deterrent to progress, as some students felt they were not as
disciplined enough at times and also talked about procrastination, laziness, and distractions.
External discouraging factors that participants mentioned were members of family or
individuals that told them school was a “waste of time” compared to working and getting job
experience. Other forms of discouragement were perceived intimidation from instructors, and for
one participant, teachers who would directly tell him that he would not be able to progress in
mathematics. Another significant barrier toward completion was acquiring the classes that are
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necessary for their educational plans. For some, having to miss semesters, fail coursework, or
leaving school for a period of time and coming back was both feared and part of their college
experience. Money was also an issue for some, where students either wanted to look for jobs to
pay for expenses outside of tuition or others having to work and then feeling exhausted when
coming home to finish their school work.
To counteract some of these thoughts, participants self-assessed themselves and found
encouragement through persistence of course mastery and looking toward their future goals to
improve their lives through educational attainment. Understanding the purpose of education and
the importance of learning added intrinsic value to their motivation. Nevertheless, many students
felt the purpose of their education was to “get a piece of paper” to have them stand out and get
better jobs – a utilitarian approach similar to the attitudes of Cox’s (2009) research findings.
Regardless of participant views of higher education’s purpose, these students were self-directed
and motivated to persist beyond forms of discouragement.
Students sought their families as forms of support and motivation to move on, with their
parents knowing that there is a better future for them if they were to get an education. This
sentiment was reinforced by role models (usually siblings) who were successful in their pursuits
toward college achievement, though many students said they were among the first to go to
college. One of the most impacting motivators was encouragement from others – one individual
said that of all the forms of support, she would want instructors, family, or peers to reassure the
idea that she can pursue a college education.
Use of Focus Group Methodology and Group Dynamics
The use of focus groups presented several interesting dynamics and interactions among
group members. Such interactions would not have occurred if I only utilized interviews, since I
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would only be working one-on-one with participants and there would be no peer interactivity.
Some of the member reactions were surprise, empathy, interpreting other people’s though
processes, and introducing new knowledge or concepts (resources on campus, ways to study,
etc.) to other participants. For example, in Group 2, when Amber vents her frustrations about not
being able to utilize counseling services in the way that is convenient for her, Keith, who is
registered with DSPS, responds with legitimate shock and makes it known that his experiences
were nothing but exemplary or positive. Another significant group interaction occurred when
Daisy expressed her avoidance of the instructor out of fear and members of Group 3 trying to
figure out why she would think that way. In this example, it was three males (who had already
sought help from the instructor) deliberating as to why one female would not want to get help in
the method they preferred.
The focus group allowed for dynamics such as these. At times, when there was agreement
on sentiment, there would be a “yeah” from each person around the room. Group laughter
indicated another form of relatability, as the humor from certain situations or experiences were
shared sentiments of absurdity or familiarity. Other times, participants would help each other
elaborate more on certain topics, or perhaps there were differences in experiences that they
would want to address. Use of focus groups allowed for these dynamics to occur, and I was able
find rich data and themes emerge from such interactions.
Future Research
Because the research study utilized a grounded theory lens, the intent was to generate
themes and phenomena for other research to utilize and measure. One of the major themes that
needs further research is the basic skills instructor perceptions. Qualitative methodology can be
helpful in terms of conducting focus groups or interviews with faculty in understanding what
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they believe is effective for students in basic skills courses and what they endorse as successful.
On a more generalizable scale, collaborative research can be done to determine as to what extent
instructors are encouraging or are seen as inspiring to their students (or at the opposite end, a
measure of intimidation) – either from an instructor viewpoint or a student perspective. In a
sense, it is a form of evaluation research, but with the intent to understand and alleviate
judgment-based beliefs between students and professors.
Quantitative measures would work well on themes found in this study aimed at basic
skills student populations; constructs can be made for feelings of judgment from instructors,
perceived effectiveness of help on-campus or off-campus, and degrees of college completion
confidence come to mind. Quantitative methods can serve as extension to Karabenick (2004) and
Dweck, Chiu, and Hong (1995) regarding attitudes toward help-seeking and mindsets for success
and receptiveness to learning or academic growth. Gender differences in help-seeking needs
more exploration due to the fact that most of the women in this study were apprehensive to on-
campus support at the community college. Perhaps more research can address across all types of
courses to see if this is isolated to mathematics or found in other subjects in general education or
remedial education.
Lastly, research can be done on support services in which students in this study felt
lacking. For example, students can be surveyed on their experiences with counseling services
(availability, effectiveness of counseling, thoughts on how services can be improved) which
could also be seen as evaluative research. However, if feasible, perhaps it can be conducted
across a wider population (i.e. the state of California).

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Implications for Practice

Though the research methodology used in this study does not necessarily translate to a
generalized population, there are implications for practice based on the emergent themes and
concerns discussed among students. One is the availability of support services on campus. Few
participants had opinions for their counseling services other than the struggles they have had
with availability or the dissatisfaction of the amount of time given in their walk-in appointments.
In order to address this issue, more efforts would be needed to increase access to available
counselors. For example, the passing of Senate Bill 1456 – Student Success Act of 2012 is a
funding measure that can directly affect the growth of counseling and support services to make
on-campus support accessible and to encourage more students to utilize such services (California
Community College’s Chancellor’s Office, 2012). In addition to the Student Success Act, the
state should also address the issue of class availability at community colleges in California and
respond accordingly (i.e. creation of new campuses or funding existing community college
expansion). There can also be an expansion of types of support services such as supplemental
instruction available to students in the basic skills level so that these students have more peer
support opportunities.
As per the theme of availability and access, basic skills instructor best practices should
promote the atmosphere of approachability. Students should not feel as if they are intimidated by
sources of support. Faculty of all types should collaborate to understand the implications of
approachability and figure out methods to encourage and empower students, perhaps even
though open discussions with any students whom they feel are apprehensive to approaching
instructors in general. Perhaps existing faculty can “coach” new faculty on how to create
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welcoming atmospheres for students in their classes, or faculty leaders can evaluate existing
faculty on their interactivity with students.
For first-time students who are new to college and first-generation students who may
have trouble with college culture and expectations, concerted efforts can be made to encourage
help-seeking behavior. Students should not only know off-hand what resources are available to
them, but also be encouraged to form help-seeking habits in a college environment. This can be
implemented in orientation for new students in community college, emphasizing college
expectations of help-seeking and how to be strategic in using resources. Help-seeking can be
marketed as a skill, and student services staff and faculty can help with creative ways to
encouraging students to learn the skill of finding help when it is needed.
Conclusion
Students enrolled in remedial education can be subject to stigmatization and are carefully
examined for their progress toward successful completion – in the case of the community
college, this means that student successfully leaves with a 2-year degree, certificate, or transfers
to a 4-year university (Deil-Amen and Rosenbaum, 2002). What happens when students
understand their own capabilities, yet want to approach their educational attainment at the pace
they would like to set for themselves? Based on the findings of this study, students can both
value their understanding of academics and be satisfied with their completion progress. Yet,
some participants felt that the path of math remediation could itself be a barrier, and some
resorted to avoiding the class until they told themselves it was necessary to achieve their
educational goals.
If some of the scrutiny of remedial education, especially math, falls under the delay of
achievement success (especially for measures that define success as 2, 4, or 6-year cohort
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completion rates), what other alternative is there to remediation? Would things be better if we
alleviated the math requirement, or perhaps removed it all together? By assuming that students
with basic skills education have a lower probability of achieving completion and focusing on the
completion rate metric, we may be setting them up for failure rather than trying to understand
individual differences among the students we serve. My intent for this study was to see what
students genuinely thought of themselves and what their placement into basic skills mathematics
meant for their academic pursuits, and to what extent did help-seeking play a role in facilitating
their success. Based on these findings, the basic skills student perspective becomes clearer, and
stakeholders and administrators in the community college system can concentrate on creating
encouraging environments for these students and establishing support structures that meet their
needs and demands on an individualized basis.

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Appendix A: Focus Group Protocol
Basic Skills Class Experience
• What are your general thoughts on being enrolled in this course?
 What are your thoughts on testing into this course?
• Discuss your approach to coursework in this class (i.e. approach for homework, tests,
studying, etc.).
 What do you do to be successful in this class?
• If I run into a challenge in this class, I...
Reaching Educational Goals
• What are your educational goals?
 Are there any barriers you have encountered or anticipate in reaching these goals?
 How long do you think you will take to reach these goals?
 Why?
• Discuss any form of support you have received or want to receive.
 What does effective support look like or mean to you?

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Appendix B: Follow-up Interview Protocol
 You may recall that we discussed the following question: [Stated Question]. Is there anything
further you would like to add to what we talked about regarding this question?
 I wanted to ask you if you could elaborate on a few issues you mentioned regarding
[topic]. Why? How?
 During the focus group discussions, we discussed your experience in your attempts to reach
your educational goals. Could you elaborate on a few issues you mentioned regarding your
college completion goals/actions and help-seeking methods?
 One student mentioned [topic]. What was your take on this?
 We discussed [resource] during the discussion on help-seeking. How familiar were you with
this resource? How does it compare to other forms of academic support?
 If you recall, we were running short on time talking about [topic]. Is there anything else you
would like to say in regards to [topic]?
 Is there anything further you would like to add that you did not mention during the focus
group discussion or that we did not address in this interview regarding your experience in
basic skills math and completing your educational goals?

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Appendix C: Informed Consent for Focus Groups

Name of Study: Educational Goal Completion and Help-Seeking in Basic Skills Math

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by [Researcher] under the supervision
of [Advisor]. You are eligible to participate if you are aged 18 or older and enrolled in a basic
skills math course. Your participation is voluntary. You should read the information below, and
ask questions about anything you do not understand, before deciding whether to participate. Please
take as much time as you need to read the consent form. You may also decide to discuss
participation with your family or friends. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to sign this
form. You will be given a copy of this form.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study is to discuss your overall opinion of your educational goals as it relates
to your enrollment in basic skills mathematics.

STUDY PROCEDURES
If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to participate in a focus group
interview; you may also be asked to participate in an individual follow-up interview. The goal of
the interviews are to discuss your opinions about being in a basic skills math course and what that
means for your educational goals at East Valley Community College. You will also be asked to
discuss your thoughts on getting help for your academic success. The interview will be audio-
taped and handwritten notes will be taken. If you do not want to be audio-taped, you cannot
participate in this study.

The interview(s) are anticipated to last between 45-60 minutes.

POTENTIAL RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS
The only potential risks in the study are any discomfort that may arise from discussing your
educational goals or barriers to these goals in front of others.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO PARTICIPANTS AND/OR TO SOCIETY
You may not directly benefit from your participation in this study. It is hoped that you may be
able to relate to others regarding your enrollment in the course and your educational goals; you
will find out about support or assistance that your peers use and that you have not heard of or
considered.

PAYMENT/COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPATION
You will not be paid for participating in this study. Light refreshments may be provided during the
interviews by the researcher.

CONFIDENTIALITY

We will keep your records for this study confidential as far as permitted by law. However, if we
are required to do so by law, we will disclose confidential information about you. The members
of the research team and the University of Southern California’s Human Subjects Protection
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Program (HSPP) may access the data. The HSPP reviews and monitors research studies to protect
the rights and welfare of research subjects.

The data will be coded with a false name (pseudonym) and will be maintained separately from any
identifiable information. The audio files will be transcribed and then deleted. The data will be
stored on encrypted files on a secure computer, a locked office and/or a locked storage unit.

Due to the nature of the focus group, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed; therefore you are asked
not to discuss the content of the focus group outside of the focus group.

When the results of the research are published or discussed in conferences, no identifiable
information will be used.

PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL
Your participation is voluntary. Your refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of
benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You may withdraw your consent at any time and
discontinue participation without penalty. You are not waiving any legal claims, rights or remedies
because of your participation in this research study.

ALTERNATIVES TO PARTICIPATION
Your alternative is to not participate. Your relationship with East Valley Community College or
[Research Institution] will not be affected whether you participate or not in this study.

INVESTIGATOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact [Researcher]
at [Researcher e-mail].

RIGHTS OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANT – IRB CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about your rights as a research participant or the
research in general and are unable to contact the research team, or if you want to talk to someone
independent of the research team, please contact [Research institution IRB contact information],
or [East Valley Community College IRB contact information].

Page 92 of 103

SIGNATURE OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANT

I have read the information provided above. I have been given a chance to ask questions. My
questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I agree to participate in this study. I have
been given a copy of this form.

□ I am at least 18 years of age

□ I agree to be audio-recorded

□ I do not want to be audio recorded

Name of Participant

Signature of Participant Date

SIGNATURE OF INVESTIGATOR

I have explained the research to the participant and answered all of his/her questions. I believe
that he/she understands the information described in this document and freely consents to
participate.

Name of Person Obtaining Consent

Signature of Person Obtaining Consent Date

Page 93 of 103
Appendix D: Informed Consent for Follow-up Interviews

Name of Study: Educational Goal Completion and Help-Seeking in Basic Skills Math

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by [Researcher] under the supervision
of [Advisor]. You are eligible to participate if you are aged 18 or older and enrolled in a basic
skills math course. Your participation is voluntary. You should read the information below, and
ask questions about anything you do not understand, before deciding whether to participate. Please
take as much time as you need to read the consent form. You may also decide to discuss
participation with your family or friends. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to sign this
form. You will be given a copy of this form.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study is to discuss your overall opinion of your educational goals as it relates
to your enrollment in basic skills mathematics.

STUDY PROCEDURES
If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to participate in an individual follow-
up interview relating to your experience with basic skills math and what that means for your
educational goals at East Valley Community College. The interview is intended as a follow-up to
your focus group participation and will give you the opportunity to talk more from your individual
perspective. The interview will be audio-taped and handwritten notes will be taken. If you do not
want to be audio-taped, you cannot participate in this study.

The interview is anticipated to last between 45-60 minutes.

POTENTIAL RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS
The only potential risks in the study are any discomfort that may arise from discussing your
educational goals or barriers to these goals to the interviewer.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO PARTICIPANTS AND/OR TO SOCIETY
You may not directly benefit from your participation in this study. One benefit from your
participation is the ability to voice your opinions and experiences if you did not have the
opportunity to do so in the focus group session.

PAYMENT/COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPATION
You will not be paid for participating in this study.

CONFIDENTIALITY
We will keep your records for this study confidential as far as permitted by law. However, if we
are required to do so by law, we will disclose confidential information about you. The members
of the research team and the University of Southern California’s Human Subjects Protection
Program (HSPP) may access the data. The HSPP reviews and monitors research studies to protect
the rights and welfare of research subjects.

Page 94 of 103
The data will be coded with a false name (pseudonym) and will be maintained separately from any
identifiable information. The audio files will be transcribed and then deleted. The data will be
stored on encrypted files on a secure computer, a locked office and/or a locked storage unit.

Due to the nature of the focus group, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed; therefore you are asked
not to discuss the content of the focus group outside of the focus group.

When the results of the research are published or discussed in conferences, no identifiable
information will be used.

PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL
Your participation is voluntary. Your refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of
benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You may withdraw your consent at any time and
discontinue participation without penalty. You are not waiving any legal claims, rights or remedies
because of your participation in this research study.

ALTERNATIVES TO PARTICIPATION
Your alternative is to not participate. Your relationship with East Valley Community College or
[Research Institution] will not be affected whether you participate or not in this study.

INVESTIGATOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact [Researcher]
at [Researcher e-mail].

RIGHTS OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANT – IRB CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about your rights as a research participant or the
research in general and are unable to contact the research team, or if you want to talk to someone
independent of the research team, please contact [Research institution IRB contact information],
or [East Valley Community College IRB contact information].
Page 95 of 103
SIGNATURE OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANT

I have read the information provided above. I have been given a chance to ask questions. My
questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I agree to participate in this study. I have
been given a copy of this form.

□ I am at least 18 years of age

□ I agree to be audio-recorded

□ I do not want to be audio recorded

Name of Participant

Signature of Participant Date

SIGNATURE OF INVESTIGATOR

I have explained the research to the participant and answered all of his/her questions. I believe
that he/she understands the information described in this document and freely consents to
participate.

Name of Person Obtaining Consent

Abstract (if available)

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Asset Metadata

Creator Hayward, Jason A. (author)

Core Title Students in basic skills mathematics: perceptions and experiences of community college progress and help-seeking

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Master of Education

Degree Program Education

Publication Date 04/16/2015

Defense Date 03/17/2015

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag basic skills,community college,community college completion,community college transfer,developmental education,help-seeking,OAI-PMH Harvest,remedial education

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Venegas, Kristan M. (committee chair), Cornner, Ryan (committee member), Tobey, Patricia Elaine (committee member)

Creator Email jasonhayward87@gmail.com,jhayward@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-549226

Unique identifier UC11297893

Identifier etd-HaywardJas-3312.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-549226 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-HaywardJas-3312-0.pdf

Dmrecord 549226

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Hayward, Jason A.

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA