Close
About
FAQ
Home
Collections
Login
USC Login
Register
0
Selected
Invert selection
Deselect all
Deselect all
Click here to refresh results
Click here to refresh results
USC
/
Digital Library
/
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
/
Concurrent enrollment in English support classes for community college students
(USC Thesis Other)
Concurrent enrollment in English support classes for community college students
PDF
Download
Share
Open document
Flip pages
Contact Us
Contact Us
Copy asset link
Request this asset
Transcript (if available)
Content
Concurrent Enrollment in English Support Classes for Community College Students
by
Iris Zelaya
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
December 2023
Copyright 2023 Iris Zelaya
2
Acknowledgments
My journey toward earning a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership with an
emphasis on Educational Psychology was made possible through perseverance and a great deal
of encouragement by family and friends. The introduction to this journey came from my fellow
friends and esteemed colleagues, Dr. Mercis Ramirez and Dr. Maurice Burman. Thank you for
introducing me to the program and always encouraging me to stay the course throughout the
years. My eternal gratitude to my dissertation chair Dr. Alan Green for taking me on after my
shift from gap analysis to qualitative research. Thank you, Dr. Green, for helping me focus my
lens as I navigated through my chapters and narrowed down my study. I appreciate the time and
effort that you bestowed on me—you always checked in when I would take a step back. Thank
you to Dr. Hinga for always being a positive light, and an amazing professor. I enjoyed your
lectures and the openness that created the safe space for real dialogue in all your classes. Thank
you to Dr. Guadalupe Garcia-Montano for your willingness to participate in my committee and
provide guidance. Thank you to my family, friends, colleagues, and my dissertation committee
for helping me get to the finish line. I am humbled by the amount of support I have received, and
I will pay it forward to those embarking on this journey.
3
Dedication
I dedicate this doctoral degree to my family. Without them, I could not have had this
opportunity. My father, Rev. Osmin Zelaya, and my mother, Gladis Zelaya, instilled the
importance of education as a path to success. As a first-generation student navigating the
educational system through trial and error, one important factor remained, which was the support
from family. It is not lost on me the sacrifices that have been made by my parents and my son so
that I can pursue my degree. My siblings and I saw firsthand the amount of work and discipline it
took for our parents to provide for us, and it is through these accomplishments that we can show
how it has paid off. It is my hope that my son Adan can stay the course on his own journey
toward his baccalaureate degree.
Born in El Salvador amid the civil war, higher education was far from a thought my
parents could have imagined for me. I am proud that through all my lived experiences, my access
to higher education came from the community college. I dedicate my career as a counselor at a
community college to serving first-generation students navigating the same path. I expect the
process to get easier for each generation that comes after. Through the Promise program, which
has afforded tuition-free education, and AB 705 eliminating remedial content, I am able to
witness more barriers being removed so more students can participate in higher education.
A special thank you to my sister Edith, brother Fredis, aunts, uncles, and cousins, who
have been instrumental with their unconditional love and support throughout this path.
I would also like to thank my partner George, who has been my guiding force through these last
two chapters. George, I am so grateful for you; you never let me give up and continuously
encourage me to persist.
4
Saving the best for last, I am grateful to God for whom all things are possible. Lord
without you I would be lost, thank you for giving me discernment through my career path. This
would not have been possible without your will. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you
wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
Dedico este doctorado a mi familia. Sin ellos, no podría haber tenido esta oportunidad.
Mi padre, Rev. Osmín Zelaya, y mi madre, Gladis Zelaya, me han inculcado la importancia de la
educación como camino hacia el éxito. Como estudiante de primera generación que navegaba
por el sistema educativo a través de prueba y error, quedaba un factor importante: el apoyo de la
familia. No se me escapan los sacrificios que han hecho mis padres y mi hijo para que yo pueda
obtener mi título. Mis hermanos y yo vimos de primera mano la cantidad de trabajo y disciplina
que requirieron nuestros padres para mantenernos, y es a través de estos logros que podemos
mostrarles cómo ha valido la pena. Tengo la esperanza de que mi hijo Adán pueda mantener el
rumbo en su propio camino hacia su título de bachillerato.
Nacida en El Salvador en medio de la guerra civil, la educación superior estaba lejos de
ser un pensamiento que mis padres hubieran imaginado para mí. Estoy orgullosa de que a través
de todas mis experiencias vividas, mi acceso a la educación superior provino del colegio
comunitario. Dedico mi carrera como consejera en el colegio comunitario a servir a los
estudiantes de primera generación que están recorriendo el mismo camino. Espero que el proceso
sea más fácil para cada generación que venga después. A través del programa Promise, que ha
brindado educación gratuita, y la AB 705 que elimina el contenido de recuperación, puedo ser
testigo de la eliminación de más barreras para que más estudiantes puedan participar en la
educación superior.
5
Un agradecimiento especial a mi hermana Edith, hermano Fredis, tías, tíos y primos,
quienes han sido fundamentales con su amor y apoyo incondicional a lo largo de este camino.
También me gustaría agradecer a mi pareja George, quien ha sido mi guía a lo largo de estos dos
últimos capítulos. George, te estoy muy agradecida; Nunca me dejaste rendirme y continuamente
me animaste a persistir.
Dejando lo mejor para el final, doy gracias a Dios para quien todo es posible. Señor sin ti
estaría perdida, gracias por darme discernimiento en mi trayectoria profesional. Esto no hubiera
sido posible sin tu voluntad. "¿No te lo he ordenado? Sed fuertes y valientes. No temáis, ni os
desaniméis, porque el Señor vuestro Dios estará contigo dondequiera que vayas". (Josué 1:9)
6
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 2
Dedication 3
Table of Figures 9
Abstract 10
Chapter One: Overview of the Study 11
Background of the Problem 14
Statement of the Problem 16
Purpose of the Study 17
Significance of the Study 18
Limitation and Delimitations 19
Definition of Terms 20
Organization of the Study 21
Chapter Two: Review of Literature 22
Data on Community College Populations 23
Student Demographics in Community College 24
Benefits of Attending Community College 25
Cost of Attending Community College 25
History of AB 705 26
Results for AB 705 27
Data for AB 705 28
Benefits for AB 705 29
Sense of Belonging 30
7
Theory……………………………………………………………………………31
Involvement 32
Persistence 33
Factors Impacting Persistence 34
Benefits of Persistence 35
Conceptual Framework 36
Conclusion 37
Chapter Three: Methodology 39
Research Questions 40
Sample and Population 41
Instrumentation 42
Data Collection 43
Data Analysis 43
Summary 45
Chapter Four: Results 47
Participants 47
Results Research: Question One 50
Theme One: Struggles with Academic Writing 51
Theme Two: Access to Resources for Support 53
Theme Three: Utilizing New Skills 55
Discussion Research: Question One 56
Results Research: Question Two 56
Theme One: Embedded Tutoring 57
8
Theme Two: Summarizing Text 58
Theme Three: Corequisite Contributions 59
Discussion Research: Question Two 61
Summary 61
Findings 64
Impostor Syndrome in Academic Writing 66
Access Beyond the Hours of Operation 67
Limitations 68
Implications for Practice 69
Future Research 70
Conclusion 71
9
Table of Figures
Table 1 - Participant Demographics 49
Table 2 - Distribution by Age, Ethnicity, and Gender 49
Table 3 - Distribution by GPA in 12th Grade English Class 50
Table 4 - First-Time English Students 65
10
Abstract
This qualitative study aims to understand the experiences of students of color who have
completed the transfer-level English class taught utilizing the concurrent model set by AB 705
and whether this model affects their academic success. The problem this study focused on was
how equitable access to higher education is for community college students. The methodology of
Critical Race Theory was used to study educational inequity among students of color and their
experiences in educational systems. Participants expressed that embedded tutoring in English
corequisite classes provided the necessary support needed to complete the transfer-level course
successfully. However, the implication AB 705 faces is the understanding that students enter at
different educational levels and the need for resources and support are essential to bridge the
educational gap. Therefore, professors teaching corequisite model content must have a positive
outlook toward scaffolding and building a welcoming environment for their students without
implicit bias about students’ readiness for college-level education based on their proficiency in
academic writing.
11
Chapter One: Overview of the Study
Community college enrollment has rapidly expanded over the past century, affording
greater participation in higher education, especially for individuals with limited opportunities
(Fong et al., 2017). A vital role of community colleges is enriching communities in lower
socioeconomic areas by way of facilitating access and educational opportunities regardless of
students’ economic status. More broadly, community colleges represent the inclusive culture of
learning and democratization of education, attracting those underserved by traditional higher
education (Cohen & Brawer, 2008). Students of color entering colleges and or universities often
enter with a lack of sense of belonging and a sense of impostor syndrome. This is related to the
fact that students of color are placed in remedial education in significant numbers, as well as
being labeled as underprepared for college, specifically in regards to their academic writing
abilities. Le and Ling (2019) found in their study that first-generation college students and
people of color are more likely to confront hardships that come with impostor syndrome such as
doubting their own skills, abilities, and their overall capabilities in their life.
Baber et al. (2019) state that in 2018 there were 978 community colleges in the US,
which comprise nearly half (49.6%) of all US postsecondary institutions. In addition, 33% of all
postsecondary enrollments were in public community colleges, with 23.5% attending full-time
during the same period. Providing access to higher education for marginalized student groups has
frequently been problematic due to placement exams that prevent students from gaining
admission to college-level courses. Historically, students of color placed in remedial education in
community colleges were deemed underprepared and required one or more years of remedial
education. Nationwide, a majority of first-time students in community colleges are placed in
developmental coursework in math, English, or both, and few of these students successfully
12
navigate the curriculum to complete college-level courses in these subjects (Bailey, 2009). This
study will focus on the concurrent enrollment support classes designated by Assembly Bill (AB)
705 in an effort to eliminate the practice of remedial education.
Baber et al. (2019) explained that traditionally, four-year institutions have catered to the
higher socioeconomic sections of society, such as the aristocratic, meritocratic, and egalitarian
classes. Historical racist practices excluded the general public from four-year universities
designed for only the elite. Baber et al. (2019) go on to say that the creation of community
colleges provided access to postsecondary education for a broader range of students that were
otherwise underserved by four-year institutions such as students of color, first-generation
students, students from low-income backgrounds, returning adults, and students from immigrant
families. As part of a movement toward social justice, community colleges were established to
increase access to higher education for marginalized students, which would help them achieve
greater economic success. According to Baber et al. (2019), early twentieth-century American
educators saw four-year universities catering to academically inclined students and community
colleges offering lower-division courses and vocational training tailored to educate manual
laborers. Open-access community colleges were not a vehicle for upward mobility partly due to
the challenges commuter students face, such as multiple responsibilities outside of school and
financial burdens. Commuter students could not fully immerse themselves in the campus
environment.
Siquerios et al. (2020) found 80% of community college students work, with 39%
working full-time. A traditional commuter student is determined to be someone who does not
reside in university housing (LaSalle University, n.d.). Many community college students work
while they attend school; therefore, their diverse responsibilities shape their need for flexible
13
access to their education. These students often work full- or part-time jobs, can be parents,
grandparents, or caregivers, and, in some cases, financially responsible for their households.
According to Kirk and Lewis (2015) the unique needs of commuter students have been neither
adequately understood nor appropriately incorporated into policies, programs, and practices in
the education system.
Besides the multiple responsibilities commuter students balance, oftentimes they are
entering community college underprepared academically. Steps have been taken by some
colleges and universities to specifically address incoming students who are academically
underprepared. In California's community colleges, more than 75% of the students are identified
as underprepared due to placement exams and assigned to remedial coursework
(Leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, 2020). Equity implications in assessment instruments and policies
for placement affect students of color, who are often placed in remedial courses
(Leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, 2020). Aiming to reduce the number of students in remedial
education, AB 705 was adopted in California to require community colleges to use multiple
measurement tools for placement. This process is intended to maximize the ability for students to
complete college-level math and English courses within a one-year time frame.
Careful examination is needed to ensure all students have equal opportunities to achieve
academic goals. Siquerios et al.(2020) noted that placement tools such as Accuplacer and
Compass severely displaced students into remedial level math and English courses in cases
where students could have scored a “B” or better in college-level classes. AB 705 is providing
alternatives to remedial education by introducing concurrent enrollment in college-level courses
taken with support. Allowing students to take college-level courses with support helps them to
14
proceed in their education more quickly and minimizes the time required to graduate or transfer
to a four-year university.
Background of the Problem
In Baber et al. (2019), community colleges are described as minority-serving institutions
and a primary entry point for historically underrepresented students, especially those from
ethnically and racially minoritized groups. As a minority-serving institution, community colleges
have historically failed marginalized students when it comes to retention and completion rates.
At four-year institutions, about 45% of entering first-year students finish their degrees within six
years, but only about 7% of those starting at two-year institutions complete a four-year degree
within ten years (Huerta and Watt, 2015). Meanwhile, four-year institutions that accept fewer
than 25% of applicants have a graduation rate of 88% compared with open-admission
institutions, where 32% of those admitted complete within six years (Andrade et al. 2020). As
part of their commitment to open access, community colleges admit millions of students each
year who are underprepared for college-level work, even when they have earned a high school
diploma. There is a discrepancy between how high schools view college preparedness and the
level of college preparedness college professors expect from incoming freshmen.
Pratt (2017) discusses the demographics of those attending community colleges and how
they enroll disproportionately low-income, first-generation, and minority students, inspiring both
former President Obama and former Tennessee Governor Haslam to advocate for tuition-free
education. How far does the commitment to open access go toward becoming a license to enroll
students unlikely to succeed (Pratt, 2017)? According to Huerta and Watt (2015), high school
students lack a rigorous curriculum; fewer than one-third of high school seniors graduate with
advanced mathematics courses or have taken an advanced placement (AP) course.
15
Students of color are disproportionately affected by remedial education, a discriminatory
practice in which remediation has led to a loss of sense of belonging and a drop in persistence in
their education. An examination of student transcripts from 2003 to 2009 revealed that 68% of
students at two-year public colleges took at least one remedial class, with greater rates among
low-income, Black, and Latinx students (Pratt, 2017). In addition, Pratt (2017) found that
students spend an estimated $7 billion annually on remedial college classes, yet only half the
enrolled students complete remedial courses, and about one in seven complete a degree within
six years. The cost of remedial courses are equivalent to credit-bearing courses, yet students do
not earn college units for remedial coursework. Typically, the vast majority of students entering
community college are placed in remedial courses, from which only a few emerge and persist to
complete their programs. An increasing number of researchers have also documented how the
use of placement exams contributes to students leaving institutions due to losing interest in their
education (Tinto, 2012; Veenstra, 2009).
Students of color were placed into remedial education at a higher rate than those of other
races, leading to tuition costs and wasted time in non-collegiate courses, causing a
disproportional lack of persistence among these two groups. The results of remedial education
studies, such as the one conducted by Zeidenberg et al. (2007), revealed deficiencies in students'
academic skills, specifically in reading, writing, and mathematics. Furthermore, Bailey et al.
(2005) reported that white students consistently outdistance their students of color counterparts
in both continuous enrollment and academic performance. Despite efforts to close the
achievement gap between students of color and their white peers, previous research shows that
discriminatory access to education persists. There is an absence of high-quality programs that
provide the necessary support for students of color to persist.
16
Statement of the Problem
Many students of color begin their higher education studies at community colleges;
however, most research on community college students reveals astronomically low completion
rates. Historically, students of color have been disproportionately categorized as remedial
students. Continuing to offer these courses opens the door to implicit bias, as certain students are
steered to take them, while others are regarded as "college material" (Hern, 2019). This decline
in college retention is explained by Huerta & Watt (2015) and includes factors such as lack of
preparation for college, the economic cost of college, and the institution's quality. Given low
rates of student retention and completion in community colleges, there has been growing interest
in understanding which characteristics put students at risk and buffer against academic difficulty
(Fong et al., 2018). As an alternative to traditional remedial classes, Hern (2019) states that AB
705 directs colleges to provide concurrent support while students are enrolled in transfer-level
classes, an approach known nationally as corequisite remediation.
Community colleges have long attempted to address their low completion rates by
researching the barriers that prevent students from persisting in their education. Based on
national data regarding graduation rates by race, Banks & Dohy (2019) conclude that disparities
are evident between students of color and their counterparts. Community colleges have been
failing students of color in supporting their educational journey to complete certificates and
degrees. The practice of holding back students of color has caused many to drop out of college or
take six to ten years to complete their degrees or transfer to a university. Research has shown that
students of color do not experience a sense of belonging, and therefore struggle navigating the
path of completion. AB 705 requires a concurrent class to support students enrolled in transferlevel courses rather than the traditional remedial education classes required in advance of taking
17
the course. Students who have participated in concurrent classes with support have crucial
insight into the effectiveness of this resource. Do students feel the concurrent support model
helps fulfill the course foundation and assists them in completing their course work at the college
level? To fully understand the effectiveness of concurrent support as a resource toward closing
education gaps, it should be considered from the perspective of students who have completed
these classes with support. Hern (2019) explains that concurrent support would provide students
with more class time to review foundational math and English concepts and with skills needed at
a higher level. The support embedded in concurrent courses allows students to complete the
support class along with their classmates and not feel alienated in seeking help. Corequisite
models enable students to enroll in the classes that give them the best chance of completing
transferable English and math, while also receiving support to be successful in them (Hern,
2019).
Purpose of the Study
This qualitative study aims to understand the experiences of students of color who have
completed the transfer-level English class taught utilizing the concurrent model set by AB 705
and whether this model affects their academic success. The population of community college
students consists of 80% working while attending college, limiting the amount of time they can
stay on campus to study or receive tutoring support (CCRC, 2021). By embedding support into
the concurrent model, more students are able to utilize that resource and not have it interfere with
their time constraints. Remedial education has caused dramatic declines in academic progress
among students of color. Hern (2019) argues that offering remedial classes may put economically
privileged students at an unfair advantage over others. Students of color are more likely to feel a
lack of sense of belonging when they are placed in remedial education which labels them as
18
underprepared for college-level courses. Taking remedial classes lengthened the time it took
students to finish their degrees and transfer to universities. In many cases, the additional delay
contributed to students dropping out of school. Through a critical race lens, the social injustice of
remediation and the new reforms of AB 705 can be further explored to determine whether they
meet the needs of commuter students of color.
This study will use critical race theory (CRT) as the conceptual framework to examine
the concurrent model set by AB 705, and how students of color are perceiving the support.
According to Rocco and Plakhotnik (2009), a conceptual framework grounds a study in the
relevant knowledge bases that lay the foundation for the problem statement and research
questions. Through the lens of CRT, we can examine marginalized students' educational
experiences, conditions, and outcomes (Smith-Maddox & Solorzano, 2002) and challenge
dominant ideologies (Solorzano, 1998). This study utilized individual interviews to explore the
experiences of students who have completed English classes with support. The following
research questions guided the study:
1. What are the experiences of students of color who completed transfer-level English
with corequisite support?
2. How did the concurrent course model contribute to academic success, if at all?
Significance of the Study
In community colleges, it is crucial to address the issue of students of color having a
lower completion rate in transfer-level courses than their white peers. Furthermore, this study
advances research regarding the concurrent model for support in AB 705, which was introduced
to eliminate remedial education. Schrynemakers et al. (2019) state that based on recent data,
policymakers perceive remedial education courses to be an obstacle to college completion rather
19
than a means of attaining it. The literature identifies inequitable outcomes between students who
begin community college taking remedial classes compared to those who first enroll in transferlevel classes. The remaining contribution for this study is the student's perspective on completing
English classes with support and if it assists their successful completion.
There is insufficient research providing insight into students' experiences who have
completed concurrent transfer-level courses with support. This study will add to existing research
by obtaining the student perspective about whether the concurrent support model contributes to
success in college. This study intends to inform administrators, faculty, and staff of students’
actual experiences who completed English classes with support.
Limitation and Delimitations
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) claim that using triangulation with three separate methods of
collecting data, such as interviews, observations, and data collection, allows for high internal
validity of ethnographic research. Interviews allow for a better understanding of the student's
background and education, and how they feel about completing their English transfer-level
classes with the concurrent support model. In the entire qualitative research process, the
researchers focus on learning the meaning participants hold about the problem or issue, not the
meaning researchers bring to the research or that writers express in the literature (Creswell and
Creswell, 2018). Through the use of interviewing, researchers find out from students those things
that we cannot directly observe. We cannot see feelings, thoughts, and intentions (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2016). The interviews for this study will use the same exact questions for each
participant to ensure coding is credible and outcomes are reliable. Maintaining a uniform layout
for interviews will minimize issues of internal validity.
20
Definition of Terms
These key terms guided this study and are frequently used throughout the study:
● Critical race theory (CRT): This theory examines society, culture, and the
intersectionality of race, power, and law (Delgado &Stefancic, 2017).
● Equity: Refers to the principle of fairness. It is often used interchangeably with
the related principle of equality. Equity encompasses a wide variety of educational
models, programs, and strategies that may be considered fair, but not necessarily
equal (Sabbott, 2016).
● Impostor syndrome: A psychological condition characterized by persistent doubt
concerning one's abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being
exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one's ongoing success (Merriam-Webster,
n.d.).
● Legislation Assembly Bill (AB) 705: Bill requiring that a community college
district or college maximize the probability that a student will enter and complete
transfer-level coursework in English and math within a one-year timeframe and
use, in the placement of students into English and math courses, one or more of
the following: high school coursework, high school grades, and high school grade
point average (Leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, 2020).
● Sense of belonging: Goodenow and Grady (1993) define sense of belonging as
the extent to which students feel individually welcomed, respected, included, and
supported by others within the school social environment.
● Students of color: In the United States, people of color include African
Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islander Americans,
21
multiracial Americans, and some Latino Americans, though members of these
communities may prefer to view themselves through their cultural identities rather
than color-related terminology (Wikipedia contributors, 2023).
Organization of the Study
Chapter Two provides a review of the current literature surrounding the scope of the
study. As the study's conceptual framework, critical race theory will be discussed. Chapter Three
discusses the research methodology, data collection, and analysis procedures. In Chapter Four
the collected data will be presented and discussed. Finally, Chapter Five summarizes the research
study, presents research implications for future studies, and provides practice recommendations.
22
Chapter Two: Review of Literature
This chapter provides a review of the existing literature related to commuter students in
community colleges. In particular, the demographics of commuter students, their educational
costs, and the benefits of attending a community college are discussed. Additionally, it considers
the history of placement exams, reform efforts from legislation AB 705, and early results.
Moreover, the theory of sense of belonging and persistence is incorporated to demonstrate the
importance of engagement for commuter students' retention and completion. This study reflects
on the discriminatory practice of remediation, which significantly altered students of color's
sense of belonging by being perceived by their professors as not college-level. Remediation also
creates a barrier to persistence, causing students to take additional years to complete their
education and resulting in astronomical dropout rates. This study will help enact social justice
through the voices of underrepresented students of color. Finally, this chapter concludes with the
study's theoretical framework of critical race theory (CRT) as a part of the conceptual framework
of the overall study.
This study will focus on students attending community college. Regalado and Smale
(2018) emphasize the importance of community college students as commuter students, and what
resources align with their needs. A traditional commuter student is a student who does not live in
university housing. Instead of living in dorms, commuter students typically live at home with
their families. Some of these students have responsibilities due to financial hardships or family
obligations. Commuter students overwhelmingly constitute the majority of today’s student
population, representing more than 85% of the nation’s college enrollment when considering all
types of institutions (Gianoutsos & Rosser, 2014). Community colleges are designed to cater to
the commuter student population. The open-access format that community colleges offer allows
23
for easy access to higher educational opportunities for a variety of students. For those attending
commuter institutions, the age range is wider and the percentage of minorities is significantly
higher; these students live in different arrangements and use different means of transportation to
get to campus (Gianoutsos & Rosser, 2014). According to Gianoutsos and Rosser (2014),
commuter students are stigmatized with various stereotypes, including less committed to their
education, setting fewer educational goals, less involved in campus issues, and engaged in less
academic work. The commuter student population has a wide range of characteristics, including
age, economic background, and educational goals. Gianoutsos and Rosser (2014) found in their
study that commuter students struggle to balance many different life roles (e.g., parenting, fulltime employment, community service), to find and integrate into social support systems, and to
develop a sense of belonging to their institution.
Data on Community College Populations
It is essential to understand the population of students that community colleges serve, as a
majority of them are students of color who lack access to higher education otherwise. The
concept of open access is embedded in most community college policies to build inclusive
practices that allow all students entry to take classes regardless of prior academic history,
socioeconomic status, age, gender, racial or ethnic identity, or enrollment status (Whatley &
Raly, 2020). According to Bulman & Fairlie (2022), California Community Colleges
Chancellor’s Office reported that one of every four college students in the nation attends a
California community college, with more than 2.1 million students at 116 colleges; the California
Community College is the country's most extensive higher education system. Community
colleges offer a wide range of educational opportunities at a significantly lower cost than
traditional universities. The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO)
24
report on student ethnicity 2017–2018 for California community colleges identifies students’
ethnicities as: Hispanic 44.54%; White 25.88%; Asian 11.56%; Black 5.9%; multi-ethnicity
3.82%; and Native American .43%. Most students enrolled in today's community colleges are
older, have non-traditional entry qualifications, work full-time, have family commitments, come
from low-income and minority backgrounds, and/or are first-generation college students
(Whatley & Raby, 2020). Reporting by CCCCO (2021) of the gender demographics in 2016–
2017 illustrates that 53.6% of the students were female, 45.2% male, and 1.2% identified as
unknown. Regarding age demographics, CCCCO (2021) shows that 26.8% of students were
younger than 20 years of age, 30.9% aged 20–24, 26.9% aged 25–39, and 15.4% reported being
40 years old or older.
Student Demographics in Community College
According to Nelson (2017), many students attend a community college to complete
general education requirements economically and plan to transfer to a four-year university once
they have completed some coursework or obtained an associate's degree. Students may attend
community college to pursue certificates, retool their skills after being in the workforce, or take
courses to enrich their professional development. According to Whatley & Raby (2020), many
community college students face external factors such as homelessness, food insecurity, and
childcare insecurity that can hinder their success in education. Many students attend community
colleges for financial reasons. Tuition at four-year universities is often out of reach for these
students.
These institutions are often purposefully located within a forty-mile radius of where most
students live with the idea that physical accessibility positively influences students’ decisions to
attend and persist in higher education (Whatley & Raby, 2020). In addition to in-person classes,
25
community colleges offer a variety of other options for how students may take their classes.
Access to community colleges enhances educational attainment and earnings, but further analysis
shows considerable variation along several dimensions (Mountjoy, 2019). As an example,
students who fail to complete four-year universities have poorer economic outcomes. Significant
gains are experienced by students who otherwise would not have attended college. Mountjoy
(2019) found that women make significant gains in education attainment and earnings from a
two-year college. Disadvantaged students reap considerable earnings returns in a community
college with slight offsetting deviation (Mountjoy, 2019).
Benefits of Attending Community College
Many students enroll at community colleges because of their open-admission policies,
affordable tuition, proximity, and range of programs, which make them more accessible than
four-year universities. In addition to private earnings gains from community college attendance,
there are potential added economic benefits, including gains in health, general economic wellbeing, and benefits from lower welfare reliance and lower involvement in the criminal justice
system (Belfield & Bailey, 2011). Belfield & Bailey (2011) found strong links between
community colleges and their local labor markets. Two studies reported on the earning effects
from vocational certificates; they had significant earnings gains ranging from 7% to 24%.
Overall, they estimated that the gains of two more years of schooling beyond high school were
between 8% and 19% (Belfield & Bailey, 2011).
Cost of Attending Community College
Tuition and fees at community colleges are considerably less than four-year universities,
though they represent a small portion of the total cost of attendance. Additional costs include
textbooks, housing, childcare, and transportation, which present difficult financial barriers for
26
low-income students (Kanter & Armstrong, 2019). Due to the competitive nature of today's
economy, higher education has become a necessity, and states are looking for ways to fund
students' first two years of community college. The California Promise program offers fee
waivers to full-time, first-time students ineligible for the California College Promise Grant,
formerly known as the Board of Governors Fee Waiver. A staggering number of over a million
students reap the benefits of this grant each year. College Promise programs are launched and
sustained to cover tuition, fees, and, in many cases, the additional costs of attending college
(Kanter & Armstrong, 2019). Kanter and Armstrong (2019) found the value of free community
colleges, showing that an investment in the College Promise is a down payment on the prosperity
and vitality of the regions served by the nation’s nearly 1,200 community colleges. The College
Promise alleviates financial concerns for students and their families, allowing them to focus on
their educational path. Kanter and Armstrong (2019) illustrate how the College Promise concept
has changed thousands of lives and serves as a bellwether for the nation that free and universal
K–14 education is attainable for students and families across the country.
History of AB 705
As part of the most recent reform, community colleges have adopted AB 705 to replace
remediation. According to Barhoum (2018), remediation impairs the lives of many college
students looking for employment and life enrichment who have been significantly harmed by
these traditional, and in some cases discriminatory, practices that create educational segregation.
Signed into law in October of 2017, Assembly Bill (AB) 705 legislated changes to English,
mathematics, and ESL placement and course sequences for California’s community colleges
(Armstrong et al., 2020). Community colleges use the multiple measures approach instead of
Accuplacer tests for placement, which allows two or more criteria to determine placement, such
27
as a student's high school GPA and previous coursework. Many of these reforms acknowledge
that standardized placement tests create false distinctions between “prepared” and
“underprepared” students and that most students deemed “underprepared” by placement tests are,
in fact, successful in college-level courses (Armstrong et al., 2020). Bahr et al. (2019) found
evidence that indicates placement tests overestimate students' likelihood to pass college-level
courses, leading to students being misplaced in developmental coursework, slowing their
academic progress, and increasing the likelihood that they will drop out of college. Based on the
impact of this history, it is evident that the concept of students being underprepared is a result of
overreliance on standardized assessments—assessments that are inaccurate, unreliable, and
inconsistent (Armstrong et al., 2020). Armstrong et al. (2020) concluded that the reforms stand a
good chance of paving the way to a more equitable future for students, one that is not regressive
and racially unequal.
Results for AB 705
In Achterman's (2019) research, he found that students from low-income families and
underrepresented racial groups are disproportionately placed in remedial courses. The remedial
coursework represents an insufficient level of academic college preparation. Among the almost
261,000 students enrolled in community colleges in 2016–2017, for example, just 8% completed
both transfer-level English and math in their first year (Achterman, 2019). According to
Achterman (2019), research shows that many students enrolled in remedial courses could
succeed by moving directly to transfer-level courses; starting students at remedial levels further
reduces their chances of transferring. Students who skip the remedial track and enroll directly in
transfer-level English are three times more likely to succeed in transfer-level English, according
28
to a study by Educational Results Partnership (Achterman, 2019). Similar results are reported for
students in math.
The stress associated with taking a test can result in scores that are not consistently
accurate. Bahr et al. (2019) found that assigning students to developmental coursework is not
risk-free, and placement tests are more likely to negatively impact the placement of students than
to positively impact it. AB 705 provides a solution to a more accurate placement method by
allowing the use of multiple measures, which provide a more accurate account of the student's
ability. The revised law shifts college efforts toward curtailing the risk of under-placement, even
if it means some classes may result in lower overall pass rates (Bahr et al., 2019). Community
colleges have historically struggled with increasing their completion rates, and remediation was a
barrier that led to many students dropping out. There has been much debate in the last few years
regarding whether a promise of access to higher education, combined with a comparatively small
probability of completing college, can really qualify as access (Bahr et al., 2019). More research
is needed to determine how to improve the low completion rates in community colleges.
Data for AB 705
Melguizo et al. (2021) conducted a study about what progress has been made under AB
705 in Los Angeles Community College District thus far, and what work remains. The results
from Melguizo et al. (2021) show AB 705 implementation has resulted in over 90% of all firsttime college (FTIC) English enrollments in a transfer-level English course and over 75% of all
FTIC math enrollments in a transfer-level math course. Black and Latinx students experienced
the biggest shift from developmental math to transfer-level math; while just 13% of Black
students in math and 16% of Latinx students in math were enrolled in a transfer-level course in
2017, this grew to 75% and 73% in 2019 (Melguizo et al., 2021). Over 2,300 more students
29
passed first-year composition in Fall 2019 than did in Fall 2017; in addition, nearly 750 more
students completed statistics and pre-calculus in Fall 2019 than in Fall 2017 (Melguizo et al.,
2021). The data demonstrate that implementation of AB 705 has been providing positive results
for community college students. It has also made a significant difference in closing racial gaps in
access and success outcomes, as thousands more minority students are enrolling in and
completing transfer-level English and math courses in one semester than in years prior (Melguizo
et al., 2021).
Benefits for AB 705
Choosing the right math placement for students can determine how successful their
educational pathway will be and how long it will take them to finish. Every year, hundreds of
thousands of students are deemed underprepared for college and placed into developmental
courses from which relatively few emerge (Rodriguez et al., 2017). As a result of students being
deemed underprepared, they are left to feel a lack of sense of belonging and not perceive
themselves as college-bound students. According to Rodriguez et al. (2017), students in nonSTEM majors who took AB 705's statistics pathway outperformed their peers who took
traditional developmental math. Additionally, statistics pathways are designed to provide
alternatives to algebra-based curriculum for students in majors that only require statistics. A
course in statistics is a math course designed for students who major in arts, sociology, English,
journalism, psychology, or any other liberal arts and humanities subject. Systemwide, math is a
bigger challenge than English, with 65% of students enrolling in at least one developmental math
course, compared to 54% in English (Rodriguez et al., 2017). These challenges lead to students
taking longer to get to and/or complete college-level courses and consequently prevent students
of color from persisting in their education.
30
In the case of English remediation, Hodara & Xu (2018) hypothesized that more
remediation compared to less will negatively impact students' performance. According to
research, students with lower placements in developmental courses have a decreased likelihood
of completing their requirements and moving on to college-level coursework. In a review of AB
705, White et al. (2021) reported that colleges have a significant shift in perceptions around
student capacity to succeed in transfer-level courses and increased students' confidence and
motivation upon completing transfer-level classes. In addition, White et al. (2021) expressed that
instructors who teach general education courses outside of math and English reported that after
completing transfer-level English, students are better writers and better at conducting online
research, and that translates into better grades. White et al. (2021) credits the support services
with enhancing the success of AB 705. There are multiple options for these services, including
the use of a math and writing center, embedded coaches and tutors both inside and outside of
classrooms, summer bridge programs, peer mentorship, and a standardized curriculum. To fully
understand the effectiveness of the reforms set by AB 705 to replace remediation, it is crucial to
research it by hearing it from the voices of students who have participated in these concurrent
enrollment courses to help address social justice issues.
Sense of Belonging
Historically, remediation has primarily affected students of color; according to Armstrong
et al. (2020), remediation is responsible for presenting students of color as underprepared,
hindering their sense of belonging. According to students, social support on campus is defined as
feeling connected, cared for, accepted, respected, valued, and essential to faculty, staff, and peers
(Strayhorn, 2019). In Jacoby's (2020) analysis, commuter students have suffered from the lack of
belonging to or feeling wanted by their academic institution, among other problems. Many
31
commuter students do not spend enough time on campus to develop meaningful relationships
with their peers or faculty; they often feel isolated in a place where they have no significant
relationships (Jacoby, 2020). People have an innate desire to belong and connect with others. The
peer group plays a critical role in fostering a student's sense of belonging, as peer support and
feedback are essential for achieving this goal (Strayhorn, 2019). Building relationships with
classmates helps students perform better in class. Students can share their understanding of the
curriculum with their peers or create study groups. Meeuwisse et al. (2010) argued that students'
feelings of belonging affect their educational progress, so it is essential to develop informal
relationships within the institution with peers and faculty. In their study, Meeuwisse et al. (2010)
demonstrated that students' sense of belonging influences their academic performance and that
they may begin to doubt their abilities if they do not have a strong sense of belonging at their
institution, which can cause them to give up on their educational pursuits.
Theory
If we know anything at all, we know that belongingness is a basic human motivation, and
all people share a strong need to belong (Maslow, 1962, p. 45). In his research, Tinto (1993)
explored students' ability to integrate into college spheres and how this can foster persistence and
dedication to academic achievement. Hurtado and Carter (1997) challenged Tinto's (1993)
concept of integration that neglected to value culturally supportive alternatives to collegiate
participation but instead emphasized mainstream activities that may not benefit Latino students.
As a result of Tinto's (1993) concept of integration, minority students felt like outsiders since
student clubs focused on primarily white cultural-themed activities. A lack of familiarity with a
student's culture in an educational environment can hinder their engagement and participation.
32
In contrast to Hurtado & Carter's (1997) findings, students who shared course content
outside the classroom with their peers or formed connections with members of similar religious
and social community organizations reported a stronger sense of belonging. Students in their
senior year in high school are encouraged to visit the campus before enrolling in college to gauge
whether they feel comfortable in the environment and if it is a good fit for them. In environments
or situations where individuals perceive themselves as different, unfamiliar, or foreign, where
they feel marginalized, unsupported, or unwelcome, belonging needs can take on greater
significance (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Incoming first-year students along with minority students can
feel out of place when they start their educational careers at colleges and universities. Without a
sense of belonging, students’ motivations are diminished, their development is impaired, and
they perform poorly on assignments and tests (Deci & Ryan, 2000).
Involvement
Commuter students can participate in many ways on campus. They must determine which
resources are essential and how much time they can devote to campus life. Students involved in
campus clubs, organizations, and committees tended to have a greater sense of belonging in
college than their peers who were not involved in clubs or were involved less frequently
(Strayhorn, 2019). Engaging in college life allows students to connect with their peers and
faculty and build relationships which bond them with their campus. Strayhorn's (2019) findings
show that grades, studying time, and interacting with diverse peers positively impact belonging.
College campuses can also aid student engagement by creating learning centers to foster
collaboration among students.
Jacoby (2020) believes institutions that provide spaces and facilities that encourage
interaction and community building contribute mightily to a sense of belonging, which is the sine
33
qua non for engagement. In addition to the cafeteria, commuter students do not have access to
lounge areas where they can socialize and build a community. Kodama (2015) explains that
research has shown that study groups and learning communities are more beneficial for
commuter students of color; they establish relationships with peers, provide academic support,
and maintain a sense of belonging to classes. By giving students the opportunity to build their
own learning environment that meets their unique needs, they gain self-agency. In addition, by
gaining security and support from learning communities, commuter students can better negotiate
the university environment and are thus more comfortable asking for help and more willing to
use campus services (Kodama, 2015). Oftentimes the resources available to students are not
utilized, which can indicate that they are not conveniently offered or there is another barrier
keeping students from accessing the resources.
Persistence
Spady (1970) suggests that first-year students and students of color may feel out of place
when starting their college academic careers. Without a sense of belonging, students may lose
motivation, suffer poor academic development, stop persisting, and eventually drop out.
According to traditional persistence models (Spady, 1970), academic achievement and
intellectual development are the two factors that determine persistence; as support for the social
system, friendship and normative congruence are key factors (Kinsey, 2021). Spady (1970) first
distinguished between students who leave a college or university for academic or disciplinary
reasons and those who withdraw voluntarily to determine attrition in education (Kerby, 2015). In
contrast with Spady’s conceptual model of attrition, Tinto (1975, 1993) placed the culpability of
persistence on students building their relationship with their institution. Tinto mapped out a
process that begins with the student's prior associations but allows those to be weakened or
34
strengthened based on how the student incorporates into the institutional community (Kinsey,
2021). The Bean and Metzner attrition model was revised to center it around commuter students,
and they found environmental and external factors were the strongest barriers to persistence
(Kinsey, 2021). Commuter students may have environmental factors such as financial, family
obligation, and/or work-school schedule conflicts which negatively impact their persistence in
school. In each previous model, the researchers used persistence based on specific factors, such
as social, academic, or background.
Factors Impacting Persistence
According to previous studies, persistence is influenced by ethnicity, geography, and
socioeconomic status. Kinsey (2021) found the lack of an educational plan contributes to a
feeling of academic displacement for many students, causing them to avoid the connection
between their coursework and a future career. Students question how their classes will contribute
to their future careers and how relevant the information is to the field they are pursuing. Today’s
students have different expectations of their education and different financial and social concerns
relevant to their schooling (Kinsey, 2021). In agreement, Hatch and Garcia (2017) argue that
early college counseling experiences can be invaluable for students from traditionally
underserved communities who may face multiple barriers to retention. Educational counseling
can help mitigate certain hurdles and assist students in connecting their educational path to their
future careers.
As Hatch and Garcia (2017) argued, instructors should explain academic resources to
students, as well as help them establish academic and social networks. The responsibility to point
students to resources for support falls on all faculty and staff; students should rely on faculty and
staff as their primary sources of information. Based on help-seeking research, it is known that
35
students' perceptions of academic environments and their feelings of isolation and validation are
directly correlated with later help-seeking behaviors, especially for underserved minorities and
men (Hatch & Garcia, 2017). Students who procrastinate when seeking help miss out on utilizing
resources such as writing centers for feedback and editing guidance.
According to Dwyer (2017), social interaction can enhance academic learning and vice
versa, which could be vital to students who do not engage with educational institutions. In his
study, Dwyer (2017) found that student-faculty interaction in the classroom affects both the
persistence and academic development of commuter students. Discussions and feedback in
teaching were associated with a sense of inclusion for commuting students; the classroom
presents one of the few opportunities to interact with faculty and classmates (Dwyer, 2017). The
evidence from this study indicates that what influences students to persist in higher education is
not retention practices per se, but educational practices such as the pedagogical approach and the
level of student-faculty interactions. Commuter students spend limited time on campus, so every
interaction with professors, staff, and peers should benefit their educational path.
Benefits of Persistence
Educational access is only the first component. Colleges acknowledge that they must also
find ways to help an increasingly diverse body of students be successful and persist to graduation
and beyond if they choose (Andrade et al., 2022). Furthermore, Andrade et al. (2022) argued that
persistence in higher education brings benefits to the economy in the form of higher salaries,
higher employment rates, more significant savings, excellent working conditions, and enhanced
personal and professional mobility. Despite widespread access to higher education, graduation
rates at community colleges remain stagnant. Four-year institutions that select fewer than 25% of
applicants have a graduation rate of 88% compared with open-admission institutions where 32%
36
of those admitted complete their degree within six years (Andrade et al., 2022). Most community
college's mission statements state that they provide students with pathways to academic, career,
and transfer success; students can earn career technical certificates, earn associate degrees,
transfer to other universities, and obtain employment. According to Andrade et al. (2022), higher
education institutions must demonstrate accountability for student achievement; the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges monitors the institutions' processes of review, ongoing data
collection, and analysis to ensure that student achievement meets expected levels. Research has
shown that student persistence benefits the student, their university, and their community.
Conceptual Framework
The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the experiences of community
college students of color that have completed the transfer-level English class taught utilizing the
concurrent model set by AB 705. In addition, this study aims to understand whether this model
affects their academic success from a student's perception. The conceptual framework used to
frame this study will be the lens of critical race theory (CRT). For understanding and
incorporating the tenets of CRT in this study, Solorzano (1998) identifies them as follows:
● centrality and intersectionality of race/racism with other forms of subordination.
● a challenge to the dominant ideology.
● commitment to social justice.
● the centrality of experiential knowledge of people of color.
● an interdisciplinary perspective.
While community colleges excel at enrolling the vast majority of students of color, their
completion rates are dismal compared to four-year universities. CRT allows us to examine
37
marginalized students' educational experiences, conditions, and outcomes (Smith-Maddox &
Solorzano, 2002) and challenge dominant ideologies (Solorzano, 1998).
A CRT framework is appropriate due to the history of placement exams inaccurately
placing students of color in remedial English and math classes. Racism and classism are
prevalent among attitudes toward minority students attending community colleges as evidenced
by the perception that they are underprepared, the use of placement examinations to determine
student academic ability, and the view that community colleges serve only as trade schools. AB
705 was enacted to enhance access to college-level courses. This legislation introduced an
alternative placement method for incoming students that diverges from standardized placement
exams and permits the utilization of multiple measures. These measures include a student's GPA,
AP exams, and previous coursework to determine placement for incoming students, which has
been shown to be a more accurate tool for placement.
Conclusion
Based on the literature reviewed in this chapter, the overwhelming evidence supports the
need for this study. Specifically, Banks and Dohy (2019) identified opportunity gaps relating to
social justice issues of racism in higher education as a significant contributor to feelings of
loneliness, disengagement, and, more specifically, a barrier to retention and graduation for
students of color. While most research focused on students entering college academically in
deficit and in need of remediation, many failed to address academic engagement and persistent
inequities in aligning with students' needs. Research suggests that remedial education was the
barrier that caused students of color to lack a sense of belonging in college. Banks and Dohy
(2019) also found that assumptions are often made regarding disparities in college graduation
rates of students of color that blame racial inferiority. The more time students spent in remedial
38
education, the more they lost confidence in their academic abilities, resulting in low persistence
and increased dropout rates among students of color. The discriminatory practice of standardized
placement exams, which have placed the vast majority of students of color in remedial education,
is being replaced with AB 705's concurrent enrollment model. The relevance of this study will
directly inform community college educators and students on the effectiveness of concurrent
enrollment. The participants for the interviews are students who have completed the concurrent
enrollment course. The students will discuss their perceptions of whether this model provided
them with the support necessary to succeed in completing the college-level course. The
following research questions guided the study:
1. What are the experiences of students of color who completed transfer-level English
with corequisite support?
2. How did the concurrent course model contribute to academic success, if at all?
This literature review provided a synopsis of the history of commuter students and
community colleges. Historical implications of placement tests on community college students
were discussed in conjunction with AB 705's reform measures. The sense of belonging and
persistence theories were reviewed to analyze their importance concerning student engagement
and participation. Lastly, the conceptual framework of critical race theory was introduced, which
will serve as the frame for this study. Chapter Three discusses the methodology and design of the
study, data collection, and the analysis of data.
39
Chapter Three: Methodology
Transitioning from the literature review in Chapter Two, which addressed the math and
English placement reform, students' sense of belonging, and the theory of persistence in higher
education, this chapter details the research methodologies used to explore perceptions and
experiences of students based on areas of study. There is no shortage of research regarding the
displacement caused by assessment tests. However, there is a lack of research that addresses the
contribution from the student perspective. Therefore, during this study, students who have
completed English classes with support were interviewed to determine whether the support
played a role in their successful completion of the course. This study represents an early research
phase after the passage of AB 705 in October 2017 and the issuance of implementation
guidelines in January 2019. The intention is that the findings of this qualitative study will
provide a deeper understanding of how policy impacts student persistence and sense of
belonging post-AB 705.
The following sections in this chapter provide a relevant and clear presentation of the
research methodology. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the research
design of the study, including the research questions, methods used, description of the study site,
methods used to select samples, data collection, and analysis, as well as the role of the
researcher. The methodology of critical race theory (CRT) aims to bring educational equity
among students of color and their experiences in educational systems. CRT methodology in
education contests traditional research paradigms and theories that are deficit-oriented and
instead illuminates the experiences of people of color (Mensah, 2019). Mensah's (2019) study
used the methodology of CRT because she believed it gives legitimacy to the voice of
marginalized people and provides a stance for them to be heard. In this study, using the CRT
40
methodology, participants were able to share their past struggles in their academic careers, their
fears about starting college, and the impact that their English class with embedded support
provided them. The participants were all students of color who had past academic struggles in
their high school years.
Research Questions
The questions below frame the study in important ways, guide decisions about methods,
and influence the conceptual framework, preliminary results, and potential validity concerns
(Maxwell, 2013). For example, question one is framed for a particular sample of students to
focus on their unique experience. Question two is intended to understand if any contributions
were made possible through the concurrent course model.
The following questions serve to guide this study:
RQ1. What are the experiences of students of color who completed transfer-level English
with corequisite support?
RQ2. How did the concurrent course model contribute to academic success, if at all?
The methodology for this study is qualitative methods, which allowed this study to explore
interviews with students. These interviews involved unstructured and generally open-ended
questions that are few in number and intended to elicit views and opinions from the participants
(Cresswell, 2018). This study interviewed twelve students through qualitative methods to better
understand their experience completing a transfer-level English class with support. The
interviews used an open-ended data collection method. Creswell (2018) states that the qualitative
method lends an in-depth insight to describe, interpret, and contextualize specific concepts or
phenomena.
41
Sample and Population
The sample of participants for this study were selected using purposeful sampling.
Palinkas et al. (2015) found that purposeful sampling is extensively used to identify and select
information-rich cases related to the phenomenon of interest in qualitative research. As the
researcher, the access provides an opportunity for purposeful sampling where the characteristics
of the population align with the purpose of this research. Purposeful sampling means that
specific characteristics of individuals are represented in the sample and reflect the true
proportion in the population of individuals with certain characteristics (Creswell, 2018). The
characteristics of the population will include students who have completed transferable English
classes with support, students who would have been placed in remedial education based on their
high school transcripts plus GPAs, and students of color who attended high school in the
neighboring communities of Jordan Community College (JCC) (pseudonym). Once an English
class has been identified, students will receive an email asking if they are available to participate
in the study and be interviewed.
The importance of conducting this research at JCC is valuable due to its unique position
as a community college serving the largest underserved student population in the downtown Los
Angeles metropolitan area. Neighborhood high schools consist of Title I designation, which
indicates that over 50% of their students qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch programs. The
Title I designation is prevalent in economically disadvantaged communities. The area
surrounding JCC (2020) is composed of residents living below the poverty level. According to
the Public Policy Institute of California (2020), the poverty level is a family of four earning less
than $25,000 annually as of 2019.
42
JCC (About JCC, 2020) has a mission to advance communities through academic, career,
and transfer success pathways that empower students to achieve career technical certificates,
associate degrees, transfer, and employment. JCC currently serves 16,766 students with
ethnicities including: Latinx 58%; Black 28%; Asian Pacific Islander 16%; White 6%; and
identify as unknown or other 2% (about JCC 2020). The student educational goals for JCC
students consist of 34% vocational, 32% transfer, 16% undecided, 12% associate's degree, and
6% transitional (about JCC 2020).
Instrumentation
According to Maxwell (2013), researchers who use qualitative instruments as discoveryoriented research tools typically construct study-specific sets of open-ended questions. In this
way, investigators provide interviewees with openings through which they can share their insider
perspectives, with minor or no limitations imposed by more closed-ended inquiries (Chenail,
2011). This study utilizing an semi-structured qualitative interview allowed students to provide
insight into their individual experiences in college-level English courses.
The intent of conducting semi-structured interviews with students is to gain insights into
their experiences in college-level English courses. This study aims to assess whether all students
have equal access to English classes with embedded tutoring and whether the concurrent support
meets the needs for underprepared students. By analyzing academic performances, we can assess
the success rates, grades, and completion rates of underprepared students who take concurrent
courses compared to those who do not. In order to acquire a better understanding of the
challenges faced by underprepared students taking concurrent courses, this study gathered
qualitative data through interviews or surveys. The data gathered can be used to enhance the
equity of support provided. Furthermore, this study assessed the outcomes, such as completion
43
rates for students who completed the concurrent English class. By comprehending the impact of
these courses on the students’ overall journeys, better support can be provided to these students.
Each student's experience brings a valuable perspective of how effective or ineffective the new
concurrent model is. The interview questions focus on the ways in which students are prepared
academically by a college-level English course with a corequisite and how they integrate this
learning into future composition courses.
Data Collection
Permission to conduct this study was obtained with verbal consent from the JCC Vice
President and written consent from instructors in the English department. Students were notified
via email of their permission to participate in the interview process. Once students were
identified, they signed a written consent prior to the interview. The data collected in this research
is protected through an alignment with Institutional Review Board (IRB) regulations. The IRBs
have been established to comply with the regulations of various federal agencies and are
committed to conducting biomedical and behavioral research involving human subjects under
rigorous ethical principles (USC, 2022).
Data Analysis
In the analysis process, three things occur: data are organized, data are reduced through
summarization and categorization, and patterns and themes in the data are identified and linked
(Kawulich, 2005). First, data was collected using interviews that focus on narrative and
performance analysis to discover repeated similarities in student’s stories. Second, the interviews
were transcribed for accuracy and coded for themes. Among the themes explored are the primary
high school attended of students, their grades in English courses, and their availability to
participate in on-campus tutoring; the information provided sets the context for how AB 705’s
44
English course fits into the needs of JCC students. The description and theme represent this
study’s lens on how students of color often enter community college academically
disadvantaged. AB 705 is finding ways to close the educational gap by creating resources built
into the classrooms, and through the interview process students expressed their experience with
this format. Critical Race Theory (CRT) framed this data analysis in the following ways.
1. Intersectionality: CRT emphasizes the importance of considering multiple
dimensions of identity. In this analysis, the focus is on students of color. However,
CRT considers how factors like socioeconomic status and gender intersect with
race to shape students’ experiences and outcomes in higher education.
2. Structural Racism: CRT highlights the existence of structural racism in society
and institutions. When studying data related to students’ academic performance
and resource accessibility, CRT investigates whether systemic racism could be a
factor in the challenges faced by students of color. This analysis may involve
exploring past and existing practices and policies unfairly impacting these
students.
3. Counter-Narratives: CRT often seeks to elevate counter-narratives or alternative
perspectives that challenge dominant ideologies. In this data analysis, interviews
focused on narrative analysis. CRT pays attention to the stories and experiences
shared by students of color that challenge or provide nuance to prevailing
narratives about their academic performance and readiness.
4. Structural Solutions: CRT goes beyond documenting disparities and aims to
propose structural solutions to address racial inequities. AB 705 is a policy aimed
at closing the educational gap in this research. CRT would critically assess the
45
effectiveness of such policies in dismantling systemic racism and promoting
educational equity.
5. Critical Reflexivity: CRT also emphasizes the importance of researchers being
reflexive about their positionality and biases. It encourages self-reflection on how
the perspective might influence the data collection and analysis process and how
that might impact the interpretation of the student’s experiences.
In essence, Critical Race Theory (CRT) provides a lens through which we can critically
analyze the data analysis process by taking into account the complex relationship between race,
racism, and systemic inequities in higher education. It encourages us to delve deeper into the
underlying structural elements that contribute to disparities and prompts us to consider the
efficacy of policies like AB 705 in addressing these issues.
Summary
Throughout this chapter, the methodology approach for this study is detailed and
explained. In addition, the research questions were included, along with information regarding
the recruitment and selection of participants and the data collection and analysis procedures,
including the role of the researcher as it pertains to positionality, credibility, and how it functions
as the primary data collection instrument. Cresswell (2018) states that identifying the
researcher’s personal values, assumptions, and biases is essential at the outset of the study. As the
researcher, my perspective in higher education stems from my experience attending public
school from first grade until community college. Currently, my position is as an adjunct
counselor for two community colleges, and through my work, I am aware of the barriers students
face academically. This understanding of the context and role contributes to my awareness,
knowledge, and sensitivity with regard to this study and the participants. Upon completion of the
46
interviews, I checked in with each participant with any follow-up questions or concerns that they
may have had. Furthermore, the outlined role of the researcher and my own personal biases
relevant to the study are addressed. As part of Chapter Four, the data collected will be presented,
and the findings discussed.
47
Chapter Four: Results
The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the experiences of students of color
that have completed the transfer-level English class taught utilizing the concurrent model set by
AB 705 and whether this model affects their academic success. This study employs critical race
theory as the conceptual framework to examine the concurrent model set by AB 705, and how
students of color are perceiving the support. This study conducted individual interviews to
explore the experiences of students who have completed English classes with support. The
following research questions guided the study:
RQ1. What are the experiences of students of color who completed transfer-level English
with corequisite support?
RQ2. How did the concurrent course model contribute to academic success, if at all?
Participants
The characteristics of the population include students who have completed transferable
English classes with support, students who would have been placed in remedial education based
on their high school transcripts plus GPA’s, and students of color who attended high school in
the neighboring communities of Jordan Community College (JCC). Once an English class was
identified, students received an email asking if they were available to participate in the study and
be interviewed.
Table 1 provides the details of each participant that was selected for this study. Twelve
total subjects (n=12) from three English classes were interviewed following the proposed
structure of the methodology. First, twenty-five participants were identified through the class
roster as being enrolled in an English course with support. These students were emailed to be
notified of this research and asked if they would be willing to participate in this study. These
48
students were purposefully sampled as having been placed in an English class with support due
to their high school GPA and students who transferred from the neighboring high schools of JCC.
Table 2 provides the student’s ages, which ranged between eighteen and thirty-five, a mixture of
eight (8) males and four (4) females, five (5) Black and seven (7) of Latino descent. Table 1
displays the participants demographics and their past academic record in high school English
class. All students have been renamed to protect their real identities. Their responses to the initial
protocol were transcribed, coded, and analyzed categorically. Unvarying themes were drawn out
and analyzed. The interviews were each conducted in a time span of 25–35 minutes.
Table 1
Participant Demographics
Name Age Ethnicity GPA in
High
School
12th
Grade
English
Grade
Enrollment
Status
Attended
Neighboring
High School
Phoenix 18 Black 2.1 D Part-time Yes
Tony 19 Latino 2.2 C Full-time Yes
John 19 Latino 2.1 D Part-time Yes
Frank 18 Latino 2.0 C Full-time Yes
Tom 20 Latino 2.4 D Part-time Yes
Taylor 21 Black 2.3 C Full-time Yes
49
Jason 32 Black 2.2 C Part-time Yes
Luis 35 Latino 2.3 D Full-time Yes
Leah 33 Latino 2.5 D Part-time Yes
Jax 30 Black 2.3 C Part-time Yes
Sarah 28 Black 2.0 C Full-time Yes
Martha 18 Latino 2.1 C Part-time Yes
Table 1 - Participant Demographics
Table 2
Distribution by Age, Ethnicity, and Gender
Table 2 - Distribution by Age, Ethnicity, and Gender
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Black
Latino
Age
Ethnicity
Age by Ethnicity and Gender
female male
50
Table 3
Distribution by GPA in 12th Grade English Class
Table 3 - Distribution by GPA in 12th Grade English Class
Results Research: Question One
Defining early provisional questions, as Maxwell (2013) highlights, is essential for the
study to be applied, to guide methodological decisions, and to monitor the conceptual
framework, preliminary results, and potential validity issues. Students will provide insight into
their individual experiences in college-level English courses through a semi-structured
qualitative interview. Students who are underprepared for college courses are interviewed in this
research with the objective of determining whether the concurrent course support model from
AB 705 is an equitable resource. Table 3 demonstrates the past academic grades of the
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Phoenix Tony John Frank Tom Taylor Jason Luis Leah Jax Sarah Martha
GPA
Participants
GPA by 12th English Grade
51
participants’ twelfth-grade English classes. Each student’s experience brings their own
perspective on the new concurrent model’s effectiveness or ineffectiveness. The emerging
themes that came up during the interviews with students consisted of the struggle with academic
writing, accessing resources for support, and utilizing the new skills in their other courses.
RQ1. What are the experiences of students of color who completed transfer-level English
with corequisite support?
RQ2. How did the concurrent course model contribute to academic success, if at all?
Theme One: Struggles with Academic Writing
Students with writing difficulties, even those who are proficient readers, often submit
written work that is sparse and/or difficult to read. Such students can be victims of
misunderstandings, a problem that becomes much more pronounced at the community college
level. The absence of writing skills is often blamed on laziness, lack of motivation, or an inability
to succeed in college (Cote & Levine, 1997). Table 3 shows that the participants also struggled
academically in their senior year of high school English class. Cote & Levine (1997) argues that
low academic writing skills can lead to a loss of motivation and academic disenchantment. Luis
and Leah expressed their fear that they did not belong in college when they first began their
English class with support. Luis felt as though academic writing was too complex for him to
master by the end of the semester. Leah said that the first week of her English class with support
felt like she was learning how to write in a foreign language due to the many rules she had not
been previously prepared for. Many of the participants who were first-generation college
students expressed experiencing impostor syndrome. Deil-Amen (2011) suggests that increasing
the amount of one-to-one communication between students and their professors during class time
52
will improve their academic performance as well as their sense of self-worth, competence, and
belonging, and their belief in their abilities.
Tony shared that his high school English classes were not as detailed in academic writing
as his English class with support. Tony said that academic writing had so many rules and
formatting that he felt overwhelmed at the start of the semester:
At first it was too much for me, I just felt like giving up. Once I had my format saved so I
can use it for all my essays, that part helped ease my anxiety. It’s a lot thrown at you and
I had to push myself to stay in it, it is so different than what I was used to in high school.
Participants expressed their struggle to engage in academic writing as it was different from what
they used in high school. Using CRT, the voices of students of color provide a platform for them
to share their unique and often overlooked perspectives. Through storytelling and discourse, CRT
aims to challenge the prevailing academic narratives and foster a more inclusive and equitable
learning environment.
Martha shared that she always enjoyed journaling and writing short stories, but it did not
prepare her for what was expected in academic writing. She explained that what helped keep her
motivated was that her classmates shared similar frustrations aloud and that allowed her to feel
she was not alone. Martha shares how the writing labs were useful for her academic writing:
During the writing labs we got to practice our grammar skills, like, the professor gave us
a list of synonyms to use instead of our everyday words, and how to use citations, where
they go, and how they make our papers stronger. My classmates had similar questions
like me about grammar and writing in this style we were not familiar with, staying on it
and pushing through was the only way for us to start to understand it.
53
Theme Two: Access to Resources for Support
There can be a number of factors that negatively affect the persistence of commuter
students, including financial issues, family obligations, and work-school schedule conflicts.
Previously, researchers modeled persistence based on social, academic, and cultural factors.
Accessing tutoring services, such as the writing center, can be a deterrent for community college
students if the hours do not align with the student's schedule. A community college student
differs from a traditional college student in several ways. Frequently, community college
students have full-time employment or family obligations that interfere with their ability to stay
on campus and access resources. According to Vick (2015), students who attended tutoring for
English classes had greater chances of success than students who did not receive tutoring.
Additionally, tutored students scored higher grades of As and Bs. This study confirms that
tutoring positively affects development of student grades in English. The results of the study also
suggest that students who have received tutoring are more likely to maintain their retention in
enrollment and succeed in future coursework.
Taylor has two kids with limited access to daycare, so his time on campus is restricted.
He has been able to access support through office hours with his English professor, but has been
unable to attend the writing center. Taylor explains that while there is virtual tutoring support, he
is unable to devote all his attention to the tutor:
When I get home, I am busy the entire time until my kids go to bed, even trying to jump
on online tutoring is impossible with two kids running around making noise, if staying on
campus after class was possible that would be my best option. My kid’s daycare is
limited to a specific timeframe so any changes will cost more money, as a single parent I
cannot add any additional expenses. This class has built-in support and that is the only
54
way I can stay on top of my assignments here; I know I don’t have time to attend outside
tutoring.
CRT suggests solutions to tackle racial disparities and promote educational equity, like AB 705
policy, and assesses their effectiveness in dismantling systemic racism through critical
evaluation.
Jax works full-time, and during the hours that the writing center operates she is at work.
She uses her lunch break to access the writing center online. Despite having access to the writing
center virtually, Jax says she's distracted from being fully engaged with the feedback because of
the limited hours:
I’ve tried joining a session during my lunch break, and it’s impossible with my coworkers
walking in and out of the break room, there is no privacy and I feel like I am not paying
full attention because my mind is constantly distracted there. Working full-time and
attending school, it is hard to figure out how to make the time for any additional help. It
is something I want to accomplish so I need to find a way to block out the time, it has just
been nonstop at work lately.
Martha explains that due to transportation, access to tutoring is not possible:
Oh no no we relied on public transportation, my parents didn't want a vehicle so there
was no opportunity to stay after school or stay late at school for tutoring OK, in high
school and the same in college. I have always figured out homework on my own, at home
nobody was ever available to help me understand my homework.
Participants identify as commuter students who are balancing many responsibilities outside of
their school schedules, and they similarly expressed how they often go without accessing
academic support.
55
Theme Three: Utilizing New Skills
Participants who enrolled in their second-level composition course after completing their
English class with support indicated that they had been able to apply the skills they learned from
their English course in their other classes. Jason is currently enrolled in Philosophy, which
emphasizes logic and critical thinking. He explains that writing techniques from his English
course have enhanced his ability to understand his assignments more clearly. He shared that the
skills that he has acquired in English with support have been helpful in all his courses, not just
for composition coursework, but also for his labor studies and art history courses. John realized
he was using idioms in a lot of his writing, and through the feedback from the English professor
he was able to understand that idioms can create confusion if the reader is not familiar with the
phrase. Leah explains which tools she uses from what she learned in her English class with
support:
Citations? Right now when I have to do anything, when I have to do an essay or the class
discussion boards, I have to write it nicely. I use articles so I can elaborate my work and
support it. I elaborate my paragraph so it could make sense and it helps me stay
organized. . . . It actually helped me do better on my essays and my writing on my other
classes that I had, [and get a] better grade. I also went tutoring and they helped me out a
lot.
Participants who completed the English class with embedded support reported that they retained
the skills and knowledge from their English class and it has benefited them in other classes as
well.
56
Discussion Research: Question One
As part of the English class with support, students are required to conduct extensive
research and acquire a thorough understanding of the subject matter in order to develop
persuasive arguments. To be an effective academic writer, it is imperative that the information
used in their writings is accurate, clear, and relevant to the topic in question. Furthermore,
research allows you to support any claims that you make with evidence. The ability to gain a
deeper understanding through research can be applied to a broad range of workplace
environments. The emerging themes consist of the development of academic writing, access to
resources, and applying the academic writing skills beyond the English class with corequisite
support. The interview process allowed students to express their own views on whether the
modified model of English class with support provided the tools for successful learning.
Results Research: Question Two
In order to support students enrolled in transfer-level courses, AB 705 requires a
concurrent/corequisite class. A student who has taken concurrent courses with support is wellpositioned to provide insight into the effectiveness of the courses. Do students report that the
concurrent support model provides the necessary course foundation and assists them in
completing their college-level coursework? The most important thing is to consider the
perspective of students who have completed these classes with concurrent support in order to
fully understand the effectiveness of concurrent support as a tool for academic success. As noted
by Hern (2019), corequisite models have the advantage of helping students enroll in courses that
are likely to prepare them most effectively for transferable English and math courses, as well as
receiving the support they require to succeed. The emerging themes from question two were
derived from the tools learned in the English class with corequisite support. Students discussed
57
what tools they found to be the most useful in their English class with corequisite support. The
emerging themes that came up during question two were the following: embedded tutoring,
summarizing text, and corequisite contribution.
Theme One: Embedded Tutoring
This option is intended for students with a GPA of 1.9 or lower. Professors and embedded
tutors work together to facilitate in-class activities, provide writing feedback, and meet with
students individually. It would be beneficial for commuter college students to receive this level
of support to overcome the limitations of availability outside the classroom. Another benefit from
an embedded tutor is that the tutors work directly with the professor so they understand the
assignments and skills the class is currently working on. Taylor (21) explains how embedded
tutoring has been his only option for support:
Since I’m not available for in-person or tutoring online, embedded tutoring has been a
great help. The tutor that comes to our English class works with me on my assignments,
and is able to help me figure out why my writing is not clear, or that I do not have enough
sources to cite, this additional support has been the best thing that has ever happened in
any of my classes.
Frank (18) shares his experience with embedded tutoring:
The tutor part of my English class is super helpful, she marks directly on my essay draft
and she reviews with me my errors, like for example my grammar or my sentence
structure etc., she knows how to break down each part of the assignment to make it easier
to understand. Honestly this has made me feel less overwhelmed because I am not on my
own. The first time I worked with the tutor she asked me to read out loud my draft, it’s
crazy because I realized that it made sense to me as the writer, but listening to myself
58
read it out loud I was catching my errors. Something so simple that we did on our first
day has made a big difference for me.
Timely direct feedback from tutors allowed the participants to feel that learning is an
active experience where they were able to absorb and take action on their assignments.
Theme Two: Summarizing Text
The purpose of summarizing is to strengthen an argument, provide context for the thesis
of a paper, write a literature review, and provide annotations to a bibliography. Essentially,
summarizing enables the reader to understand what you are attempting to convey by showing the
"big picture." In academic writing, summarizing has the advantage of ensuring the reader can
better understand the main points and ideas because they are condensed into something
digestible and easy to comprehend. Students expressed how summarizing helped them format
their writing, and it made getting started easier. Sarah (28) shares her experience:
One of the tools that I would say has been the most helpful was learning to summarize, at
first I was having trouble understanding how to organize my thoughts to develop my
essays, and I kept reediting until we started practicing in class. We worked with partners
and we each talked about our topic, we discussed what were the key points and how do
we put them in chronological order, what were the most important parts, to make sure we
highlighted those to start forming our summary. It makes things easier when we got to
talk it out with a partner and get feedback.
Tom (20) explains how he began to understand summarizing:
When we began covering summarizing in class we read short stories, watched short
videos, and read articles in class. We worked in groups to pull apart the information and
organize it. At first we would miss certain parts, but as we continued to practice it got
59
easier, by the time we used that for our own topics we knew how to break down what was
important. I still ask my classmates for feedback sometimes if I am debating on topics,
we have started bouncing ideas off each other.
Frank (18) provided feedback on how scaffolding was key to his understanding of
summarization:
It’s funny that at this level I still felt I needed help in breaking down what was the main
idea in a text, no joke I didn’t want to feel embarrassed not knowing so I didn’t raise my
hand to participate in class. The cool part was that we were not on our own, we had
different ways to practice dissecting the important ideas from text. Maybe because we
have different styles of learning our professor tried using different methods so we can all
understand. The breakdown to chunk the assignments step by step made the start of our
English class less stressful. Writing was never my thing, but I don’t feel anxious about it
anymore.
Participants believe that the classroom created a supportive environment where it was ok to ask
for help. The supportive classroom can be a contribution toward a growth mindset for students
allowing them to feel that their achievements are connected to their efforts and being open to
receive feedback.
Theme Three: Corequisite Contributions
AB 705 provides the opportunity for community college students to access college-level
coursework with the corequisite developmental support. The goal for the dual approach of
college-level content and support allows students to enter at the level they arrive at community
college. The combined approach provides students with college credits toward their associate’s
60
degree and transfer-level course completion. Leah (33) speaks about how the corequisite
embedded support provided her with a sense of relief as she returned to school after a long break:
I wasn’t sure I was going to attend college, I didn’t do great in high school, and I didn’t
think I wanted to continue being in school. I enrolled because my job wasn’t cutting it, I
can’t afford to live paycheck to paycheck so I figured I’d give school another try. When
my counselor suggested this English class with support and explained that it is for
students that struggled in high school, I felt that is exactly what I need. So far I have to
say, I’ve gotten good grades in my assignments and I’m proud of my writing. I wish I had
started college right out of high school. I would have been done, but then again this
combined support was probably not around. Our professor explained on our first day that
our class was going to be different because of the support portion.
Tony (19) shared how helpful the corequisite aspect was for him as a bilingual student:
It was a big leap to jump from high school to college. I would recommend this class with
support. At first it was intimidating because we had to be very vocal, for example I had to
stand up and present on day one. Our professor gave us handouts to analyze text, and we
worked in groups and presented in front of the class. She helped us structure paragraphs
to essays, and it helped my vocabulary skills. It was nerve-racking but it did help. This
class made a difference by reviewing some basic skills that I needed as a bilingual
student. English is not my subject so getting feedback for my work was scary at first but I
realized that it helped me out.
Using CRT, the goal was to determine whether systemic racism is a contributing factor to the
challenges faced by minority students in terms of academic success and access to resources. This
61
necessitates a thorough examination of past and current policies that may have unfairly hindered
the progress of these students.
Discussion Research: Question Two
Several states across the country have eliminated remedial education and replaced it with
corequisite models due to recent changes such as AB 705. A study conducted by Ryu et al.
(2022) indicates that developmental support can influence student outcomes in college-level
courses and that the number of credits for the developmental support course is positively related
to passing the college-level course. The corequisite model provides students with a chance to be
challenged at the college-level with an embedded support system to bridge their learning gap.
Incoming community college students who have struggled academically in the past require
additional support, and when that support is already a part of the curriculum, students do not
need to seek additional assistance outside of classroom hours. Participants expressed in the
interviews how limited their availability is due to balancing school, work, and family
obligations; they do not have the opportunity to attend tutoring outside of class on a regular
basis.
Summary
The purpose of this research study was to determine whether the corequisite model used
in college-level English classes as embedded support would contribute to academic success for
community college students. Participants in this study shared their experiences with the
corequisite learning model and expressed their viewpoints. Some of the participants expressed
their busy schedules, and how the embedded support was the only possible way of accessing
support services for their English class. Participants also shared the importance of reviewing the
foundations of academic writing, and how that allowed them to feel more confident in their
62
course content. In the next chapter the findings from these interviews will be synthesized and
further discussed.
63
Chapter Five: Discussion
This qualitative study focuses on the AB 705 college-level English corequisite model.
This study interviewed twelve students through semi-structured interviews to share their
experiences in their English corequisite model course and gain insight into whether this model
was sufficient for incoming first-year students to complete transfer-level English courses and
bypass remedial education. In addition, AB 705 introduced a method of placement for incoming
students that navigated away from standardized placement exams and allowed for multiple
measures instead. The significance of how AB 705 impacts students of color in community
college directed this study to select a community college primarily serving Black and Latino
students. The primary goal for AB 705 is to increase the completion rate for community college
students, which has historically been dismal.
A Genthe (2022) study discovered that the root causes for low completion rates in
community colleges emerged from financial barriers, lack of institutional support, educational
preparation, psychosocial considerations, and familial and cultural issues. Andrade (2020) found
that open-admission institutions such as community colleges averaged 32% completion rates
among their students. Using CRT as the methodology for this study, it incorporated the historical
restriction from accessing higher education for students of color, the racist implications of
standardized placement tests, and the adverse effects of remedial education that lead to students
leaving college.
When viewed through the lens of CRT, the stories carry the weight of liberation and fly in
the face of marginalization and deficit representations of historically marginalized racial and
ethnic groups (Lynn & Dixson, 2021). This study conducted individual interviews to analyze the
64
experiences of students who have completed English classes with corequisite support. The
following research questions directed the study:
RQ1. What are the experiences of students of color who completed transfer-level English
with corequisite support?
RQ2. How did the concurrent course model contribute to academic success, if at all?
Findings
A study by Bahr et al. (2019) found that students placed in developmental coursework
were impacted by inaccuracies in the placement test results. The consequences of misplacement
increase the likelihood of students dropping out of college. In addition, students in remedial
education have a minimum of one to three semesters before accessing college-level classes,
which can slow their academic progress and lead to disengagement from their academic goals.
Legislation AB 705 was signed into law October 2017 with the intent to replace the Accuplacer
exam used for placement for incoming college students for the areas of math, English, and
English as a second language (ESL). This study was interested in how the historical aspects of
accessing higher education and the placement deterrents from Accuplacer have led to the dismal
completion rates of college students, and if the parameters around AB 705 would be sufficient to
contribute to student academic success.
This study focused on the corequisite model for college-level English classes with
embedded support. The corequisite model has embedded tutoring, which supports bridging the
gap in student learning. A study by Mejia et al. (2022) (see Table 4) found that successful
completion rates among Black first-time English students increased from 15% to 47% and
among Latino first-time English students from 20% to 55% since the implementation of AB 705.
Table 4 illustrates that under AB 705 a greater percentage of students had access to freshman
65
composition, and under AB 705 a greater percentage of students are completing freshman
composition successfully. While the implementation of AB 705 has supported data to prove the
effectiveness of providing greater access to college-level courses and higher completion rates,
this study's findings suggest a racial gap in student success still exists.
Table 4
First-Time English Students
Table 4 - First-Time English Students
Note. Reprinted from “Community College English in California’s New Era of Student Access,” by Mejia et al., (2022, August).
Retrieved from https://www.ppic.org/publication/community-college-english-in-californias-new-era-of-student-access/.
Following are the findings of this study that relate to English classes with corequisite
support and the connections to current literature. Findings related to Theme #1—Impostor
Syndrome in Academic Writing—relate to RQ 1: What are the experiences of students of color
who completed transfer-level English with corequisite support? Findings in Theme #2—Access
66
beyond the hours of operation—relate to RQ 2: How did the concurrent course model contribute
to academic success, if at all?
Impostor Syndrome in Academic Writing
Open access to community colleges offers opportunities for any student to enroll
regardless of their academic history. AB 705 has allowed placement based on multiple measures
such as grade point average and high school coursework as the primary factor. Students with
low-performing academic history are placed in math and English classes with embedded
tutoring, such as this study’s English class with corequisite support. In a study by Arbona et al.
(2014), the authors found that first-generation students lack guidance from their families, are
unfamiliar with the school system, and often doubt their ability to succeed in the classroom, thus
lacking the confidence to achieve academic success. First-generation students who struggle with
their academic performances have more struggles than just academics. They also face feelings of
impostor syndrome and pressures to meet expectations from themselves and their families.
Various studies suggest that first-generation college students, especially those of ethnic
minority status and low socioeconomic status, tend to be impacted by lower self-esteem, lower
academic self-efficacy, greater anxiety, and fear of academic failure (Peteet, 2015). Additionally,
on top of managing feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy, first-generation college students may
struggle to find sufficient emotional support from their family members who may lack college
experience and thus fail to appreciate the demands present within higher education (Mendoza,
2023).
Participants share their experiences on how they felt the first few weeks of their English
class with corequisite support. Phoenix stated:
67
High school wasn't my thing, I didn't even consider college . . . I didn’t have a plan so I
figured I should try it . . . really last minute. I really hesitated adding this class, my
counselor explained that it had extra help to make it easier to understand, but I wasn't
sure that was enough. It took a while to get used to feeling comfortable, the first week I
kept thinking . . . Imma give it a few more days, and if I don’t get it or want to stay Imma
drop it. I was worried everyone in class would understand and I would be the only one
falling behind . . . not trying to embarrass myself like that.
Martha (18) said:
I’m the first one to finish high school in my family, first to go to college. My parents
want to see me graduate, and they tell me to try hard . . . like yeah that is easy to say, but
they don’t understand what it’s like. It’s hard to figure it out, I didn’t know how to apply
for other colleges . . . so that is how I enrolled at this school. I didn’t know what to
expect. I don’t want to let my parents down, but it’s been hard figuring out my major, this
class, and how to do everything. Like how do other students know how to figure out
college . . . like majors, transfer, classes, so many questions that I still have…it’s so
stressful.
Access Beyond the Hours of Operation
Since commuter college students have complex characteristics and many are firstgeneration students, non-academic support is needed to provide students with basic needs to
focus on their academics. In community colleges, 29% of students are the first members of their
families to attend college, 15% are single parents, 68% work while enrolled, 29% deal with food
insecurities, and 14% struggle to afford housing (Marcus, 2023). Outside of the embedded
tutoring support, students at commuter colleges have challenges accessing services due to time
68
constraints. Since the pandemic, community colleges have provided access to counseling and
tutoring services through virtual platforms to reach students in different modalities. As a
commuter school, the understanding is that community college students are not traditional fulltime college students with ample time to access services within hours of operations.
Jason (32) explains balancing work and school responsibilities within the hours of
operations:
Working full-time while going to school, it’s impossible to be available for going to see
my counselor, or workshops, participate in clubs, or even go see the tutors. I only have
the weekends available and most offices are closed Fridays and the weekend. The only
way to get help is evenings doing virtual appointments, but I would prefer in person..
maybe on the weekend when I don’t feel rushed.
Jax (30) stated:
. . . it sucks starting late in life, going back to school but missing out on how it’s
supposed to be. I can’t be part of it like a freshman starting college. I have a job and
obligations. I’m missing out on getting in person help from counseling, or being able to
walk-in to see a tutor. I wish I had a weekday off so I can do those things, but with my
schedule I only get access virtually which is not the same. I learn better in person, I prefer
my appointments in person.
Limitations
These findings are based on students who have completed an English class with
corequisite support as established by AB 705. While this study represents student responses from
only one college, the significant progress made to increase access and successful completion for
students in transfer-level English classes with corequisite support is noteworthy. It also identifies
69
obstacles colleges face in ensuring equitable student outcomes. A significant limitation to
consider is that AB 705 is still in its initial stages—it has only been implemented since Fall 2019.
In a study by White et al. (2021), the challenges identified during implementation of AB 705
included shifting mindsets around student capacity to succeed in transfer-level courses, AB 705
buy-in, supporting students in transfer-level English and math, a guided and self-placement
process, enrollment difficulties, communication around AB 705, research and evaluation,
professional development, and resource needs.
While some of the barriers remain the same since AB 705, the data is consistent with the
overall goal of AB 705 of completion of transfer-level math and English within one year of
enrollment. This study used purposeful sampling to identify participants since their experience
would be invaluable. Purposeful sampling is a technique widely used in qualitative research for
the identification and selection of information-rich cases for the most effective use of limited
resources (Patton, 2002). The limitation faced while recruiting participants was the length of time
to complete a sample size that would be significantly appropriate to produce reliable results. Due
to time constraints and willingness to participate in the interviews, many students opted out.
Implications for Practice
Results from this study can inform educators in the English and math departments as they
develop and analyze best practices for their content for prerequisite models. Students’ personal
stories expressed the importance of belonging. As they begin an English class with corequisite
support, it is with the understanding that there is a gap in their knowledge. Therefore, the
professors teaching corequisite model content must be equipped with a positive outlook toward
scaffolding and building a welcoming environment for their students. A study by Meeuwisse et
al. (2010) found that a learner-centered environment that adapts to the student’s diverse
70
background offering high-quality teaching and catering to diverse learning preferences resulted
in student retention.
This study's findings can apply to community colleges' student support services. Student
support services such as counseling, tutoring, and financial aid can use the information from this
study to review modalities and hours of operations to adjust to accommodate commuter students.
The literature review in Chapter Two describes the complex lives commuter students navigate as
they balance employment, family obligations, and academics. Weekend support services would
provide students with an opportunity to get in-person access. For a successful launch of a
weekend model, campuses would need to survey students and determine what support services
they would utilize, and how often. As many community college students have children, the
possibility of providing childcare can aid students' challenges. A weekend model would need to
be strategically implemented to serve student’s needs, provide opportunities for program growth,
support student retention and enrollment.
Future Research
A longitudinal study is needed for further research to reach saturation. Qualitative
methods place primary emphasis on saturation (i.e., obtaining a comprehensive understanding by
continuing to sample until no new substantive information is acquired) (Miles & Huberman,
1994). A longitudinal study can compare and contrast if AB 705 was the appropriate tool to
increase the completion rate in community college students. Among those areas to research,
future studies can compare the number of units students who would have been placed in remedial
education attempted and completed prior to AB 705 and after. The significance of those results
directly correlates to the number of financial resources available to students after transferring
from community colleges to four-year universities. Low-income students at community colleges
71
continue to take significant excess remedial and other units that extend their time to completion.
Many students will not have sufficient grant aid left to support them through baccalaureate
degree attainment according to The Institute for College Access and Success(2022). Students
who enroll in remedial coursework are likely to spend their already limited financial aid and be
forced to rely on loans for college expenses.
Future research can focus on the different student demographics impacted by AB 705,
finding if socioeconomic status has any bearing on the results. Another critical factor is the
attitudes of the professors who teach the English and math classes with support. Studies have
started to research the buy-in from professors regarding their beliefs surrounding students’
college readiness and being open to closing educational gaps for those students who enter college
in lower academic levels for English and math. In Hispanic-serving institutions such as JCC, the
demographics of its instructors are equally essential to prevent colorblind ideologies and support
equity gaps. Research demonstrates that administration, faculty, and staff should reflect upon the
student population and that faculty diversity plays a key role in countering ethnic and racial
disparities in student degree completion (Dayton et al., 2004).
Conclusion
This study represents the importance of reframing open access to higher education by
eliminating barriers that have long caused the dismal completion rates in community colleges.
Legislation AB 705 was the initial tool to remove placement exams that poorly forecast students'
ability and the removal of remedial education that did not belong in the credit course content.
The implementation of AB 705 has been different from campus to campus as it is a new format
that takes time to fine-tune. Unfortunately, the research that explores initiatives like these that are
integral for understanding underrepresented student populations that can thrive in the community
72
college system did not play a factor in AB 705's implementation. The equity gap persists in
community colleges as students enter from varied educational levels due to underfunded public
schools and socioeconomic challenges.
73
References
Acevedo-Gil, N., & Zerquera, D. D. (2016). Community College First-Year Experience
Programs: Examining Student Access, Experience, and Success from the Student
Perspective. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2016(175), 71–82.
https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20213
Achterman, D. (2019). AB 705 Disrupts Community Colleges, Provides Opportunities For K-12
Information Literacy. CSLA Journal, 43(1), 19–21.
Andrade, M. S., Miller, R. M., McArthur, D., & Ogden, M. (2022). The impact of learning on
student persistence in higher education. Journal of College Student Retention: Research,
Theory & Practice, 24(2), 316-336.
Armstrong, E., Geist, M. B., & Geist, J. (2020). Withstanding the Backlash: Conceptualizing and
Preparing for Coercive Reactions to Placement Reform and Corequisite Support Models
in California. Composition Studies, 48(2), 74–149.
Baber, L.D., Zamani-Gallaher, E.M., Stevenson, T.N., Porter, J. (2019). From Access to Equity:
Community Colleges and the Social Justice Imperative. In: Paulsen, M.B., Perna, L.W.
(eds). Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, vol 34. Springer, Cham.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03457-3_5
Bailey, T. R., Jenkins, D., & Leinbach, D. T. (2005). What we know about community college
low-income and minority student outcomes. Community College Research Center,
Columbia University.
74
Bailey, T. (2009). Challenge and opportunity: Rethinking the role and function of developmental
education in community college. New Directions for Community Colleges, 145, 11–30.
https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.352
Barhoum, S. (2018). Increasing Student Success: Structural Recommendations for Community
Colleges. Journal of Developmental Education, 41(3), 18–25.
Bahr, P. R., Fagioli, L. P., Hetts, J., Hayward, C., Willett, T., Lamoree, D., Newell, M. A., Sorey,
K., & Baker, R. B. (2019). Improving Placement Accuracy in California’s Community
Colleges Using Multiple Measures of High School Achievement. Community College
Review, 47(2), 178–211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552119840705
Banks, T., & Dohy, J. (2019). Mitigating Barriers to Persistence: A Review of Efforts to Improve
Retention and Graduation Rates for Students of Color in Higher Education. Higher
Education Studies, 9(1), 118–131.
Belfield, C. R., & Bailey, T. (2011). The benefits of attending community college: A review of
the evidence. Community College Review, 39(1), 46-68. Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/benefitsattending-community-college-review/docview/851302628/se-2
Dayton. “Hispanic‐serving Institutions through the Eyes of Students and Administrators.” New
Directions for Student Services., vol. 2004, no. 105, 2004, https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.114
Bridgette J. Peteet, LaTrice Montgomery, & Jerren C. Weekes. (2015). Predictors of Imposter
Phenomenon among Talented Ethnic Minority Undergraduate Students. The Journal of
Negro Education, 84(2), 175–186. https://doi.org/10.7709/jnegroeducation.84.2.0175
75
Bulman, G., & Fairlie, R. (2022). The impact of COVID-19 on community college enrollment
and student success: Evidence from California administrative data. Education Finance
and Policy, 17(4), 745–764.
Chenail, R. J. (2011). Interviewing the investigator: Strategies for addressing instrumentation and
researcher bias concerns in qualitative research. Qualitative Report, 16(1), 255–262.
Cohen, A. M., & Brawer, F. B. (2008). The American Community College. Jossey-Bass.
Cote, J. E., Levine, C. (1997). Student motivation, learning environments, and human capital
acquisition: toward an integrated paradigm of student development. J. Coll. Stud.
Dev. 38 229–243.
Creswell, J. W., & David, J. Creswell. 2018. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and
Mixed Methods Approaches.
Delgado, R., & Stefancic, J. (2017). Critical Race Theory: An Introduction. NYU Press.
Deil-Amen, R. (2011). Socio-academic integrative moments: Rethinking academic and social
integration among two-year college students in career-related programs. The Journal of
Higher Education, 82(1), 54–91.
Dwyer, T. (2017). Persistence in higher education through student-faculty interactions in the
classroom of a commuter institution. Innovations in Education and Teaching
International, 54(4), 325–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2015.1112297
Fong, C. J., Acee, T. W., & Weinstein, C. E. (2018). A Person-Centered Investigation of
Achievement Motivation Goals and Correlates of Community College Student
Achievement and Persistence. Journal of College Student Retention, 20(3), 369–387.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025116673374
76
Garza, T., Huerta, M., García, H. A., & Lau, J. (2021). Exploring sense of belonging,
socioeconomic integrative moments, and learning communities related to ELs’
persistence based on re enrollment decisions in community colleges. Community College
Review, 49(1), 30–51.
Genthe, C. B., & Harrington, C. (2022). Low Completion Rates of Latinx Community College
Students. Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Professional Practice, 7(2),
32–38. https://doi.org/10.5195/ie.2022.205
Gianoutsos, D., & Rosser, V. (2014). Is there still a considerable difference? Comparing
residential and commuter student profile characteristics at a public, research, commuter
university. College Student Journal, 48(4), 613-628.
Goodenow, C., & Grady, K. E. (1993). The relationship of school belonging and friends' values
to academic motivation among urban adolescent students. Journal of Experimental
Education, 62(1), 60–71.
Hatch, D. K., & Garcia, C. E. (2017). Academic Advising and the Persistence Intentions of
Community College Students in their First Weeks in College. Review of Higher
Education 40(3), 353–390. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2017.0012
Hern, K. (2019). Getting There: Are California Community Colleges Maximizing Student
Completion of Transfer-Level Math and English? A Regional Progress Report on
Implementation of AB 705. Campaign for College Opportunity.
Hodara, M. and Xu, D. 2018. Are two subjects better than one? The effects of developmental
English courses on language minority and native English-speaking students' community
college outcomes. Economics of Education Review 66: 1–13.
77
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775718302620. [Crossref], [Web
of Science ®], [Google Scholar]
Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus
racial climate on Latino college students' sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70,
324–345.
Huerta, J., & Watt, K. (2015). Examining the College Preparation and Intermediate Outcomes of
College Success of AVID Graduates Enrolled in Universities and Community Colleges.
American Secondary Education, 43(3), 20–35. Retrieved August 19, 2021, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/43694216
Jacoby, B. (2020). Igniting the Civic Agency of Commuter Students, Journal of College and
Character, 21(3), 212–220, https://doi.org/10.1080/2194587X.2020.1781662
Kanter, M., & Armstrong, A. (2019). The college promise: transforming the lives of community
college students. In T. O’Banion (Ed.). 18 Ideas that are transforming the community
college world (pp. 63-85). Lanham: Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Kawulich, B. B. (2005). Participant observation as a data collection method. Forum, Qualitative
Social Research, 6(2).
Kerby, M. (2015). Toward a New Predictive Model of Student Retention in Higher Education.
Journal of College Student Retention, 17, 138–161.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025115578229
Kinsey, J. (2021, April 14). Introduction to Student Persistence: Strategies and Factors for
Student Success. Collegis Education - Higher Education Revenue Growth Management.
https://collegiseducation.com/news/programs-and-course-content/introduction-to-studentpersistence/
78
Kirk, C. M., & Lewis, R. K. (2015) Sense of community on an urban, commuter campus,
International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 20:1, 48–60.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2013.763833
Kodama, C. (2015). Supporting Commuter Students of Color. New Directions for Student
Services, 2015(150), 45–55. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20126
LaSalle University. (n.d.). Student Life. Retrieved April 17, 2021, from
https://www.lasalle.edu/student-life/commuter-and-off-campusoffice/commuters/#:~:text=A%20traditional%20commuter%20student%20is,financially
%20responsible%20for%20their%20households
Le, L. (2019) "Unpacking the Imposter Syndrome and Mental Health as a Person of Color First
Generation College Student within Institutions of Higher Education," McNair Research
Journal SJSU: Vol. 15, Article 5. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/mcnair/vol15/iss1/5
Leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. (2020). Bill Text - AB-705 Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of
2012: matriculation: assessment.. [online] Available at:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB705
[Accessed 8 Jan. 2020].
Logue, A. W., et al. "Reforming remediation: college students mainstreamed into statistics are
more likely to succeed." Education Next, vol. 17, no. 2, 2017, p. 78+. Gale Academic
OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A488759527/AONE?u=cypressc&sid=bookmarkAONE&xid=147decff. Accessed 16 Aug. 2021.
Lynn, M., & Dixson, A. D. (2021). Handbook of Critical Race Theory in Education. Second
edition. (Lynn M, Dixson AD, eds.). Routledge.
79
Marcus, J. (2023, April 3). Community colleges face low enrollment, dismal completion rates.
PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/community-colleges-face-low-enrollmentdismal-completion-rates
Maslow, A. H. (1962). Toward a Psychology of Being. New York, NY: von Nostrand Reinhold.
Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative research design : an interactive approach (3rd ed.). SAGE
Publications.
Meeuwisse, M., Severiens, S., & Born, M. (2010). Learning Environment, Interaction, Sense of
Belonging and Study Success in Ethnically Diverse Student Groups. Research in Higher
Education, 51(6), 528–545. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-010-9168-1
Mejia, M. C., Rodriguez, O., Johnson, H., & Perez, C. A. (2022). Community College English in
California’s New Era of Student Access. Public Policy Institute of California.
Melguizo, T., Ching, C. D., Ngo, F., & Harrington, D. (2021). AB 705 in the Los Angeles
Community College District: Results from Fall 2019. Pullias Center for Higher
Education.
Mendoza, J. (2023). The Effect of the Imposter Syndrome on Psychological Well-Being in Latino
Undergraduate Students (Doctoral dissertation, The Chicago School of Professional
Psychology).
Mensah, F. M. (2019). Finding Voice and Passion: Critical Race Theory Methodology in Science
Teacher Education. American Educational Research Journal, 56(4), 1412–1456.
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and
Implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Impostor syndrome. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved
May 8, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impostor%20syndrome.
80
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook.
Sage.
Mountjoy, J. Community Colleges and Upward Mobility (February 26, 2019). Available at
SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3373801 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3373801
Nelson, E. (2017). Information literacy needs of community college students in transition: a
literature review. Reference Services Review, 45(2), 278–285.
http://dx.doi.org.libproxy2.usc.edu/10.1108/RSR-11-2016-0078
(n.d.). https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Key-Facts
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015).
Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method
implementation research. Administration and policy in mental health and mental health
services research, 42, 533–544.
Patton, M. Q. Qualitative research and evaluation methods. 3rd Sage Publications; Thousand
Oaks, CA: 2002.
Pratt, T. (2017). The open access dilemma: How can community colleges better serve
underprepared students? Education Next, 17(4), 34.
Regalado, M., & Smale, M. A. (2018). Academic libraries for commuter students: Researchbased strategies. American Library Association.
Rocco, T. S., & Plakhotnik, M. S. (2009). Literature Reviews, Conceptual Frameworks, and
Theoretical Frameworks: Terms, Functions, and Distinctions. Human Resource
Development Review, 8(1), 120–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484309332617
Rodriguez, O., Johnson, H., Mejia, M. C., & Brooks, B. (2017). Reforming Math Pathways at
California’s Community Colleges. Public Policy Institute of California.
81
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and
new directions. Contemporary educational psychology, 25(1), 54-67.
Ryu, W., Schudde, L., & Pack, K. (2022). Constructing Corequisites: How Community Colleges
Structure Corequisite Math Coursework and the Implications for Student Success. AERA
Open, 8, https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584221086664
Sabbott. (2016, April 21). Equity definition. The Glossary of Education Reform.
https://www.edglossary.org/equity/
Siqueiros, M., Ramos, A. M., & Reddy, V. (2020, September 20). Expanding federal work-study
opportunities for California Community College Students. The Campaign for College
Opportunity. https://collegecampaign.org/publication/expanding-federal-work-studyopportunities-for-california-community-college-students#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20
nationally%2C%2080%20percent,and%20caring%20for%20young%20children
Schrynemakers, I., Lane, C., Beckford, I., & Kim, M. (2019). College Readiness in PostRemedial Academia: Faculty Observations from Three Urban Community Colleges. The
Community College Enterprise, 25(1), 10–31.
Smith-Maddox, R., & Solórzano, D. G. (2002). Using critical race theory, Paulo Freire’s
problem-posing method, and case study research to confront race and racism in
education. Qualitative inquiry, 8(1), 66–84.
Solorzano, D. (1998). Critical race theory, racial and gender microaggressions, and the
experiences of Chicana and Chicano Scholars. International Journal of Qualitative
Studies, 11(1), 121–136.
Spady, W. (1970). Dropouts from higher education: an interdisciplinary review and synthesis.
Interchange, 1(1), 64–85. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02214313
82
Strayhorn, T. L. College Students’ Sense of Belonging : a Key to Educational Success for All
Students . Second edition. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group; 2019.
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition (2nd
ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
The Institute for College Access and Success. (2022, September 6). In Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Institute_for_College_Access_and_Success
University of Southern California . (2022, July). University of Southern California.
https://hrpp.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/07/USC-HRPP-PP-July-2022.pdf
Veenstra, C. P. (2009). A strategy for improving freshman college retention. Journal for Quality
and Participation, 31(4), 19–23. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A505741960/AONE?
u=cypressc&sid=googleScholar&xid=87229655
Vick, N., Robles-Piña, R. A., Martirosyan, N. M., & Kite, V. (2015). The effectiveness of
tutoring on developmental English grades. Community College Enterprise, 21(1), 11–26.
Whatley, M., & Raby, R. L. (2020). Understanding Inclusion and Equity in Community College
Education Abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 32(1), 80–
103. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v32i1.435
White, M., Morris, T., Newell, M., & Hayward, C. (2021). A Qualitative Exploration of AB 705
Implementation: Report of Statewide Interview Results. RP Group.
Wikipedia contributors. (2023, October 27). Person of color. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_of_color#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%
2C%20the,view%20themselves%20through%20their%20cultural
83
Zeidenberg, M., Jenkins, P. D., & Calcagno, J. C. (2013). Do student success courses actually
help community college students succeed? Retrieved from
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/21/california-community-collegescautious-experiment-accelerated-remediation
URLhttps://datamart.cccco.edu/students/Enrollment_Status.aspx
Website TitleCalifornia Community Colleges Chancellor's Office - Data Mart
Abstract (if available)
Linked assets
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
Conceptually similar
PDF
Equity and access for veteran's students in the California community colleges
PDF
Improving graduation equity in community colleges: a study on California Assembly Bill 705 policy implementation
PDF
Staff members’ transfer of social capital to first-generation, low-income Latino/a students of Mexican descent
PDF
Promising practices of California community college mathematics instructors teaching AB 705 accessible courses
PDF
The impact of college success program on first generation college students in their preparation for college
PDF
Asian American college student well-being: racial identity consciousness as model minorities at an elite university
PDF
College access: a qualitative look at access programs for African American males in higher education
PDF
Engineering my community cultural wealth: testimonios of male Latino community college engineering students
PDF
Big dreams: a multi-case examination of institutional support for DACA students in California community colleges
PDF
Food insecurity and the impact on community college students
PDF
Walking away from the game: a phenomenological study on student-athletes career transition
PDF
Federal loan borrowing in community colleges: examining the decision making processes of non‐traditional community college students
PDF
Out of the darkness into the marvelous light: anti-Black racism awareness in teacher education
PDF
Compassionate accountability: understanding the capacity of county offices of education to propel the school counseling profession forward
PDF
Reaching the middle: an exploration of guidance support services in pursuit of college readiness for all students
PDF
Middle school counselors’ perceptions of their role supporting LGBTQ+ youths’ belonging
PDF
AB 705: the equity policy – race and power in the implementation of a developmental education reform
PDF
Ethnic identity development, ethnic student organizations, campus racial climate, cultural integrity, and sense of belonging for Filipino American undergraduate students at a selective predominan...
PDF
Unearthing the silenced voice: immigrant Armenian students’ cultural influences, experiences, and perceptions in navigating a writing identity
PDF
The role of family and ethnic identity in the college choice process for first-generation Latinas
Asset Metadata
Creator
Zelaya, Iris
(author)
Core Title
Concurrent enrollment in English support classes for community college students
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Educational Leadership
Degree Conferral Date
2023-12
Publication Date
11/21/2023
Defense Date
09/05/2023
Publisher
Los Angeles, California
(original),
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
AB705,community college,counselor,OAI-PMH Harvest
Format
theses
(aat)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Green, Alan (
committee chair
), Garcia-Montano, Guadalupe (
committee member
), Hinga, Briana (
committee member
)
Creator Email
izelaya@usc.edu,zelaya_iris@ymail.com
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113777752
Unique identifier
UC113777752
Identifier
etd-ZelayaIris-12489.pdf (filename)
Legacy Identifier
etd-ZelayaIris-12489
Document Type
Dissertation
Format
theses (aat)
Rights
Zelaya, Iris
Internet Media Type
application/pdf
Type
texts
Source
20231127-usctheses-batch-1108
(batch),
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 author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright.
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
Repository Email
cisadmin@lib.usc.edu
Tags
AB705
community college
counselor