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Factors related to transfer and graduation in Latinx community college students

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FACTORS RELATED TO TRANSFER AND GRADUATION IN LATINX COMMUNITY
COLLEGE STUDENTS
by
Maria Colleen Fitzpatrick
______________________________________________________________________________
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

August 2021

Copyright 2021 Maria Colleen Fitzpatrick

ii

Epigraph
If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.
Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.
To be tested is good. The challenged life may be the best therapist.
-Gail Sheehy

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Dedication
This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, because they made my academic journey possible,
and encouraged me at every step. I know they are proud of me. They always wanted a doctor in
the family.
And to:
Kyle Bilowitz (My Husband), Owen Bilowitz and James Bilowitz, my two sons. They endured
this journey with me and supported me when I felt like I could not accomplish my goals.
“Beyond time and space, always and forever.”

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Acknowledgements
It would have been impossible to complete my dissertation without the help and
encouragement of many people. I would like to thank my chair, Dr. Monique Datta for her great
patience, guidance, and reassurance throughout the entire process. I am so grateful for her time
and assistance during my time at USC.
I would also like to thank my committee members. Dr. Darlene Robles was kind enough
to offer her time and feedback to my project. Her recommendations helped me to focus my
research. Dr. Anthony Maddox offered suggestions on how to approach my research questions.
Hi generous feedback was invaluable in helping me to integrate disparate aspects of my research.
I am incredibly grateful for my committee’s expertise and commitment to student success.
Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Evelyn Felina Castillo for her assistance and encouragement on
my writing process. I am so thankful for all her time and support.
Data collection and analysis were conducted as part of the dissertation requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Education at the University of Southern California. There were no
conflicts of interest or outside funding utilized for the research project. Correspondence
concerning this research should be addressed to Maria Fitzpatrick, Chaffey College, Department
of Psychology, 5885 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737, United States. Email:
maria.fitzpatrick@chaffey.edu

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Table of Contents
Epigraph .......................................................................................................................................... ii
Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... iii
Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix
Abstract ............................................................................................................................................x
Chapter One: Introduction ...............................................................................................................1
Organizational Context and Mission ........................................................................................1
Organizational Performance Status ..........................................................................................3
Related Literature .....................................................................................................................3
Importance of Addressing the Problem ....................................................................................5
Organizational Performance Goal ............................................................................................6
Description of Stakeholder Groups ..........................................................................................7
Stakeholder Groups Performance Goals .................................................................................7
Stakeholder Group for the Study .............................................................................................9
Purpose of the Project and Questions ......................................................................................9
Methodological Framework ..................................................................................................10
Definitions .............................................................................................................................10
Organization of the Project ....................................................................................................11

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Chapter Two: Review of the Literature .........................................................................................13
California Community College Master Plan and Mission ....................................................14
Degree Completion Issues .....................................................................................................15
Income Disparities .............................................................................................................15
Financial Issues ..................................................................................................................16
Personal and Institutional Factors ......................................................................................18
Health Disparities...............................................................................................................19
Clark and Estes Gap Analysis Framework ............................................................................21
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences ...................................21
Conceptual Framework .........................................................................................................34
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................37
Chapter Three: Methodology .........................................................................................................39
Participating Stakeholders .....................................................................................................39
Data Collection and Instrumentation .....................................................................................42
Data Analysis .........................................................................................................................46
Credibility and Trustworthiness ............................................................................................47
Ethics ......................................................................................................................................47
Limitations and Delimitation .................................................................................................49
Chapter Four: Results ....................................................................................................................50
Demographic Profile of Participants .....................................................................................51
Student Knowledge Influences ..............................................................................................55

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Student Motivation Influences ..............................................................................................67
Organizational Influences ......................................................................................................78
Chapter Five: Recommendations ...................................................................................................86
Recommendations for Practice to Address KMO Influences ................................................87
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan .................................................................100
Specific Recommendations for Latinx Students .................................................................109
Future Research ...................................................................................................................113
Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................113
References ....................................................................................................................................115
Appendix A: Survey Items...........................................................................................................127
Appendix B: Interview Protocol: .................................................................................................130
Appendix C: Immediate Evaluation Instrument ..........................................................................132
Appendix D: Blended Evaluation Instrument ..............................................................................135
Appendix E: Performance Dashboard Instrument .......................................................................137

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List of Tables
Table 1: Organizational Mission, Global Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals ....................8
Table 2: Organizational Mission and Performance Goal for Knowledge Influences ....................25
Table 3: Organizational Mission and Performance Goal for Motivational Influences ..................31
Table 4: Organizational Mission and Performance Goal for Organizational Influences...............33
Table 5: Sociodemographic Characteristics of Survey Participants ..............................................51
Table 6: Procedural Knowledge Influences in Survey ..................................................................56
Table 7: Metacognitive Knowledge Influences in Survey .............................................................60
Table 8: Factual Knowledge Influences in Survey ........................................................................64
Table 9: Self-Efficacy Influences in Survey ..................................................................................67
Table 10: Utility Value Influences in Survey ................................................................................71
Table 11: Persistence Influences in Survey ...................................................................................73
Table 12: Cultural Setting Influences in Survey ...........................................................................78
Table 13: Cultural Model Influences in Survey .............................................................................82
Table 14: Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations .........................................88
Table 15: Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations .........................................93
Table 16: Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations ......................................96
Table 17: Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes ......................102
Table 18: Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation ............................103
Table 19: Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors ..........................................................104
Table 20: Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program .....................................106
Table 21: Components to Measure Reactions to the Program. ....................................................108

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List of Figures
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework of KMO Influences .................................................................36

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Abstract
In California community colleges, disparities exist in rates of transfer and graduation,
particularly in groups that have been identified as disproportionately impacted. The purpose of
this project was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the knowledge, motivation and
organizational influences that interfere with closing the gap in transfer and graduation in those
impacted groups, especially Latinx students. Interviews with current Latinx students attending a
California community college, in conjunction with survey data, enabled the validation of KMO
influences affecting student success.
Survey data and interview findings demonstrated that community colleges may establish
organizational initiatives and divisions that do not necessarily match the needs of their diverse
student population or facilitate academic progress. As a result, students create their own support
networks outside of student support services. Recommendations on implementing and evaluating
interventions aimed towards graduation and transfer are provided for organizational leaders
seeking to initiate expanded student success pathways.
Keywords: community college students, Latinx students, college success, graduation, and
transfer

Chapter One: Introduction
Introduction of the Problem of Practice
This dissertation addresses the problem of disparities between the transfer and degree
completion rates between Whites and traditionally underrepresented groups, such as Latinxs and
African-Americans, in community colleges in California. For example, data from the California
Community College’s Chancellor’s Office (2013) shows that statewide only up to 39% of Latinx
students graduate or transfer to a four-year institution compared with 51% of White students.
Increasing the transfer and graduation rates for traditionally underrepresented students is
important to address because not only do income disparities exist as a result of degree attainment
but also disparities in health and social outcomes (Dupre, 2007; Hout, 2012; Tamborini et al.,
2015). Racial and ethnic minorities have much to gain from attaining college degrees, but as a
group, are least likely to attain them (Schafer et al., 2013). The larger problem of practice is
improving the transfer rates from community colleges to four-year institutions for traditionally
underrepresented ethnic groups. While the College defines success as transfer and graduation
rates, the dissertation is concerned with how students perceive academic success, and how the
gap between student and administrative ideas may be bridged.
Organizational Context and Mission
The more local context of this problem is in the transfer and degree conferral rates at
Lomita College (a pseudonym). At Lomita College, the transfer and degree conferral rates mirror
the statewide trends, with 38% of Latinx students graduating or transferring compared with 45%
of White students (California Community College’s Chancellor’s Office, 2013). Accordingly,
the President of the college has convened various committees and self-studies to address the

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issue of raising the transfer and graduation rates for traditionally underrepresented students.
Other administrators, faculty, and students have been involved in this process.
Lomita College is a community college located in Southern California. It currently serves
over 29,000 students on three campuses as well as online. It offers a year-round curriculum to
students interested in transferring to four-year institutions, pursuing career technical programs, or
acquiring skills for the current job market. The mission of Lomita College is to provide all
students with an excellent education that is engaging, dynamic, and supportive. Lomita College
was one of the first colleges to be formally established in California and is one of 113
community colleges that are located throughout the state (California Community Colleges
Chancellor's Office, 2017).
Lomita College represents approximately 39% of its local population drawn from three
cities making up two-thirds of the core population. It is a designated Hispanic-Serving
Institution, with Latinx students comprising more than half the student population at 60%. Other
widely represented groups are Whites (17%), African-Americans (8%), and Asians (6%).
According to the College Factbook, approximately 56% of the students identify as female, 41%
identify as male, and 2% declined to state. The age range of students at Lomita College is from
19 years old or younger to over 50 years old, with the median age calculated at 24.8 years old. In
the 2014-2015 academic year, 70% of Lomita College students met the criteria of being
economically disadvantaged, with 68% receiving financial assistance awards. The level of
students receiving financial aid at the community college level contrasts with the University of
California (UC) system where the average freshman parental income is $80,000 or the California
State University system (CSU) where the average freshman parental income is $40,000 (Santa

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Barbara City College, 2008). As of 2015, there were 222 full-time faculty, 748 part-time faculty,
37 administrators, and 287 classified professionals.
In recent years, a Student Success Initiative was enacted both at the federal and state
levels (Hillman, Tandberg, & Fryar, 2015). The initiative was designed to increase student
success and retention rates and to measure community colleges’ performance while tying
performance to funding (Hillman et al., 2015; Rabovsky, 2012). By increasing transfer and
graduation rates in targeted groups at Lomita College, equity gaps may be reduced and there may
be increased access to resources.
Organizational Performance Status
As related to performance status, the student transfer and graduation rates are comparable
to those throughout the California Community College System (California Community College’s
Chancellor’s Office, 2013). However, there are still gaps that exist between certain groups, such
as the transfer rates between traditionally underrepresented groups and White students. For
example, in students who completed either a degree, certificate, or graduated, Latinx students did
so at a rate of 39%, and African-Americans completed at a rate of 36%, while Asian students
completed at a rate of 60%, and White students completed at a rate of 52%. For all student
groups, the completion rate averages out to about 43%.
Related Literature
One important function of community colleges is to serve as a means of access to higher
education to a diverse body of students and to serve as a pathway to a 4-year institution (Mourad
& Hong, 2011). One possible pathway for transfer is using articulation agreements. Articulation
agreements, which are agreements between community college and 4-year institutions regarding
transferability of coursework, were originally implemented to help the transition from

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community colleges to 4-year institutions and have not been found to significantly impact either
transfer rates or degree attainment, although they have been promoted as doing so (Stern, 2016).
In addition, articulation agreements are currently designed to assist students with identifying
necessary coursework and accessing transferable coursework across multiple campuses
(California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, 2018a).
While there is increased access to higher education, transfer, and degree completion rates,
particularly with some underrepresented groups, have not kept pace with matriculation (Shapiro
et al., 2013; Shapiro et al., 2015). There are major implications in not earning a bachelor’s
degree: those with a degree generally have higher earnings over their lifetime, enjoy better
health, have higher marriage rates, and are more involved with their communities (Hout, 2012;
Rose, 2013). According to Dupre (2007), regarding health outcomes, there is a negative
correlation between education and chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and
heart attack. In addition to more positive health outcomes, those with a college degree are less
likely to divorce, have more social capital, and convey social returns to the community, such as
increased community involvement (Hout, 2012).
In terms of lifetime earning potential, there is a disparity between those that hold a
Bachelor’s degree or higher, and those who do not, with income increasing for every degree
earned (Tamborini et al., 2015). This income disparity is even more pronounced when examined
by racial groups (Brodie, 2013). Whites with a bachelor’s degree will earn almost $1 million
more than those with a high-school diploma, Latinxs will earn about $400,000 more if they hold
a bachelor’s degree, African-Americans will earn about $500,000 more, and Asians will earn
about $300,000 more than if they hold a high-school diploma alone. Across all ethnicities,
lifetime earnings will increase by over $1 million above the Bachelor’s degree income if an

5

advanced degree is earned. The income gap that exists between genders and races is important to
examine but also makes holding a degree important for those groups. Thus, examining transfer
rates and degree completion rates may be of paramount importance for future life course
directions for under-represented groups.
Current research suggests that degree completion within a 6-year time frame is out of
reach for most students, with only 38% of the general population graduating after 6 years; some
research suggests underprepared students can have transfer and graduation rates as low as 19%
(Roska & Velez, 2012; Shapiro et al., 2013; Shapiro et al., 2015). Financial issues can hinder
students from transferring or completing degrees on time (Chen & Yur-Austin, 2016; Ishitani,
2006; Morris, 2015). Other factors outside of academics may influence transfer and completion,
such as socio-economic status, work and/or family obligations, peer and parental expectations,
and other life stressors (Bragg, 2015; Roska & Velez, 2012; Sommerfeld, 2016).
Importance of Addressing the Problem
Transferring to a four-year school and degree completion conveys benefits to the
recipient beyond academic qualifications (Dupre, 2007; Hout, 2012; Rose, 2013). Not only are
positive gains seen at an individual level, such as in wage gains, family stability, personal health
outcomes, and increased social status, but also at the larger level, such as in social returns to the
community and consumer spending power (Dupre, 2007; Hout, 2012; Tamborini et al., 2015).
Groups that benefit most from college degrees, such as racial or ethnic minorities, are also those
who are least likely to attain them (Schafer et al., 2013). While raising transfer and graduation
rates for all students is important, and benefits society at large, more gains are seen at both the
macro and micro level for underrepresented groups, such as first-generation college students
(Hout, 2012; Schafer et al., 2013).

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Since the Student Success Initiative has been enacted both at the federal and state levels
(Hillman et al., 2015), there has been increased emphasis on transfer and graduation rates at the
community colleges. The Student Success Initiative Task Force recommended 22 policy changes
that were implemented within the California Community College system to increase transfer and
graduation rates and prepare students for the workforce (California Community College
Chancellor’s Office, 2018b). This initiative ties student success performance to funding (Hillman
et al., 2015; Rabovsky, 2012). By concentrating efforts on increasing transfer and graduation
rates in targeted groups at Lomita College, equity gaps may be reduced and there may be
increased funding opportunities for those groups.
Organizational Performance Goal
The goal of Lomita College will be that by June 2020, gaps in transfer to four-year
institutions will be completely closed in those groups who have been identified as
disproportionately impacted, which is defined as:
“… a condition where access to key resources and supports or academic success may be
hampered by inequitable practices, policies, and approaches to student support or
instructional practices affecting a specific group” (California Board of Governors,
2013, Title 5 Section 55502(e)).
The President of the college established this goal after reviewing the data presented by
Institutional Research and a special Equity Committee where key groups of students were
identified as disproportionately impacted compared to the rest of the student population. These
groups include Latinx students, African-American students, students with disabilities, and
students who are over 20 years of age. The achievement of this goal will be measured using exit
surveys and other methods of collecting demographic data.

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Description of Stakeholder Groups
At Lomita College, the stakeholder groups include instructors, students, and
administrators. According to the Lomita College Factbook, in 2015 there were 222 full-time
faculty members and 748 adjunct faculty. Of both part-time and full-time faculty, approximately
40% were male, and 60% were female. In terms of racial/ethnic distribution among full-time and
adjunct faculty, the majority of both groups were comprised of Whites at 66% and 53%,
respectively. Asians comprised 8% of full-time faculty and 14% of adjunct faculty; African -
Americans comprised 5% of full-time faculty and 7% of adjunct faculty; and Latinxs comprised
17% of full-time faculty and 21% of adjunct faculty.
At Lomita College, in the 2014-2015 academic year, there were 25,603 students enrolled
for credit classes in an unduplicated headcount (Lomita College Factbook, 2016). The age of the
students varies from 19 years old or younger to 50 plus years old. The mean age is 24.8 years
old. Seventy percent of students meet the criteria for being economically disadvantaged, with
68% receiving financial assistance to attend school. About 7% of students are identified as
having some type of disability status (Lomita College Factbook, 2016).
Administration contributes to the achievement of the performance goal through collecting
data, crafting policy, and distributing policy mandates. Instructors may also help to structure the
performance goals through the process of shared governance but are largely responsible for
enacting the methods of the performance goals. Benchmarking and completion of performance
goals would be done through the completion of policies and goals set by the administration.

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Stakeholders’ Performance Goals
While all stakeholder groups are necessary for the successful completion of the stated
goals, students were the main stakeholder group of study. All stakeholder goals for the
organization are shown in Table 1. Students were the target population of the performance goals
and will close gaps in transfer rates by participating in programs geared towards the performance
goals. The first phase of the stakeholder goals is currently being met by the Guided Pathways
Initiative, which is a mandate designed to help students graduate and transfer in a timelier
fashion. It requires a significant shifting of resources towards developing technology, gathering
data, and increasing student support services for the targeted stakeholder populations (California
Community College’s Chancellor’s Office, 2017). The target rate of a 100% success rate for all
stakeholder goals was set by the President of the college along with members of a special task
force after examining institutional data. According to the timeline of the Guided Pathways
Initiative, the second phase is on track to be completed by June 2019 and corresponds to the
second stated stakeholder goal in Table 1. As of June 2019, the second phase has been partially
completed, in that all student outcomes have been written into the curriculum. However, getting
100% of faculty to enact student achievement goals has not been met, and measurement of this
goal is an ongoing process. Not all faculty are evaluated yearly, and not all classes are assessed
yearly.
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Global Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
The mission of Lomita College is to provide all students with an excellent education that is
engaging, dynamic, and supportive.

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Global Performance Goal
The goal of Lomita College will be that by June 2020, gaps in transfer to four-year institutions
will be completely closed in those groups who have been identified as disproportionately
impacted.
Stakeholder 1 Goal Stakeholder 2 Goal Stakeholder 3 Goal
Administrators
By December 2018,
academic guidance and
support programs were
implemented for student
achievement for targeted
populations through the
Guided Pathways Initiative.
Faculty
By June 2019, 100% of faculty
enacted student achievement
goals in classes, as specified
through student learning
outcomes. These outcomes are
both program and course-
specific and are written into
the curriculum for each
program/course.
Students
By June 2020 100% of
targeted students will complete
transferable level classes at
rates of untargeted students.

Stakeholder Group for the Study
While a complete analysis would include all stakeholder groups, for practical purposes
students were the focus of this study. Traditionally underrepresented students were chosen as
they are the primary focus of the organizational goals and focusing on faculty members would
likely result in negative organizational feedback. More specifically, Latinx students were
selected as the primary group for data analysis as Lomita College is a designated Hispanic
Serving Institution, and 66% of the student population at Lomita College identifies as Latinx.
Failure to achieve this goal could affect future funding to the school as well as accreditation. For
this dissertation, data on the stakeholders of focus were gathered using both quantitative and
qualitative methodologies, in the form of surveys and interviews.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the knowledge,
motivation, and organizational influences that interfere with closing the gap in transfer in those

10

groups who have been identified as disproportionately impacted. The analysis began by
generating a list of possible or assumed interfering influences that were examined systematically
to focus on actual or validated interfering influences. The following research questions explored
the connections between the knowledge, motivation, and cultural components that may impact
transfer:
1. What is the stakeholder knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences related to
100% of targeted students transferring to a four-year university?
2. What are the recommended knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational
solutions?
Methodological Framework
To identify possible gaps in knowledge, motivation, and organizational issues, Clark and
Estes (2008) framework were utilized. Findings were gathered through such means as surveys
and interviews. Data analysis then identified any gaps or partial gaps in both the surveys and
interviews.
Definitions
• Completion rate refers to the percentage of first-time community college students with a
minimum of 6 units earned who attempted any Math or English in the first three years
and completed any of the following outcomes within six years of entry:
• Earned AA/AS or credit Certificate (Chancellor’s Office approved)
• Transfer to a four-year institution (students shown to have enrolled at any four-
year institution of higher education after enrolling at a CCC)

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• Achieved “Transfer Prepared” (student successfully completed 60 UC/CSU
transferable units with a GPA >= 2.0) (California Community College
Chancellor’s Office, 2018c)
• First-Generation status refers to a student for whom no parent or guardian has earned
more than a high school diploma nor has any college experience (California Community
College Chancellor’s Office, 2018c).
• Underrepresented refers to racial and ethnic populations that are disproportionately
represented in higher education (Lomita College demographic definition)
• Historically underrepresented groups may be African American students, Mexican
American/Latinx students, and Native American/Alaska Native students (Lomita College
demographic definition).
• Student learning motivation refers to the scores obtained on the items derived from the
Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MLSQ) (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990,)
• Persistence refers to “the act of continuing towards an educational goal” (United States
Department of Education, 2001, p. 1).
Organization of the Study
Five chapters are used to organize this study. This first chapter provides the reader with
the key concepts and terminology that impact issues surrounding transfer and graduation rates
for traditionally underrepresented student groups. The organization’s mission, goals, and
stakeholders, and the framework for the project are discussed in Chapter One. Chapter Two
provides a review of current literature surrounding the scope of the study. Such issues as
personal concerns, institutional support, and financial factors will be examined in Chapter Two.
Chapter Three details the knowledge, motivation, and organizational framework used in the

12

study as well as methodology concerning the choice of participants, data collection, and analysis.
In Chapter Four, the data and results are assessed and analyzed. Chapter Five provides solutions,
based on data and literature, for closing the identified gaps as well as recommendations for
solutions.

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Chapter Two: Review of the Literature
The research under investigation addresses the problem of disparities between the
transfer and degree completion rates between Whites and traditionally underrepresented groups,
such as Latinx and African-Americans, in community colleges in California. For example, data
from the California Community College’s Chancellor’s Office (2013) shows that statewide only
up to 39% of Latinx students graduate or transfer to a four-year institution compared with 51%
of White students. Increasing the transfer and graduation rates for traditionally underrepresented
students is important to address because not only do income disparities exist as a result of degree
attainment but also disparities in health and social outcomes (Dupre, 2007; Hout, 2012;
Tamborini et al., 2015). Racial and ethnic minorities have much to gain from attaining college
degrees, but as a group, are least likely to attain them (Schafer et al., 2013). Research
demonstrates that self-efficacy is related to grades, retention, and academic persistence (Lent,
1987; Vuong et al., 2010). Both GPA and academic persistence are functions of self-efficacy,
with first-generation students scoring significantly lower than second-generation students
(Vuong et al., 2010). By increasing levels of self-efficacy, it is possible to increase academic
performance and retention for many students (Lent, 1987; Vuong et al., 2010). This topic will be
discussed in more depth later in the literature review. The larger problem of practice is
improving the transfer rates from community colleges to four-year institutions for traditionally
underrepresented ethnic groups.
In this chapter, influences relating to degree completion issues will be explored. Then, the
role of students as the stakeholder group of focus will be examined, followed by the explanation
of the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences framework used in this study.

14

Finally, students’ knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences will be discussed and the
conceptual framework underlying this dissertation will be presented.
California Community College Master Plan and Mission
The California Community College system is the oldest and largest in the country and
serves the largest population of students (Knoell, 1997). Originally conceived as an extension of
high school, in 1960 they were declared as an integral part of California’s three-part educational
system in the state’s Master Plan of Education, and in 1968 were given separate governance
(Knoell, 1997). Transfer to four-year colleges and occupational training remain as primary
objectives. Currently, the California Community College system serves over two million
students, 67% of whom identify as being from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds
(Foundation for California Community Colleges, 2019).
The community college budget is highly sensitive to state, federal, and local funding,
such that if there are contractions in those funds, the college is not able to meet the forecasted
budget and must make up the shortfall through other revenue streams, such as bond initiatives,
increasing enrollment, or borrowing from future fiscal years’ budgets (Tollefson, 2009). These
fiscal solutions do not necessarily solve the issues of chronic faculty understaffing and meeting
student achievement benchmarks in an agile way that is necessary each semester. Recently, the
state of California shifted some of its funding to a performance-based model, which aims to close
achievement gaps (Fain, 2018). Performance-based funding (PBF) ties at least some of the
allocations for each community college to outcome measures such as graduation or transfer rates
(Kelchen, 2017). Research on whether PBF serves the targeted populations adequately is mixed,
with faculty statewide in opposition to its adoption, as many students do not graduate on time
due to outside circumstances (Fain, 2018; Kelchen, 2017). As an example of state mandates tied

15

to PBF that have a stated outcome of closing achievement gaps, there has been the
implementation of the Guided Pathways Initiative. The Guided Pathways Initiative, which is a
mandate designed to help students graduate and transfer in a timelier fashion requires a
significant shifting of resources towards developing technology, gathering data, and increasing
student support services (California Community College’s Chancellor’s Office, 2017). Many
faculty view the Guided Pathways initiative as a decline in academic rigor, leading to grade
inflation, and one that may not serve students well in the long-term (personal communication,
November 2018).
Degree Completion Issues
Many factors may contribute to students not completing degrees within a 6-year time
frame, such as financial issues, and personal and institutional factors (Roska & Velez, 2012;
Shapiro et al., 2013; Shapiro et al., 2015).
In a 2013 study by Shapiro et al., of students attending 3,600 colleges nationwide, it was
found that part-time students had a degree completion rate of 19%, while full-time students had a
degree completion rate of nearly 40%. Further, in a 2015 follow-up study by Shapiro et al., it
was found that delayed-entry students (students who waited a year or longer after high-school
graduation to begin college) had completion rates of 25%, while adult-learners had completion
rates close to that of full-time, traditional-age students, at around 38%. Delayed-entry students
were 30% less likely to complete their degrees than students who began school on time; delayed
entry students with spousal or child-related obligations were 40% - 50% less likely to complete
their degrees at all (Roska & Velez, 2012). While degree completion within six years may be
difficult for many students, financial issues may exacerbate low degree completion rates.
Income Disparities

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When examining levels of degree attainment compared with income, research
demonstrates that increasing educational levels increases income levels across racial and ethnic
groups, but there are disparities (Brodie, 2013; Pew Research Center, 2014; Supiano, 2014).
While current college graduates make incomes similar to earlier generations, there is a disparity
between overall income and educational levels (Supiano, 2014). A study (Pew Research Center,
2014) of over 2,000 Millennial adults ages 25-32 in the United States found that those with
Bachelor’s degrees had unemployment rates of approximately 4% compared with unemployment
rates of 12% for those with a high school diploma. The same study found that those with
Bachelor’s degrees had higher median salaries, beginning at approximately $46,000 compared to
$28,000 for those with a high school diploma.
Other studies have found that while education may help in closing income gaps between
some groups, it is unlikely to close all gaps (Corbly, 2015; Giani, 2016). Corbly (2015) reported
that while education may ease the disparity between lower and middle groups, it is unlikely to
address the disparity between any of those groups and the upper 1-3% of earners. Giani (2016)
asserted that only students attending highly selective schools were likely to see high earnings
while those attending less selective colleges would not have the same outcomes in income levels.
This disparity can be attributed to differences in social capital, similar to Stanton-Salazar’s
framework where institutional agents and other supports help the person to “decode the system”
and overcome barriers to social and income upward mobility (Stanton-Salazar, 1997, p. 13).
While lifetime income is one aspect that differs according to educational level, differences in
health outcomes can also vary according to the level of degree attained.
Financial Issues

17

Financial issues may be a hindrance to timely degree completion (Chen & Yur-Austin,
2016; Ishitani, 2006; Jenkins & Fink, 2016; Morris, 2015). As more students of color matriculate
into college degree programs, studies show that they generally accumulate more debt, do not
have the same type of aid available, and do not have the same types of college programs
available to them as their White counterparts (Abdul-Alim, 2016; Despard et al., 2016;
Grinstein-Weiss et al., 2016). Even with a college degree, high levels of debt accrued in the
pursuit of education will hinder exiting poverty for many students (Despard et al., 2016). While
generally education is held to be a wise investment, for some groups some difficulties may be
associated with degree attainment (Despard et al., 2016). According to Despard et al. (2016),
student debt over $25,000 is correlated with negative health outcomes and financial hardships
especially among women, Latinx, and African Americans. Carrying excessive loan debt has also
been negatively correlated with college completion among these same groups (Grinstein-Weiss
et al., 2016). With less money available in the form of grants and aid many students must choose
non-selective schools that are nearby, thus impacting their future income (Abdul-Alim, 2016;
Giani, 2016).
Houle (2016) argued that it is unlikely for lower SES students to have as much of a loan
burden as middle-income students. As loans become more common among all institutions, it has
become more difficult for middle-income students to qualify for need-based aid, while merit-
based aid is increasingly difficult for students to earn. Thus, middle-class students are more
indebted than either lower- or upper-class students (Houle, 2016).
A study of more than 237,000 students that analyzed census data showed that low SES
students transferred at lowered rates compared with high SES students, at 28% versus 36%,
respectively (Jenkins & Fink, 2016). In addition, lower SES students have much less room for

18

making mistakes with credits as they may not have the resources to expend compared to their
higher SES counterparts (Morris, 2015). Ishitani’s (2006) study of first-generation college
students found that the type of financial aid received made a significant impact on degree
completion, with those receiving loans 20% less likely to graduate or transfer within six years.
Chen and Yur-Austin (2016) found that students who were currently unemployed or who felt
pessimistic about the job market were more likely to delay degree completion, effectively
“warehousing” themselves within their academic institutions until they felt there was an
improved economic outlook. Type of aid received, and SES may both affect degree completion
among first-generation college students (Ishitani, 2006; Morris, 2015). Although financial issues
are important factors related to degree completion, environmental, social, or institutional issues
can also play a role in lowering degree completion rates.
Personal and Institutional Factors
Research suggests that personal and institutional factors may influence or delay
educational attainment (Bragg, 2015; Mooring & Mooring, 2016; Roska & Velez, 2012;
Sommerfeld, 2016; Stern, 2016). There are many reasons why students may not transfer
promptly outside of engagement or academic issues: credit loss, poor advising, loss of financial
aid, and the need to take courses at times that fit their lives versus when courses are available
(Bragg, 2015). According to Stern (2016), significant negative predictors of community college
transfer were age, hours worked, and belonging to a racial/ ethnic minority group. Stern further
says that significant positive predictors were grants, family income, and student expectations.
These results were generally repeated for degree completion except for gender and student
expectations. In that case, it was found that men were less likely to complete degrees than
women for unclear reasons.

19

Transfer and degree completion seems to be related to ethnicity and type of institution or
support programs offered (Mooring & Mooring, 2016). For African-American transfer students,
transfer support programs were most predictive of future transfer, while for Latinx students,
earning a certificate or another intermediate degree was more predictive of a future transfer. For
White and Asian students, GPA was the most important factor. Waiwaiole et al. (2016)
conducted a study and found similar patterns for Latinx students regarding transfer and support,
with only 14% of Latinx students transferring or completing their degree within six years;
however, as institutional support increased, transfer and degree completion did as well. In
general, personal educational expectations predict future educational attainment, although, for
certain sub-groups, such as Latinx or Asian students, this effect is mediated by peer and parental
expectations (Sommerfeld, 2016). Numerous personal and environmental factors can affect
timely transfer and degree completion.
Health Disparities
Research has shown that the attainment of higher degrees leads to more positive health-
related outcomes; for example, rates of obesity and smoking tend to decline (An, 2015;
Rosenbaum, 2012; Greer-Williams et al., 2007). Thus, college completion rates may be an
important factor for future health benefits in the targeted stakeholder groups. However, students
from low SES backgrounds may have challenges that others from higher SES backgrounds do
not face (An, 2015; Greer-Williams et al., 2007). For instance, in a study of African-American
college students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), approximately
29% withdrew from classes due to personal health problems, 43% withdrew to care for family
members, and only 43% carried health insurance (Greer-Williams et al., 2007). According to An
(2015), rates of obesity among those without a college degree will eventually tend to converge,

20

averaging disparate groups together while the rates of those with a college degree will tend to
decrease and to diverge away from other groups, widening the gap of health outcomes. While
even attaining a community college degree conveys health benefits:
Young adults whose highest degree was a BA were 57 % less likely to smoke daily,
37% less likely to have sleep problems, 31% less likely to have depression, 16% less
likely to be obese, and 22% less likely to have stage 2 hypertension, compared with
young adults whose highest degree was a community college credential, after controlling
for baseline socioeconomic status, smoking, health status, and demographics.
(Rosenbaum, 2012, p. 163)
Thus, while it can be extremely difficult for many students to attain a college degree, being the
beneficiary of higher education seems to convey many health benefits.
Other researchers disagree, however, that this issue is so simple (Asada et al., 2013;
Morenoff et al., 2007; Schafer et al., 2013). These studies seem to suggest that health disparities
may be multi-variate. For example, in a 2007 study, Morenoff et al. (2007) found that when
controlling for factors such as educational level and SES, sociospatial location, i.e.,
neighborhood, was a much more important contributing factor to health outcomes. At a more
macro level, Asada et al. (2013) found that health disparities varied according to the state in
which the person resided. In some states, income made more of a difference to health, whereas,
in other states, factors such as race/ethnicity and neighborhood were of more importance.
Finally, it has also been posited that those who complete college would have had better health
outcomes in the first place, thus it is not necessarily possible to determine causality when
examining the relationship between education and health (Schafer et al., 2013). While health and
financial issues might be separate variables, research shows that they may be intertwined.

21

Clark and Estes’ (2008) Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences Framework
To assess the differences between student groups of interest and the rest of the student
population, Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework was used. Since this framework is
useful in its structure of analyzing gaps in knowledge, motivation, and organizational issues it
was chosen as a way of organizing guiding theories of this dissertation. The knowledge
dimension can be generally categorized into four types: factual, conceptual, procedural, and
metacognitive (Krathwohl, 2002; Rueda, 2011). Three components may be used to help diagnose
motivational issues. Those are active choice, persistence, and mental effort (Schunk et al., 2009).
Lastly, organizational influences on stakeholder performance that may be a factor include such
issues as organization processes, appropriate resource allocation, and organizational culture
(Clark & Estes, 2008). Thus, this framework helped to direct both the literature review of this
paper as well as to steer the methods and research. Each of these, assumed stakeholder
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences will be examined through the methodology
discussed in Chapter Three.
Stakeholder Knowledge and Motivation Influences
Knowledge and Skills
Lomita College provides educational programs to a diverse student body. One of the
goals of Lomita College is to increase graduation rates as well as transfers to four-year
institutions among traditionally underrepresented students. To achieve this goal, there are certain
types of skills and knowledge involved. For example, students will need to understand how their
identity and mindset as a student impacts their level of achievement as well as more practical
knowledge such as when and where to receive academic advising.

22

The focus of the knowledge, motivation, and organization section in this research was on
the specific knowledge and skills needed for the stakeholders of interest to reach their goals.
While each of the different types of knowledge dimensions will be examined, the explicit types
referring to the stated stakeholder groups will be analyzed in more detail. It is important to
examine the specific knowledge influences present because research demonstrates that they have
an impact on student success (Eibensteiner, 2012; Hoseinzadeh & Shoghi, 2013; Krathwohl,
2002; Rueda, 2011; Thomas & Anderson, 2014; Tularam & Hulsman, 2015).
Knowledge Influences
As student success is predicated on both what the students and the teachers know,
therefore it is important to consider the various types of knowledge (Rueda, 2011). The
knowledge dimension can be generally categorized into four types: factual, conceptual,
procedural, and metacognitive (Krathwohl, 2002; Rueda, 2011). Factual knowledge refers to
basic knowledge that is needed in solving problems (Rueda, 2011). An example of factual
knowledge pertaining to student success would be students understanding the course
requirements needed to pass a class. Conceptual knowledge is understanding how elements of
an idea are interrelated (Krathwohl, 2002). Student's understanding of how past class material is
related to current class material is an example of conceptual knowledge. The third type of
knowledge dimension is procedural knowledge. This type of knowledge typically refers to the
“how” (Rueda, 2011). A student knowing the process of how to register for classes or
understanding the process of how to apply for financial aid would represent this type of
knowledge. The final type of knowledge dimension is the metacognitive dimension.
Metacognition is being able to “think about thinking” or being aware of one’s cognition and

23

cognitive processes (Krathwohl, 2012; Rueda, 2011). Student knowledge of their level of self-
efficacy in their courses is an example of metacognition.
Procedural Knowledge
Procedural knowledge is required throughout the college experience, as it encompasses
methods of inquiry, specific skills, or procedures related to a program or course (Rueda, 2011).
While this type of knowledge is a necessary component in problem-solving and higher-order
thinking, it is not always explicitly addressed. Research has shown that students have
disorganized procedural skills which may then transfer over into other settings, such as the
workplace (Eibensteiner, 2012; Tularam & Hulsman, 2015).
Metacognitive Knowledge
Research indicates that metacognitive knowledge is another important structure within
the framework of student success (Hoseinzadeh & Shoghi, 2013; Thomas & Anderson, 2014).
According to Thomas and Anderson (2014), by monitoring changes in how the environment
influences student learning, it is possible to ascertain changes in levels of students’
metacognitive knowledge. Thus, explicitly teaching and assessing levels of metacognition is
crucial to identify connections between learning environments and student achievement.
Understanding Where and When to Receive Academic Advising
An important aspect of creating a climate of student success is student support services.
Research indicates that having adequate access to student support increases academic
achievement for traditionally underrepresented groups, such as Latinx and African-American
male students (Mooring & Mooring, 2016; Waiwaiole et al., 2016). According to Cleveland-
Innes and Emes (2005), a crucial attribute of creating a learner-centered curriculum is to
explicitly teach those skills and outcomes related to student success, such as expectancy of

24

student involvement in the campus community, student effort, approaches to learning, and
organizational values as participants in academia. Jones and Abes (2013) posit that for student
success to occur, educators must encourage a community that fosters educational development
including factors contained within the environment itself. Additionally, in recent years a penalty
has been enacted for students who are planning to transfer to four-year institutions but have not
declared a major by their third semester or maintained satisfactory academic progress would now
be subject to losing their financial aid packages (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s
Office, 2015). Thus, students must understand the processes and procedures surrounding their
campus, and where and when to receive academic advising.
Understanding Identity and Mindset
Metacognitive processes as related to self-identity are relevant to the issue of student
success (Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Ellis & Chen, 2013; Rueda, 2011). In interviews of
undocumented immigrant students, it was found that reframing experiences of acculturative
stress brought about positive changes in self-perception and self-knowledge (Ellis & Chen,
2013). Chickering and Reisser (1993), proposed seven vectors of student development that
would ultimately help the person to form a coherent self-identity. Those seven vectors are as
follows: developing competence, managing emotions, moving through autonomy toward
interdependence, developing mature interpersonal relationships, establishing identity, developing
purpose, and developing integrity. The fifth vector is especially applicable to the concept of
metacognition as it primarily concerns developing a clear sense of self and integration of internal
and external perceptions (Chickering & Reisser, 1993). When college students are first
developing a sense of what it means to identify as part of their campus community and as a
student, mindset can be uncertain; according to Wagoner and Hogg (2016), this uncertainty can

25

be helpful in the development of self-concept in that by forming an association with a group,
self-concept is transformed and internalized. Accordingly, measurement of self-concept and
mindset is part of the analysis of student success in research questions. While mindset applies to
the knowledge influences outlined in this research, they are also pertinent to the motivational
influences present.
Table 2 articulates the organizational mission, organizational global goal, stakeholder
performance goal, and the specific knowledge influences that were analyzed in this paper. Table
2 also gives examples of how these knowledge influences may be assessed in future research.
Table 2
Organizational Mission and Performance Goal for Knowledge Influences
Organizational Mission
The mission of Lomita College is to provide all students with an excellent education that is
engaging, dynamic, and supportive.

Organizational Performance Goal
The goal of Lomita College will be that by June 2020, gaps in transfer to four-year institutions
will be completely closed in those groups who have been identified as disproportionately
impacted.
Knowledge Influence Knowledge Type Knowledge Influence
Assessment
Students need to know the
process of constructing an
Educational Plan.

Students need to know the
process of transferring to a
four-year institution.
Procedural Interviews/ surveys
Sample question: “I have an
Educational Plan.”

“I know the steps needed to
transfer to a four-year school.”

Students need to know how
their identity and mindset
impacts their achievement
Metacognitive Interviews/ surveys

26

Sample question: “Compared
with others in this class, I think
I'm a good student.”
Students need to know where
to receive Academic Advising.
Students need to know where
to receive assistance while
taking their courses.
Factual Interviews/ surveys
Sample question: “I am aware
of the resources the campus
has to support me.”
“I know how to reach my
professors if I need extra help
in class.”

Motivation
This literature review focuses on the motivational influences that are pertinent to closing
transfer gaps by June 2020 in student groups who have been identified as disproportionately
impacted. The word motivation is understood in this context to mean those constructs that fulfill
a student’s needs or goal orientations (Pintrich, 2003; Rueda, 2011). Three components are
indicators that may be used to help diagnose motivational issues. Those are active choice,
persistence, and mental effort (Schunk et al., 2009). Motivation is important to address because
understanding which motivational indicators may be affecting stakeholder groups is critical to
overcoming them. While research indicates that any or all these indicators may be associated
with student success, theories on self-efficacy and expectancy-value will be discussed in more
depth (Bandura, 2005; Eccles, 2006; Pajares, 2006; Slanger et al., 2015).
Self-efficacy Theory
Academic self-efficacy is linked to many areas of student success, including retention,
persistence, and overall academic achievement (Slanger et al., 2015). Self-efficacy is defined as
an individual’s belief in his or her ability to achieve certain levels of goal or performance
attainment (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1997). Bandura (2005), postulated in his social cognitive
theory that self-efficacy was the basis for all human agency. That is, the beliefs and self-

27

perceptions that people hold about their capabilities (Bandura, 2005; Pajares, 2006). If people do
not believe they can reach their intended goals, they will have little motivation to attempt to
reach them (Pajares, 2006). As Bandura (2005) states, perception of self-efficacy is important
because it affects other factors such as goals, aspirations, outcome expectations, and perceptions
of obstacles or opportunities in social contexts. However, self-efficacy must be differentiated
from outcome expectations, which are beliefs about the consequences that behaviors will
produce (Pajares, 2006). Self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations do not need to be
congruent; where they differ, self-efficacy beliefs will tend to guide behaviors more than
outcome expectations (Pajares, 2006). It is important to examine how self-efficacy is related to
the specific stakeholder goal outlined in this paper since self-efficacy has been shown to directly
affect student success.
Research shows that both self-efficacy and type of motivation are related, with students
displaying intrinsic motivation also tending to demonstrate higher levels of self-efficacy
(D’Lima et al., 2014; Hsieh, et al., 2007; Madonna & Philpot, 2013). In addition, levels of self-
efficacy and GPA appear to be positively correlated (D’Lima et al., 2015; Hsieh et al., 2007;
Lent et al., 1987). While in general, higher levels of self-efficacy promote higher levels of
academic gains in first-generation college students, research also shows that levels both self-
efficacy and academic attainment tend to be lower than in second-generation students (Garriott et
al., 2015., Majer, 2009; Ramos-Sanchez & Nicholas, 2007; Vuong et al., 2010).
Although type of motivation and goal orientation appear to be linked with self-efficacy,
ethnicity and gender also were correlated (D’Lima et al., 2014), with African-American and
White students showing higher initial levels of self-efficacy, but female students making greater
gains over a semester. It was found that regardless of feelings of efficacy, non-first-generation

28

students have higher academic attainment than first-generation students; however, the level of
self-efficacy at the beginning of the year predicts later college adjustment (Ramos-Sanchez &
Nicholas, 2007). After controlling for other relevant variables, it was found that college self-
efficacy was significantly related to persisting into the second semester (Wright et al., 2013).
Self-efficacy was significantly positively related to cumulative GPA at the end of the first year of
college, which is suggestive of self-efficacy promoting greater educational gains in first-
generation college students (Majer, 2009).
Self-Efficacy and Motivation
Research shows that self-efficacy, type of motivation, and goal orientation are correlated,
with students displaying intrinsic motivation and mastery goals also tending to display higher
levels of self-efficacy (D’Lima et al., 2014; Hseih et al., 2007; Madonna & Philpot, 2013). In a
study conducted on college students, both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were related to self-
efficacy and academic performance; however, if students had a high-performance goal
orientation, the lower the overall GPA (D’Lima et al., 2014). Assessing both types of motivation
and performance goals may be an important issue in addressing student academic achievement.
While the type of motivation is an important factor in academic attainment, other factors appear
to be interrelated.
Academic Performance
There appears to be a positive correlation between levels of self-efficacy and grade point
average (D’Lima et al., 2015; Hsieh et al., 2007; Lent et al., 1987). Although in general, levels of
self-efficacy were related to academic attainment, for females, the level of academic self-efficacy
is significantly positively related to academic performance. Levels of self-efficacy significantly

29

predict future academic performance. Both self-efficacy and GPA can be intertwining issues for
first-generation students.
First-Generation Students
Although self-efficacy is generally a good predictor of future academic performance for
first-generation students, the research also indicates that both self-efficacy and academic
performance tend to be lower than in second-generation students (Garriott, et al., 2015., Majer,
2009; Ramos-Sanchez & Nicholas, 2007; Vuong et al., 2010). For first-generation students,
intrinsic motivation, academic satisfaction, and first-generation status are linked while also being
strong predictors of future academic success (Garriott et al., 2015; Majer, 2009). According to a
2010 study by Vuong et al., while first and second-generation students had similar levels of self-
efficacy, first-generation students had significantly lower levels of GPA and academic
persistence as related to self-efficacy. First-generation status and level of self-efficacy appear to
be important factors to consider in future academic performance. In addition, research indicates
that self-efficacy is related to health, stress, and coping skills, all of which are factors in retention
and persistence in college (Chemers et al., 2001; Shi & Zhao, 2014). Therefore, these issues
underscore how self-efficacy may be a direct and indirect pathway to student success.
Students need to Feel Efficacious within Their Specific Courses
As Dweck (2008a) says, “beliefs matter”. Students taught that intelligence is malleable
had increased achievement compared to control groups (Dweck, 2008a). Those who hold
malleable ideas of the self are more open to learning, able to stick with a difficult task, able to
confront challenges and have more robust coping strategies (Dweck, 2008a). In addition,
research has found that students with a growth mindset predict academic achievement, even
controlling for the divergent background of the students (Dweck, 2008a, b). If students are made

30

to feel efficacious regarding their coursework, and that they are likely to succeed, they will more
probably achieve their goals than students who do not feel efficacious.
Expectancy Value Theory
Expectancy value theory reduces performance and motivational factors down to two
basic questions: can the person do the task, and does the person want to do the task? (Eccles,
2006; Wigfield & Cambria, 2010). Confidence in the ability to reach an academic goal, as well
as the desire to do so are strong predictors of future academic attainment (Eccles, 2006). Related
to the second question of desiring to perform a task, expectancy values can be broken down into
the following aspects, which are intrinsic value, attainment value, utility value, and perceived
cost (Eccles, 2006). Intrinsic value refers to the enjoyment one feels in engaging in a task, while
attainment value is the referent ideas that an individual holds between the task and self-image.
Utility value refers to the way a task fulfills an individual’s goal orientation or other
psychological needs while perceived cost is how one perceives as the cost of engaging in a task
(Eccles, 2006; Wigfield & Cambria, 2010). Tasks may provoke emotions around participation,
which in turn, affects motivation (Anderman & Anderman, 2006; Eccles, 2006; Pekrun, 2011).
While outcomes of emotion on student success are complex and variable, in general, it has been
found that positive emotions promote motivation and engagement with a task, while negative
emotions tend to be deactivating, such that motivation and engagement are decreased (Pekrun,
2011). If the locus of control is perceived as internal, then emotions will also tend to be more
positive with motivation and task engagement increased (Anderman & Anderman, 2006).
Therefore, the constructs of expectancy-value theory are likely to directly impact the identified
stakeholder goal of closing transfer gaps by June 2020 in disproportionately impacted student
groups.

31

Students Need to See the Value of Completing Their Classes
Attributional and emotional models are predictive of how learners form causal beliefs
about themselves in relation to academic settings (Anderman & Anderman, 2006). Non-
cognitive personal attributes as they relate to motivation, such as resiliency, have gained
increased attention in recent research (McGeown et al., 2015; Yaeger & Dweck, 2012). These
implicit, non-cognitive theories appear to predict self-regulation, which in turn predicts academic
achievement (Burnette et al., 2013; Yaeger & Dweck, 2012). Those who hold more implicit self-
regulatory concepts are theorized to have more of a mastery goal orientation versus a
performance goal orientation and more malleable ideas about the self (Burnette et al., 2013).
Yough and Anderman (2006) define mastery goal orientation as the desire to understand a given
task while a performance goal orientation is to outperform a competitor on a given task. While
neither have been specifically demonstrated as being more effective in academic achievement,
performance goal orientation seems to primarily be of benefit to older males (Yough &
Anderman, 2006). It is important to assess the level of utility values that stakeholders place on
course completion since it affects self-concept and student success.
Table 3 articulates the organizational mission, organizational global goal, stakeholder
performance goal, and the specific motivational influences that are being analyzed. Table 3 also
gives examples of how these motivational influences may be assessed in future research.
Table 3
Organizational Mission and Performance Goal for Motivational Influences
Organizational Mission
The mission of Lomita College is to provide all students with an excellent education that is
engaging, dynamic, and supportive.

32

Organizational Performance Goal
The goal of Lomita College will be that by June 2020, gaps in transfer to four-year institutions
will be completely closed in those groups who have been identified as disproportionately
impacted.
Motivational Indicator(s)

Value, self-efficacy, persistence
Assumed Motivation Influences Motivational Influence Assessment
Self-efficacy: Students need to believe they are
capable of academic achievement.
Interviews/ Surveys- example question: I'm
certain I can understand the ideas taught in
this course.
Utility value: Students need to see the value of
degree attainment.
Interviews/ Surveys- example question:
Course completion is important to me.
Persistence: Students need to persist at less
pleasant tasks to show high motivation.
Interviews/ Surveys- example question: I
work on practice exercises and answer end-
of-chapter questions even when I don't have
to.

Organization
General Theory
To understand the function of the stakeholder group within the organizational culture, the
constructs of a cultural model and a cultural setting must be clearly defined. According to
Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001), a cultural model encompasses shared social norms that may
govern both cognitive and attitudinal interpretations of events within a specific communal
context. Further, a cultural setting governs the behavioral aspects of the cultural model; that is, it
directs the activity of the people and may guide goal performance.
Stakeholder-Specific Factors

33

The cultural setting within a community college may fluctuate due to several factors,
including such things as funding resources available, staffing availability, and student
populations served. From a cultural setting viewpoint, there are two major factors theorized to
have an impact on the stakeholder group of students- that students need to have effective role
models within the institution, and that students must receive effective academic guidance
(Mooring & Mooring, 2016). Interacting with the cultural setting are two potential cultural
factors. For students to succeed within the cultural setting, there must be a climate of student
support within the institution itself, and there should be a consensus among the students
themselves regarding the value of course completion. Table 4 examines the organizational
influences present within the stakeholder group.
Table 4
Organizational Mission and Performance Goal for Organizational Influences
Organizational Mission
The mission of Lomita College is to provide all students with an excellent education that is
engaging, dynamic, and supportive.

Organizational Performance Goal
The goal of Lomita College will be that by June 2020, gaps in transfer to four-year institutions
will be completely closed in those groups who have been identified as disproportionately
impacted.
Stakeholder Goal

By June 2020 100% of targeted students will successfully complete transferable level classes at
rates of untargeted students.
Assumed Organizational Influences Organization Influence Assessment

34

Cultural Setting Influence 1:
There needs to be a general
culture of academic achievement
among students.
Interviews/ Surveys- example question: Course
completion is important to me.
Cultural Setting Influence 2:
There needs to be a culture of student
support to help students achieve success.
Interviews/ Surveys- example question: I feel
adequately supported as a student at this school.
Cultural Model Influence 1:
Students need effective
role models within the institution.
Interviews/ Surveys- example question: I have
role models at this school.
Cultural Model Influence 2:
Students need effective guidance on course
completion.
Interviews/ Surveys- example question: I have a
mentor I can talk to about my education here.
Conceptual Framework: The Interaction of Stakeholders’ Knowledge and Motivation and
the Organizational Context
A conceptual framework helps to construct the theories that are held regarding a
particular phenomenon under study (Maxwell, 2013). Once a working theory has been
constructed, this informs further development of the research as well as data collection (Merriam
& Tisdell, 2016). Therefore, the conceptual framework presented here constructs an interaction
of factors presumed to affect the outcome of the stated stakeholder goal.
To assess the differences between student groups of interest and the rest of the student
population, Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework was used. Since this framework is
useful in its structure of analyzing gaps in knowledge, motivation, and organizational issues it
was chosen as a way of organizing guiding theories of the current research.
This study will be informed by two differing viewpoints regarding the research process.
The first view is that of post-positivism defined by Creswell (2014) as the adherence to the
traditional scientific method, the idea that there is an objective truth to be uncovered, and

35

operational definitions of variables defined by the researchers themselves. The worldview is seen
in the use of archival data for the quantitative portion of the research, which has been carefully
gathered and validated according to traditional scientific methods about the stakeholder group of
interest. The other worldview which will be utilized for the qualitative portion of the research is
that of constructivism, held by Creswell (2014) to be a process by which the goal of the research
is to rely on the participants’ viewpoints and experiences versus what has been pre-defined by
the researcher. Using these paradigms allows for a broader context of meaning and enrichment
set by those who are engaged within the environment of interest. In this context, the stakeholders
of interest will contribute to the research questions themselves using interviews and emergent
methods.
The focus of the conceptual framework will be on the specific knowledge and skills
needed for the stakeholders of interest to reach their goals. While each of the different types of
knowledge dimensions will be examined, the explicit types referring to the stated stakeholder
groups will be analyzed in more detail. It is important to examine the specific knowledge
influences present because research demonstrates that they have an impact on student success
(Eibensteiner, 2012; Hoseinzadeh & Shoghi, 2013; Krathwohl, 2002; Rueda, 2011; Thomas &
Anderson, 2014; Tularam & Hulsman, 2015). As student success is predicated on both what the
students and the teachers know, therefore it is important to consider the various types of
knowledge (Rueda, 2011). The conceptual framework presented in this study examines how
knowledge and motivational factors may operate within the context of the organization to impact
the overall goal of closing transfer gaps within disproportionately impacted groups. The
conceptual framework depicted in Figure 1 theorizes that the organizational, knowledge, and
motivational factors must act in concert to achieve the stakeholder goals (Clark & Estes, 2008).

36

Figure 1
Conceptual Framework of KMO Influences

Lomita College
Cultural Models: Cultures of
academic achievement and
student support;
Cultural Settings: Settings
emphasizing role models and
guidance.
Lomita College Educational Mission
Student Knowledge
Procedural:
Students need to know where to
seek help
Metacognitive: Students need
to understand their own
mindset
Factual: Students need to
know about assistance
Student Motivation
Self-Efficacy: Students
need to believe they are
capable of academic
achievement
Utility Value: Students
need to see degree value
Persistence: Students
need to persist at less
pleasant tasks to succeed
Stakeholder Goal

By June 2020 100% of targeted students will successfully complete transferrable level class
at rates of untargeted students.

= Organization
= Global Goal
= Stakeholder Influences
= Stakeholder Goal

37

This figure considers how overall factors fit together inside the organization and
examines how the cultural models and settings nest within the larger structure of the organization
shown by the blue circle. These cultural models and settings that affect the specified stakeholder
group of students would be a context of academic achievement and support as well as settings
emphasizing positive role models and structured guidance (Mooring & Mooring, 2016;
Waiwaiole et al., 2016). Fitting into the culture of the organization is the global goal of closing
transfer gaps in those student groups who have been recognized as disproportionately impacted,
depicted by the large green circle. A culture of promoting education through transfer to four-year
institutions is also part of the basic educational mission of Lomita College. The smaller African-
American circles within the green circle show the knowledge and motivational factors, such as
self-efficacy and expectancy-value, theorized to affect the specified stakeholder group of
students (Bandura, 2005; Eccles, 2006; Pajares, 2006; Slanger et al., 2015). The African-
American box shows how these previous factors interact with the specific stakeholder goal of
having 100% of targeted students transfer at the rates of untargeted groups of students.
Conclusion
The problem of practice is improving the transfer rates at a community college to four-
year institutions for traditionally underrepresented ethnic groups. Many factors may contribute to
students not completing degrees within a 6-year time frame. Full-time students have higher
degree completion and transfer rates compared to part-time students (Shapiro et al., 2013). Non-
traditional students, such as adult learners, had similar completion rates to those of traditional
college-age students (Shapiro et al., 2015). Data suggests that full-time students have an
advantage in attaining degrees over part-time or delayed-entry students (Roska & Velez, 2012).
There are many reasons why students may not transfer promptly outside of engagement or

38

academic issues: credit loss, poor advising, loss of financial aid, and the need to take courses at
times that fit their lives versus when courses are available (Morris, 2016). Chapter Two explored
the KMO influences as they related to the stakeholders in this study. In addition, it examined the
conceptual frameworks that underlie the major constructs of the problem of practice. Chapter
Three will explain the methodological approaches taken for this research study.

39

Chapter Three: Methods
Participating Stakeholders
While a complete analysis would include all stakeholder groups, for practical purposes
the Latinx students at Lomita College were the focus of this study. Students were chosen as they
were the primary focus of the organizational goal. Key groups of students were identified as
disproportionately impacted compared to the rest of the student population, and while all student
groups were measured, survey data from the impacted groups were cross-checked with
qualitative interview data for emergent themes. The participants were drawn from the general
student population that comprises the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The survey data
collected was representative of the population of interest, as it was a stratified sample.
Demographic data were examined to ensure that overall sample characteristics are reflective of
the population, e.g., age ranges, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic statuses. Such data speaks to
issues of external validity and power. In addition, the survey items used were examined for
construct validity. Construct validity refers to the idea that questions on the survey measure the
construct or conceptual framework of interest.
Survey Sampling Criteria and Rationale
Criterion 1
Students from the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Lomita College were
surveyed in order to ensure a representative sample. The sample had a proportional
representation from each group, with an emphasis on traditionally underrepresented populations,
such as Latinx.

40

Criterion 2
All students were invited to participate in the survey. It was important to survey both
genders because males and females were members of the stakeholder group.
Criterion 3
Students were at least half-time students which means enrolled in at least 6 units and
have spent at least one semester at the college.
Survey Sampling (Recruitment) Strategy and Rationale
For this study, surveys were administered to a stratified sample of current students of
Lomita College through the use of Qualtrics software. Specifically, this meant that there were
sample participants who identify as White, Latinx, African-American, and Asian. All surveys
were anonymous, and other than the specified information to qualify for the study, did not ask
for any other identifying information. After survey data had been collected, participants were
asked a final question regarding whether they would be willing to participate in a follow-up
interview. If they responded yes, then the survey took them to another link where they were able
to provide their information for the qualitative interviews.
Interview Sampling Criteria and Rationale
Criterion 1
Sample participants were selected from those who indicated on the surveys that they
agreed to be interviewed. The sample participants chosen reflected people from those groups
who were historically underrepresented and were part of the stakeholder group that is the focus
of the problem of practice.
Criterion 2

41

Participants chosen received some form of financial assistance for college, as this was
identified as an important factor in college retention and completion for stakeholder groups.
Interview Sampling (Recruitment) Strategy and Rationale
For this research, a maximum variation strategy was used as part of a larger purposeful
sampling design (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). This strategy was designed to sample a
heterogeneous subset within the population of interest, so that results were generalized back to
the population (Cohen & Crabtree, 2006). Participants were initially self-selected from a survey
distributed to the targeted stakeholder population at Lomita College and then chosen as
representative of those groups of the study. Participants were interviewed after survey data was
gathered. These students provided their contact information on a separate landing page from
completed survey data and were students that the researcher had not taught in any previous
course section. This sample size was the maximum number that can be accommodated due to the
time constraints of the study and IRB restriction protocols. A semi-structured interview protocol
was followed. Another aspect of this study is to uncover differences in stakeholder definitions of
success and motivation; thus, it was important to have rich contextual data from the stakeholders
of interest (See Appendix A for Interview Protocol and Questions).
Explanation of Choices
As this study used a mixed-methods design, more specifically a sequential explanatory
design, it was important to have rigor in both the quantitative and qualitative aspects. The
sequential explanatory design is one in which quantitative data collection is followed by
qualitative data collection to expand upon and interpret the quantitative data (Creswell, 2014;
Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).

42

Quantitative Data Collection and Instrumentation
Surveys
As this study used a mixed-methods design, it was important to have rigor in both the
quantitative and qualitative aspects. The sequential explanatory design is one in which
quantitative data collection is followed by qualitative data collection to expand upon and
interpret the quantitative data (Creswell, 2014; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). For the current study,
surveys were used to gather quantitative data.
Surveys were administered to a stratified sample of current students of Lomita College
through the use of Survey Monkey®. Institutional Research approved the deployment of the
surveys using Survey Monkey® to a sample of students from the School of Social and
Behavioral Sciences Department. Faculty in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department
were given the Survey Monkey® link to distribute to their students. Once the surveys were sent,
a reminder email was sent to faculty after one week to remind students to complete the survey,
and then a final reminder email a week later. However, Lomita College IRB protocols forbid the
use of any incentives to participate in research, so overall participation was expected to be low.
While over 300 requests were sent out to students, 65 surveys were returned, and only 42 were
usable. The rest had too much missing data to be analyzed and had to be discarded. The use of a
survey design allowed quantitative descriptions of relationships, trends, attitudes, or opinions of
participants (Creswell, 2014). For this research study, all targeted stakeholders received an
invitation to participate in a survey. Once the surveys had been deployed, there was a short
description of the research purpose along with a consent form for participants to sign
electronically. Survey items were designed to address the following research questions and to
assess the assumed influences from the conceptual framework:

43

1. What is the stakeholder knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences related to
100% of targeted students transferring to a four-year university?
2. What are the recommended knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational
solutions?
To maximize the response rate, the following strategies suggested by Pazzaglia et al., (2016)
were used:
• Using anonymous responses to increase participant’s willingness to
disclose information.
• Considering the timing of the survey, ensuring it will not be administered during
an overly busy period for students (i.e., exams, end of term, administration of
other school surveys).
To improve content validity (Salkind, 2017), items were created using an already
existing instrument and were peer-reviewed. In addition, scales of measurement as defined by
Salkind (2017) (nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio) were selected for each item to facilitate
data analysis.
Operational Definitions and Instruments
The surveys used were mainly derived from items taken out of the Motivated Strategies
for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). The MSLQ was chosen as an appropriate instrument by the
researcher since it has subscales that may be disaggregated and used as stand-alone surveys. In
addition, the MSLQ was specifically chosen for the research because it contains questionnaire
items that relate to important knowledge and motivation issues that are being validated. The
Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MLSQ) (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990) is a 44-
item, Likert-type, self-report scale, designed to explore and measure students’ learning

44

motivation (see Appendix A). The items chosen from the MLSQ are specific to the motivational
aspects of the KMO conceptual framework used for this dissertation. The MLSQ is a robust
instrument and can be used as both a unidimensional measure and a multidimensional measure
using the subscales of motivation, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and resource
management strategies (Pintrich et al., 1993). Two subscales were chosen to be used in the
survey. These were the Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulation subscales since these were related to
self-efficacy and persistence in the KMO framework. In addition, survey questions that were
specially written for the current research were included and asked about knowledge, motivation,
and organizational issues (Appendix B). These questions addressed the specific questions for the
research study and were peer-reviewed for face validity, construct validity, and criterion validity,
among others. Since the subscales of the MLSQ survey have previously been validated, this
helped to validate the assumed influences. As previously discussed, the surveys were
anonymously deployed to targeted stakeholder groups within the School of Social and
Behavioral Sciences by Institutional Research.
Qualitative Data Collection and Instrumentation
For this study, multi-methods were used. More specifically, a sequential explanatory
approach was undertaken. According to Creswell (2014), the sequential explanatory approach
allows for differing methodologies to corroborate or validate the findings of each while
overcoming weaknesses inherent within each type of method; specifically, allowing the
qualitative findings to further explore data gathered in the quantitative phase. More specifically,
surveys were first distributed, and then semi-structured interviews were conducted.
Interviews

45

Another aspect of this study was to uncover differences in stakeholder definitions of
success and motivation; thus, it was important to have rich contextual data from the stakeholders
of interest. A semi-structured interview protocol was followed (see Appendix B). Questions
asking the participants about their academic experiences, academic goals, reasons for attending
college, and motivation towards academics were included. These interview questions were
constructed using aspects from both the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire
(MSLQ) and the KMO framework to ensure that these questions are related to the knowledge
and motivational issues of the conceptual framework used in this dissertation.
Interview Procedures
One-time interviews were conducted for this dissertation. The interviews were held after
survey data was gathered. As the interviews took place pre-SARS COV-2, they were conducted
face-to-face. They took approximately one-half hour each to complete. All interviews were audio
recorded with the consent of the participants. The interviews were transcribed afterward using
Rev transcription services for data collection purposes. They were formal. The interviews were
conducted in the researcher’s office on campus because consistent access to interview space is
not guaranteed and is extremely difficult to schedule apart from the researcher’s office. The
approach described allowed the interview data to inform and corroborate information gathered
from surveys (Creswell, 2014; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Regarding the interview process, all
participants were read a short description of the research purpose, along with an explanation that
all participation was voluntary, and that the interview would be recorded for transcription
purposes. It was explained to the participants that interview responses would remain anonymized
and confidential. Additionally, they were given a written form explaining the purposes of the
study, and their rights as participants, which they read and signed. Only two students agreed to

46

be interviewed, since IRB protocols at Lomita College prohibit any kind of compensation,
including extra credit, to be given for participation in research. Therefore, there was no incentive
for students to take part in the research, other than their interest. This means that this study is not
generalizable due to the small sample size.
Data Analysis
The data analysis included quantitative data from the survey and qualitative data
from the interview. Alkin (2011) presents the different types of data produced by survey
instruments: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio, and the statistical analysis that can be
applied to each. In this study, any Likert-scale items were analyzed using frequency
calculations, and a visual/ graphic representation of the data was given, if appropriate. Any
items that may produce interval or ratio data were subjected to the descriptive statistics,
including the mean and standard deviation. Any items with a high non-response rate were
considered within the context of the data to establish the meaning of the non-response rate.
For the interview portion, data analysis began during data collection. Since Bogdan
and Biklen (2007) recommend writing analytic memos during the data collection process,
such memos were written after each interview. The analytic memo allows the researcher to
document any thoughts or preliminary conclusions about the data. After the conclusion of
data collection, interviews were transcribed and coded. Corbin and Strauss (2008), and
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) recommend using such analytic devices as questioning,
comparing, and thinking in terms of metaphors and similes, to code the transcripts and apply
a conceptual theory to the context of the interviews. Open coding was used, along with
empirical and a priori codes. Axial codes and larger patterns were discerned as an emergent
process from the data coding of the interviews. Interview data were examined to triangulate

47

data from the surveys as recommended by Patton (2002).
Credibility and Trustworthiness
To be able to discuss the findings with sufficient robustness, the sample should be
transferable to other groups in other times and places. Demographic data were examined to
ensure that overall sample characteristics are reflective of the population (e.g., age ranges,
race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic statuses). The demographic data gathered speaks to issues of
external validity and power. Merriam and Tisdell (2016), list several ways a researcher can
increase credibility and trustworthiness. Some of these were utilized for this study. To increase
credibility and trustworthiness, multiple methods of data collection were used, specifically
surveys and semi-structured interviews. This approach allowed for the triangulation of the data
and the findings to validate one another. Another strategy that was used is adequate engagement
in data collection. Finally, it was critical to search for the best fit within qualitative findings,
which means it was also necessary to examine data that may disconfirm the theories in use
(Maxwell, 2013).
Validity and Reliability
To ensure sufficient reliability and validity, particularly for those survey items that are
being specifically written for this dissertation study, questions were peer-reviewed. If there were
high values for non-response on certain survey items, these were correlated with demographic
data to search for the presence of non-response bias as previously discussed; otherwise, missing
values were replaced or discarded as appropriate (Pazzaglia et al., 2016).
Ethics
Following the ethical guidelines outlined in Glesne (2011), the researcher is responsible
for treating all participants with care and respect, while ensuring that they are not harmed. The

48

methods required the collection of both survey and interview data. Surveys were distributed
randomly online using Survey Monkey®. Following the practices set forth by Merriam and
Tisdell (2016), and Kruger and Casey (2009), participants could opt-out at any time, as all
participation was voluntary. They were anonymous, and no identifying information was initially
asked for on the surveys. To sample potential interview participants, there was a follow-up
question asking if people would like to participate in interviews. The follow-up questions asked
for contact information, and all such information gathered was kept on a dedicated, password-
protected flash drive to ensure confidentiality.
As the researcher is a full-time faculty member at the institution under study, participants
who were interviewed were not students in any of the researcher’s classes, nor was there any
relationship between the researcher and participants. The interviews were held after survey data
was gathered. The interviews were held after survey data was gathered. Again, all participants
who agreed to be interviewed had the process explained to them both verbally and in writing. It
was emphasized that the data gathered was for research purposes only and was not used in any
way that was related to their educational outcomes. It was made clear that the researcher has no
influence over grades, and that participation was voluntary (Merriam & Tisdell, 2011).
Assumptions and biases that must be addressed are that the stakeholders under study
were traditionally underrepresented students, such as African-American, Latinx, Native
American, or Asian. Since the researcher identifies with these groups, it was important to let the
data speak for itself, rather than try to impose any kind of presupposition onto the data. The
researcher is also a faculty member and may have different viewpoints than the stakeholders of
the research. Therefore, for the interview portion, a critical theory paradigm has been adopted to
give the participants more of a voice and to diminish the influence the researcher may have had.

49

Limitations and Delimitations
This research study aligned with a multi-method research approach and involved the use
of surveys and interviews as the basic methods of data collection. The study focused on
triangulating the factors related to transfer and graduation rates among underrepresented student
populations. Limitations to the study do exist. A major limitation is the small sample size.
While 65 surveys were gathered, only 42 were usable. As explained earlier, IRB protocols at
Lomita College prohibit compensation for research, so only two students agreed to take part in
the semi-structured interviews. Other limitations include the truthfulness of the participants, in
the short timeframe for the research, and that it is only representative of a snapshot dependent on
the conditions that occurred during this timeframe for this sample. The study was limited to the
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences selected for the conceptual framework.
The results were limited by the experiences and opinions shared in the interviews of the students
at Lomita College. Therefore, the results of this study cannot be generalized to a larger
population because of its qualitative aspects and relatively small sample size, but the results will
be able to inform practice and implementation of solutions at Lomita College.

50

Chapter 4: Results and Findings
The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the knowledge,
motivation, and organizational influences that may interfere with closing the gap in transfer in
those groups who have been identified as disproportionately impacted. The analysis began by
generating a list of possible or assumed interfering influences that were examined systematically
to focus on actual or validated interfering influences. Data was gathered using anonymous,
electronically deployed surveys followed by in-person qualitative interviews. The following
research questions investigated the connections between the knowledge, motivation, and
organizational culture that may impact transfer:
1. What is the stakeholder knowledge, motivation, and organizational related to 100% of
targeted students transferring to a four-year university?
2. What are the recommended knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational
solutions?
Results
General Survey Information
Surveys were electronically deployed using a Survey Monkey link. The link was
available for three weeks to capture the maximum number of participants possible. Students from
the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences were the target population, as it is the largest
school on the campus, except for Mathematics and English. Approximately six classes of 45
students each were sent the survey link. Following the IRB protocol at Lomita College, no
incentives could be offered to students, including extra credit, so participation was exceptionally
low, with a response rate of about 18% from a total population of 360 students. While 66 surveys
were marked as finished, only 42 were fully completed, leaving 24 that had to be discarded due

51

to the amount of missing data. The survey was a Likert-type containing 35 questions. The survey
items were reverse-scaled so that a response of 1 indicated Strongly Agree, a response of 2
indicated Agree, a response of 3 indicated Neither Agree nor Disagree, a response of 4 indicated
Disagree, and a response of 5 indicated Strongly Disagree. In Survey Monkey, this is the default
Likert question presentation and scaling. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey
data.
Demographic Profile of the Participants
The participants of this study were currently enrolled students in the School of Social and
Behavioral Sciences at Lomita College. Table 5 illustrates the participants’ demographics,
enrollment status, household income, age, identified gender, and ethnicity.
Table 5
Sociodemographic Characteristics of Survey Participants
Characteristic
Completed
survey

n %
Gender
Female 31 74
Male 11 26
Age
17 or younger 0 0
18-20 13 31
21-29 17 40
30-39 8 19
40-49 2 5
50-59 2 5
60 or older 0 0

52

Income level

$0 to $9,999 6 14
$10,000 to $24,999 3 7
$25,000 to $49,999 8 19
$50,000 to $74,999 8 19
$75,000 to $99,999 4 10
$100,000 to
$124,999 4 10

More than $125,000 3 7
Prefer not to say 6 14

Note. N = 66 (n = 42 for completed surveys).
Seventy-four percent of survey participants identified as female, 81% of participants were
currently enrolled as a full-time student, 19% participants were age 21-29, 19% lived in
households with a total income of $50,000- $74,999, and 38% were Latinx. The table also
reflects the diverse student body that makes up the population of Lomita College.
Overall, the survey participant demographic patterns follow the general demographic patterns of
Lomita College. Ultimately, although survey data was gathered from the general campus
population, only data from Latinx students was presented. Currently, Latinx students comprise
over 66% of the Lomita College population, which is why only data from the Latinx population
was presented.
Interview Participants Demographic Profile
Two students were interviewed for the qualitative portion, one male and one female. Both
have attended Lomita College for over one academic year. For the study, they were given the
pseudonyms of Alex and Diana. They were chosen as participants since they embodied many of

53

the demographic characteristics present in the larger campus demographics, i.e., both are Latinx,
are first-generation students, receive financial aid, are between the ages of 21-29 years old, and
are currently enrolled students. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, it was not possible to seek
out additional interview participants, so interview findings must be interpreted with caution.
Diana was a first-generation student whose parents are undocumented immigrants. Since
her father became unemployed during her time as a student, Diana often had to use her financial
aid money so that her family could have their basic needs met. As the oldest sister to a
developmentally delayed brother, Diana had to spend much of her spare time helping to care for
her brother while her parents worked or sought employment. At the time of the interview, Diana
was working two jobs to help support her family while attending school full-time. Diana had
changed majors four times, finally settling on Accounting after having explored the Social
Sciences and Art. She stated that her academic goal was to transfer to a four-year school,
preferably a school within the University of California system, but was concerned about financial
aid and maintaining her grades. Looking beyond graduation, she said her goal was to give back
to her community by forming a non-profit to assist people like her parents.
Alex was a first-generation student whose parents had an elementary school education.
Alex’s father was concerned that Alex receives a higher education so that he would not struggle
as his parents did. Alex said that he felt pressure to do well for his family and wanted to be able
to provide for them. At the time of the interview, Alex said that he was feeling conflicted about
his major and professional goals. While he was currently a Political Science major and felt
deeply passionate about the subject, he was also doing very well in Computer Science. While he
did not like Computer Science as much as Political Science, Alex felt that it might give him more

54

financial stability than attempting to pursue a graduate degree and a position teaching at the
university level.
Themes and Findings for Research Question 1
The first research question addressed to what extent the college is meeting its goal of
stakeholder knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences related to 100% of targeted
students transferring to a four-year university. Influences regarding procedural, factual, and
metacognitive knowledge are explored. Possible gaps in motivation regarding self-efficacy,
utility value, and persistence are examined. Results from both survey data and interview findings
are presented.
Survey findings indicated that most participants felt that they had sufficient knowledge
and motivation toward academic achievement. However, there were exceptions which indicated
that specific gaps appear to exist with certain areas in relation to stakeholder goals. The interview
results expanded on these gaps and provided more context. Examining the motivation dimension,
survey findings indicate that of those participants who completed the survey, most felt generally
motivated towards academic achievement. This overall finding is affected by the individual
motivational dimension analyzed, however. The two participants interviewed were generally
aligned with the knowledge and motivation needed for graduation and transfer, which supports
the overall survey data; however, there were instances when the interview participants acted
which was different than what survey data suggested they would do.
Survey and interview participants shared how their knowledge and motivational
processes impacted their academic success. Survey participant responses indicated that students
wanted to achieve the goals of either transfer, graduation, or both. Interview participants
explained how academic decision-making and knowledge processes differed. It was clear that

55

interview participants understood the organization’s goals and their purpose; however, they had
various ideas of how to accomplish the goals. Participants’ interviews were analyzed for
commonalities in viewpoints on knowledge, motivation, and organizational culture. In addition,
themes of academic achievement were explored. In reviewing the interviews and survey data,
certain findings and themes emerged related to knowledge and motivation. The first theme that
emerged was knowledge of educational processes was gained mostly from second-hand sources,
such as peers, instead of through organizational channels. A second theme that emerged was
related to knowledge of campus resources that would assist with transfer and graduation. In
terms of motivation, an issue that emerged was that motivation was intertwined with personal
and financial issues that impacted their academic success. Finally, feelings of not belonging in
the college environment emerged as a factor that affected motivational levels.
Influence 1: Knowledge - Procedural
This influence emphasizes the importance of students needing to know the process of
transferring to a four-year institution. This influence is separated from other related knowledge
influences because of the structure of student resources at the institution. At Lomita College,
many departments may handle student advising in graduation and transfer information, including
the construction of student educational plans. Some of these areas are for specialized populations
of students, such as Veterans Services, Extended Opportunities Programs and Services (EOPS),
CalWORKS, Disability Programs and Services (DPS), and the International Students Center.
Some specialized academic programs for students of color, such as the Puente Project or Umoja
also provide some academic counseling to underrepresented and disadvantaged populations,
mostly Latinx or African-American students. Other student services departments can serve a
general population, including Counseling, the Career and Transfer Center, Financial Aid, and

56

Success Centers. Students may meet with advisors in specialized departments, general student
services departments, or both. Lomita College has implemented a home-grown program so that
any department that advises students can pull information from all previous student advising
appointments, no matter where it occurred, except for confidential financial aid information.
Table 6 displays the procedural knowledge items in the survey for only Latinx participants, along
with the results of the descriptive statistics.
Table 6
Procedural Knowledge Influences in Survey

Knowledge
Influence
Survey Item Strongly
Agree
n/%
Agree
n/%
Neutral
n/%

Disagree
n/%
Strongly
Disagree
n/%
M/
SD
Students need
to know the
process of
constructing an
Educational
Plan.

Students need
to know the
process of
transferring to
a four-year
institution.
I have an
Educational
Plan. (item 20)

I know the
steps needed
to transfer to a
four-year
school. (item
21)
11/69

12/75
4/25

3/19
0/0

1/6
1/6

0/0
0/0

0/0
1.44/
0.79

1.31/
0.58

When considering the knowledge procedural influence, survey results indicate that of
those participants who completed the survey, most felt confident in their knowledge in the
processes of navigating their college experience. Question 20 (I have an Educational Plan)
indicated that 69% of Latinx survey respondents strongly agreed that they did have an
educational plan, while 25% agreed. Very few respondents were neutral (0%) or disagreed (6%).
None strongly disagreed. Students knowing the process of constructing an Educational Plan is

57

separate from other knowledge influences, because counselors are the only ones who may
complete an official educational plan. While several offices are part of student services and
retain counselors, currently, there are only 47 full-time counselors that serve a population of
approximately 29,000 students. Twenty-one of those counselors are available to the entire
campus, and many of those counselors also serve as counselors for special populations.
Averaged across the whole campus, this means that each full-time counselor serves around 617
students. Best practices given via Admissions and Records at Lomita College are for current
students to complete an initial Educational Plan upon enrollment, and then to update those plans
once per semester, to keep students on track for graduation and transfer. It simply may not be
feasible for counselors to serve every student every semester.
Examining the qualitative data, both interview participants indicated that while they did
have educational plans, after the initial plan was in place they went to classmates, friends, or
professors for further information. It appears that both Alex and Diana understand that they
should be visiting counselors in student services for an updated educational plan, but they are not
doing so. For example, Diana said:
This is really bad. I know it is. So, I started it as soon as I came (to college). I did get an
education plan, I know I did the whole process, but, as time started going on, (I asked)
my boyfriend. He does a lot of research, and he started going on Assist, and going on
these universities’ websites to see what people want and what they don't want...So he got
the hang of it really quick, and he was like alright, I don't need to go to counseling or
anything I could do this on my own… Because the counselor was like, so you can go on
Assist.org, too. He took that advice and he used it. Yeah. And so, whenever I have

58

questions like about schools, I go to him because he just knows. He could be a counselor
on his own I feel.
Alex said that while he did have an educational plan, and that he was communicating with
counselors, it was not the counselors at Lomita College:
I talk to counselors through e-mail. Different counselors in (different) universities so they
can let me know if there's anything to be updated or something. Like maybe if there’s a
class I don’t need to take anymore. Sometimes they know things you don’t…But overall
having an education plan that's been really helpful. People that don't have it tend to stay
here for longer. In my business class, the professor asked how many people had an
educational plan, and the majority didn’t have one. And that was just eye-opening.
Because to have been here for two years, three years, you got to have that. That’s pretty
discouraging. These people should have been out already.
Although the Lomita College Admissions website page does state that students need to have a
completed educational plan to gain priority registration, students are not restricted from enrolling
as continuing students as long as they have an initial education plan. Based on the findings for
this influence, the theme that emerged was that students are mainly receiving their current
knowledge about transfer and graduation from peers or faculty, versus from Student Services,
who would normally be expected to be the primary source of information.
Question 21 (I know the steps needed to transfer to a four-year school) specifically
examined if students have the knowledge required about the transfer process. Survey results
indicate that of those Latinx participants who completed the survey, most felt confident in their
knowledge in the processes of navigating their college experience as well as in their factual
knowledge of where to receive assistance, with 75% of respondents strongly agreed with the

59

statement, 19% agreed, 6% of respondents were neutral, 0 disagreed, and 0 strongly disagreed.
Since both Alex and Diana came from homes where their parents had no experience with higher
education, there was little to no guidance from parents around the college transfer or graduation
process. Neither participant had any advice from other adult family members nor knew anyone
outside of the school setting with any college experience. Instead, they relied on receiving their
information from professors, peers, or other students who had already graduated or transferred.
While both interview participants did say that graduating and transfer were important to them,
they reported that these processes had not been consistently exposed to them too through the
expected channels, such as formal presentations or workshops from any student support service
department, like the Career and Transfer Center or the Success Centers.
When asked what steps the interview participants had been taken to achieve their
academic goals, Alex and Diana had divergent responses, but both indicated they were going to
where they felt most comfortable in seeking information. Alex commented:
I need to throw myself out there and actually talk to people…Especially Professors
because they’ve been down this road already, and they kind of know all the ups and
downs of it. And so, I think just that, just talking to professors.
Diana remarked:
I'm researching, I have gone to UCLA Bruin day, I just sort of tagged along. That’s kind
of how I learned about the whole thing, just tagging along with my boyfriend. I want to
learn about the school. (I got) a lot of amazing information, so probably by my tagging
along with other people going to universities.
While it appears that students are understanding the processes of completing an educational plan
or getting information on graduation and transfer, in practice, they are doing something different

60

than expected. The discrepancy may be due to the comfort level that underrepresented students
have (or do not have) with institutional resources. Alex and Diana both discussed how they felt
like college did not always present as inclusive towards students like them, which made feeling
motivated towards academic achievement more challenging. This theme is examined in the
Motivation and Organizational Influences section.
Influence 2: Knowledge – Metacognitive
As applied in the research, metacognition in this setting was primarily concerned with
how students’ identity and mindset impact their academic achievement. In the survey and
interviews, the concept of metacognition was operationalized as how students develop a clear
sense of self and integrate internal and external perceptions. As college students first encounter a
college environment, a sense of identification with the campus community and what it means to
be a student can be tenuous; however, as the student gains more competence in academia, self-
concept as a college student becomes internalized (Wagoner & Hogg, 2016). The survey
explored identity, while the interview aimed to uncover student mindset. Table 7 displays the
metacognitive data from the survey items.
Table 7
Metacognitive Knowledge Influences in Survey

Knowledge
Influence
Survey Item Strongly
Agree
n/%
Agree
n/%
Neutral
n/%

Disagree
n/%
Strongly
Disagree
n/%
M/
SD
Students need
to know how
their identity
and mindset
impacts their
achievement

Compared
with others in
this class, I
think I'm a
good student.
(item 4)

7/44

7/44

0/0

2/13

0/0

1.81/
0.95

61

I think I will
receive a good
grade in this
class. (item 5)

Compared
with other
students in
this class I
think I know a
great deal
about the
subject. (item
8)

I ask myself
questions to
make sure I
know the
material I
have been
studying.
(item 10)

6/38

3/19

5/31

9/56

2/13

8/50

2/5

9/56

3/19

1/6

2/13

0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

1.69/
0.58

2.63/
0.93

1.88/
0.70

Only survey item 10 (I think I will receive a good grade in this class), had results where most of
the respondents either strongly agreed (31%), or agreed (50%) that they felt confident about
receiving a good grade for their coursework; 19% were neutral and none disagreed or strongly
disagreed. Survey items 4, 8 and 10, had results where fewer respondents strongly agreed or
agreed, and increased response rates where they disagreed. While most respondents do seem to
agree that they have metacognitive skills, there is still a portion of participants who do not, albeit
that it is a smaller group than those who agreed or strongly agreed. The survey data was collected

62

at the end of the semester, so the responses indicating that students felt like they did not know a
great deal about the subject they were studying or were not reflecting on their study skills may
reflect the percentage of students who were not passing their courses. At Lomita College, the
course completion rate for transferable courses is 70% (College Master Plan, 2020). All survey
data comes from transferable classes, although the individual course instructor is not known.
Interview participants were asked about their mindset as it applies to their academic
experience and student identity formation. From the interview findings, Alex and Diana
mentioned that they felt underprepared for college and that they would have been more initially
successful if they had better guidance starting in high school. When asked if they would change
anything about their experience at Lomita College, Alex and Diana talked about how they
wished they could have formed a college-ready mindset earlier, preferably during high school.
Neither Alex nor Diana felt prepared for the college experience, and they felt that the lack of an
emphasis on academic achievement put them behind their college-ready peers.
Diana said:
I was a kid from high school, what do I know about life. What do I know about jobs out
there? I didn't even know accounting was even a career… I remember my senior year
and I didn't know the difference between an Associate’s, Bachelor's, and Master's. I
knew a PhD. was the best, when you get to be called “Doctor”, that has to be good.
Alex said:
…If I could do it all over again, from some high school I would try to take AP classes to
get some college credit. And as soon as I was here… I would start to talking to professors
as soon as the first day of class, and I would’ve gotten involved and done way more
things with my time.

63

The formation of a student identity seems to include evolving a growth mindset. This
corresponds to Alex and Diana both commenting that they found forming their student identity a
challenging process. These findings appear to correspond to Ellis and Chen’s (2013) study,
where they found that in undocumented immigrant students, reframing experiences of
acculturative stress engendered positive changes in self-identity formation.
Alex said:
The first year was just me just trying to find myself in where I belong in terms of
academics… (I had to) take the initiative to break out of my shell. Just getting
comfortable with getting comfortable. I've always put myself in an uncomfortable
situation because I really want to keep growing.
Diana mentioned:
I have a 3.8 GPA, but Econ has been kicking my butt. I didn't know it was going to be
this difficult. I never anticipated that. And it's kicking my butt and I failed. Flat out failed
the first exam…I might get a C, hopefully a B. But I have accepted that I may not get
an A. And that's perfectly fine.
Research indicates that metacognitive knowledge is an important factor that affects student
success (Hoseinzadeh & Shoghi, 2013; Thomas & Anderson, 2014). Particularly in the interview
findings, it is possible to see how students’ identity formation can be a factor in their mindset
towards academic success. Both Alex and Diana talked about feeling out of place in an academic
setting, but that was a part of their academic journey. This influence appears to have some
linkage to self-efficacy and will be discussed in the motivational influences section.
Influence 3: Knowledge – Factual

64

The factual knowledge influence has been split into two separate influences: one
exploring that students need to know where to receive Academic Advising, while the second
influence explores if students know where to receive assistance in their courses. The first factual
knowledge influence is tangentially related to organizational influences in that students need to
know how to navigate the college resources available to them to receive academic advising. The
second factual knowledge influence is specifically related to course completion, in that students
need to be able to navigate the environment of their classes to be more successful. Results from
both the survey data and interview findings do not show a gap for this knowledge influence.
Table 8 displays the survey results from this influence:
Table 8
Factual Knowledge Influences in Survey

Knowledge
Influence
Survey Item Strongly
Agree
n/%
Agree
n/%
Neutral
n/%

Disagree
n/%
Strongly
Disagree
n/%
M/
SD
Students need
to know where
to receive
assistance
while taking
their courses.

Students need
to know where
to receive
Academic
Advising

I know how
to reach my
professors if
I need extra
help in class.
(item 20)

I know
where to
receive
academic
advising.
(item 22)

11/69

11/69
5/31

5/31
0/0

0/0
0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

1.31/
0.46

1.31/
0.46

65

All Latinx survey respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that they know where to contact
their professors for extra help, and that they knew where to receive academic advising. This data
echoes the results from the procedural knowledge influence, where students mostly agreed that
they knew the process of obtaining an educational plan, or the steps towards transfer. And yet, it
appears from both the interview findings and overall graduation and transfer trends, that students
are not engaging with student services as they should be.
Interview findings indicated that resources like the Career and Transfer Center were used,
but not often, or were seen as non-inclusive for all students. Alex and Diana indicated that while
they did know where to go for assistance and advising, they did not always make use of these
resources. Regarding the promotion of the institution’s graduation and transfer resources, Diana
remarked:
I feel a lot of students I talked to said it is nonsense to try to go to the transfer center.
We've done this, we've done that, but we’re just kind of lost? And you know the transfer
center, it's just a little door. I mean it's this office, so we're just passing by. We don't
really see it. I know my best friend when she came in, she was just kind of, “I don’t
know what to do.” And they (the instructors) said, “Hey you know, have you done this,
and have you done that”. And she said, “No, I don't even know that exists.”
Alex remarked:
I know introverted people that don't shine or are scared to talk to professors because they
seem intimidating, or I know some of them are too shy to walk through a club meeting.
Or (are) just nervous about going into socialize with people.

66

The responses from Alex and Diana suggest that campus resources may be seen as exclusionary
for Latinx students. Although students may be contacting faculty for assistance, some students
may feel hesitant to ask for help. In addition, students must feel sufficiently motivated to seek
out assistance, which is explored in the motivation section. The overall organizational culture
may be a contributing factor, which will be discussed in the organizational influences section.
Themes- Knowledge Influences
Several themes emerged from an examination of the knowledge influences. There was
some linkage between the survey findings and the interviews, although these must be interpreted
with caution due to the small sample size. In the knowledge dimension surveys and interviews
seemed to show there is a gap between the survey responses and the actions of the interview
participants. While the participants did say that they understood the processes for graduation and
transfer, it seems that these processes had not been exposed to them through the expected
channels, such as formal presentations from student support services. For example, both
participants indicated that while they did have educational plans, after the initial plan was in
place they went to classmates, friends, or professors for further information. Resources like the
Career and Transfer Center were used, but not often, or were seen as non-inclusive for all
students.
The first theme was that student knowledge tends to be tempered by organizational
processes. It is possible to see the impact on student success in the way that students are
obtaining Educational Plans as well as obtaining additional transfer information. It would appear
from the interview findings that students prefer to use peers and faculty as primary sources of
information instead of student services. Thus, to understand how students are acquiring

67

knowledge about institutional processes to increase academic achievement, the larger
organizational culture must also be fully considered.
Another theme that emerged was that students engage in identity formation and
developing a growth mindset as part of their journey towards academic success. Interview
findings indicated that students may shift from a performance to a mastery motivation in
developing a growth mindset. The path to becoming comfortable in an academic environment
appears to be through positive interactions with faculty members.
Finally, a theme that emerged is that participants perceive student services as
exclusionary or possibly intimidating to approach for Latinx students. While participants felt
they had the necessary factual knowledge on where to receive assistance, it may not be
something they actively pursued due to feeling unable to approach counselors or faculty.
Motivational and organizational cultural models that pertain to the knowledge dimension will be
examined in subsequent sections.
Influence 4: Motivation- Self Efficacy
This motivation influence was aimed at students’ level of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is
defined by Bandura (1977, 1986, 1997) as an individual’s belief in his or her ability to achieve a
goal or performance-based attainment. The concept of self-efficacy was defined as measuring
how efficacious students feel towards their academic performance in terms of global academic
achievement as well as in more specific domains, such as study skills. Results from both the
survey data and interview findings indicate a partial gap for this motivational influence. Table 9
displays the survey results from this influence:
Table 9
Self-Efficacy Influences in Survey

68

Motivation
Influence
Survey Item Strongly
Agree
n/%
Agree
n/%
Neutral
n/%

Disagree
n/%
Strongly
Disagree
n/%
M/
SD
Students need
to believe they
are capable of
academic
achievement.

Compared
with other
students in this
class I expect
to do well.
(item 1)

I'm certain I
can
understand the
ideas taught in
this course.
(item 2)

I expect to do
very well in
this class.
(item 3)

I am sure I can
do an
excellent job
on the
problems and
tasks assigned
for this class.
(item 5)

My study
skills are
excellent
compared with
others in this
class. (item 7)

I know that I
will be able to
learn the
material for
this class.
(item 9)

10/63

10/63

8/50

7/44

2/13

14/88
5/31

6/38

8/50

9/56

5/31

1/6
1/6

0/0

0/0

0/0

6/38

1/6

0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

2/13

0/0
0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

1/6

0/0

1.44/
0.61

1.38/
0.48

1.50/
0.50

1.56/
0.50

2.69/
1.04

1.19/
0.53

69

In the survey, seven items addressed self-efficacy. Most of the survey questions did not indicate
a gap, except for questions 7 and 8 (Question 7, My study skills are excellent compared with
others in this class; Question 8, compared with other students in the class I think I know a great
deal about the subject). With the exceptions of question 7, most participants either strongly
agreed or agreed that they did feel like they had confidence in completing their classes
successfully or understanding their course materials. Only 6% disagreed, which represented two
respondents. None strongly disagreed.
While the survey results did not expose a gap in most of the self-efficacy survey items,
the interview findings present more context as to how Latinx students gain self-efficacy. It is
possible that students do not have the requisite study skills for their classes. About two years ago,
pre-requisites for guidance classes in study skills and college success were removed from the
majority of the curriculum at Lomita College. Currently, only students who are on academic
probation or are part of other special populations, such as the Puente program, are required to
attend college success classes, although it is recommended for all students. It was felt that
requiring these types of classes was delaying students from transferring and graduating on time,
especially since these classes have limited transferable or degree applicability (Mejia et al.,
2018).
In the interview, both Alex and Diana shared that self-efficacy was gained throughout the
academic experience. They were not necessarily entering the college environment with high
levels of self-efficacy, and at times, the process of increasing self-efficacy was difficult. Diana
said:
For me, success is as long as I have tried my best. That's really all that I can do.
If I slack off, I know I slacked off and that's the grade that I deserved.

70

Alex reported that his process consisted of:
…just getting comfortable with getting comfortable… I've always put myself in a
uncomfortable situation because I really want to keep growing. And if I go to UCLA, I
told myself that every day, like every day I will do something different.
Both also discussed developing high levels of self-efficacy as a potentially uncomfortable
practice. Diana stated:
I’m struggling with the transition, but I'm finding my place…I just I have to change my
mentality now, so that it's not just like “Oh my God, I can't believe I'm in this position,”
but it's something I need to get done, and am going to get it done.
Alex said:
…Taking initiative. This is the biggest one. Because when I first came to college, I was
very shy and I know that's not going to cut it. I need to throw myself out there and
actually talk to people.”
The data reported appear to support the assumption that while students do have sufficient
levels of self-efficacy in relation to academic success, they may not enter the college setting with
feelings of self-efficacy. These lower levels of self-efficacy may be due to feeling underprepared
for college, lacking knowledge about academic processes, and feeling uncomfortable with
institutional resources. Alex and Diana both reported that gaining self-efficacy was a challenging
process for students who may not have enough knowledge about the overall academic
environment in higher education settings.
Influence 5: Motivation- Utility Value
Utility value is defined as the way a task assists in the achievement of goal orientation,
specifically, seeing the value of degree attainment and course completion (Eccles, 2006;

71

Wigfield & Cambria, 2010). Motivation in the completion of tasks is affected by the emotions
provoked by the task, which may be detrimental if the emotions are negative, and beneficial if
the emotions are positive (Anderman & Anderman, 2006; Eccles, 2006; Pekrun, 2011). Results
from both the survey data and interview findings do not indicate a gap for this motivational
influence. Table 10 displays the survey results on utility value.
Table 10
Utility Value Influences in Survey
Motivation
Influence
Survey Item Strongly
Agree
n/%
Agree
n/%
Neutral
n/%

Disagree
n/%
Strongly
Disagree
n/%
M/
SD
Students need
to see the
value of
degree
attainment.

1 work hard to
get a good
grade even
when I don't
like a class.
(item 18)

Course
completion is
important to
me. (item 24)

8/50

16/100
7/44

0/0
1/6

0/0
0/0

0/0

0/0

0/0

1.56/
0.61

1.00/
0.00

The survey contained two items that addressed utility value. Neither survey item indicated a gap
for Latinx students. Most participants either strongly agreed or agreed that they did feel like
achieving a good grade and course completion were important to them. None disagreed or
strongly disagreed.
Both participants emphasized the role that external issues, such as family and finances
played in their motivation as a student. The idea of being a making a better life, providing for the

72

family, and being financially stable were indicated as important motivators for graduation and
transfer. Other motivators were related to personal and overall academic achievement. For
example, Alex says of his academic motivation:
So, the main reason is, to be honest, is because my parents never got an education…they
immigrated here from Mexico. And they want me to have a better life. To them,
education equals success…that's the main reason why I'm here. I would say my dad is
the biggest one (motivator) here. My dad, he's a really smart guy…I feel like if he
would’ve gotten an education, he would've been like a lawyer or something. He just he
grew up in Mexico. He was very poor…He had to provide for his family. And, he had
me. I guess his accomplishment would be me graduating from college.
Diana said:
My family is my big motivation. My little brother is a big motivation for me as well. He's
a little more behind socially so I know he is he may struggle a little bit…I want to be
there just in case. Another purpose would be for my accounting (career). I do want to
further myself now and I want to further myself but for my family as well. My parents are
immigrants so they don't have a retirement plan or anything like that. I want to make sure
I have a really very stable job- a good one- so that I can provide for them when they are
older and they don't have to worry about me… I was in a position where either I have to
get a job and put my brother into school, or I have to put myself first and forget about my
little brother, and get the degree…And it was really, really difficult. I am now working
two jobs and I'm going to school full time.
Both participants emphasized the importance of going back and providing for their families and
community as being the motivation for graduation and transfer. Upon further probing, they did

73

mention personal achievement as a factor, but it was a consideration that came after they had
been attending classes for at least an academic year.
Although the survey data and interview findings do not suggest a gap in utility values for
Latinx students, they do suggest that the underlying reasons for college completion are
multifactorial. From the interview findings, it appears that utility value is based on perceptions of
family support and familial obligations. While students may want to graduate and transfer, they
may feel like providing for their families outweighs everything else.
Influence 6: Motivation-Persistence
Academic persistence is an element of self-efficacy, with first-generation students
reporting lower levels of academic persistence compared to traditional college students (Vuong
et al., 2010). According to the United States Department of Education (2001), persistence “refers
to the act of continuing towards an educational goal” (p. 1). For the current purposes,
persistence is further defined as persevering at less pleasant tasks to achieve an academic goal.
Table 11 displays the survey results on persistence.
Table 11
Persistence Influences in Survey
Motivation
Influence
Survey Item Strongly
Agree
n/%
Agree
n/%
Neutral
n/%

Disagree
n/%
Strongly
Disagree
n/%
M/
SD
Students
need to
persist at less
pleasant tasks
to show high
motivation.

When work is
hard I either give
up or study only
the easy parts.
(item 11)

I work on
practice
exercises and
answer end-of-
0/0

0/0

0/0

1/6

2/13

5/31

11/69

5/31

3/19

5/31

4.06/
0.56

3.88/
0.93

74

chapter
questions even
when I don't
have to. (item
12)

Even when study
materials are
dull and
uninteresting, I
keep working
until I finish.
(item 13)

Before I begin
studying, I think
about the things
I will need to do
to learn. (item
14)

I often find that I
have been
reading for class
but don't know
what it is all
about. (item 15)

I find that when
the teacher is
talking, I think
of other things
and don't really
listen to what is
being said. (item
16)

When I'm
reading, I stop
once in a while
and go over what
I have read.
(item 17)

3/19

1/6

0/0

1/6

6/38

7/44

8/50

6/38

4/25

10/63

4/25

4/25

5/31

5/31

0/0

2/13

2/13

3/19

5/31

0/0

0/0

1/6

2/13

1/6

0/0

2.31/
0.92

2.63/
0.99

3.06/
1.03

3.06/
1.03

1.63/
0.48

75

In the survey, many of the items that measured persistence were related to study skills, such as
using end-of-chapter review materials. While items 11 (When work is hard I either give up or
study only the easy parts) and 13 (Even when study materials are dull and uninteresting, I keep
working until I finish) did not indicate a gap, some of the items do seem to indicate that there is a
gap for Latinx students. In item 12 (I work on practice exercises and answer end-of-chapter
questions even when I don't have to), no respondents strongly agreed, and only one agreed.
Thirty-one percent were neutral, 31% disagreed, and 31% strongly disagreed. For item 15 (I
often find that I have been reading for class but don't know what it is all about), 38% of
respondents agreed, 31% were neutral, 19% disagreed, and 13% strongly disagreed. Finally, for
item 16 (I find that when the teacher is talking, I think of other things and don't really listen to
what is being said), one respondent (6%) strongly agreed, 25% agreed, 31% were neutral, 31%
disagreed, and one participant (6%) strongly disagreed. Item 14 (Before I begin studying, I think
about the things I will need to do to learn) appears to have a partial gap, as 13% disagreed, 6%
strongly disagreed, and 25% were neutral. The rest either agreed (50%) or strongly agreed (6%).
The survey results may be because most students do not take college guidance coursework
before starting their credit classes, as they are not a prerequisite for entering transferable classes.
The survey results echo the interview findings for metacognition and self-efficacy, where Alex
and Diana discussed how they felt underprepared for college coursework.
Interview participants discussed how they realized that persistence was key to academic
success. Both participants mentioned that while they did not transfer or graduate within their
intended timeframe, they persisted and were able to get back on track. Alex said:
Education is a marathon. Education is not a sprint. Things are always changing. You
might think you’re going to transfer out this this year, but it might not work out that

76

way, you might have to wait and transfer out next year. That’s the biggest thing I learned
in education, is that it’s a marathon. I was trying to finish school in four years, and as of
right now, I will finish school in six years. So, things are always changing. You think life
is going in one direction, but it’s a constant zig-zag.
Diana said:
Success is what you have worked hard enough to do, and you know you have…exhausted
every medium. Then just you know you should be successful. If you do struggle then
that's fine. Just next time try a little harder… Even though I was here for four years…I
would not change a single thing, because I know that I needed all that to develop into the
person that I am now and to really figure out what I wanted to do.
In previous influences, Alex and Diana discussed their struggles with academic success
and feelings of self-efficacy. The interview findings help to illuminate what may be occurring in
the survey data. It appears that as students’ progress towards graduation and transfer, they
acquire more skills related to persistence.
Themes- Motivation Influences
A general theme that emerged was that motivation is impacted by external issues, such
as perceptions of college readiness and familial obligations. While most of the survey
respondents did appear to have sufficient motivation towards their academics, there were some
gaps. Motivation levels appear to be linked to both knowledge and organizational influences.
When students do not have enough knowledge about processes of graduation and transfer, or
feelings of institutional support, it may make it difficult to show adequate motivation towards
academic success.

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The first theme was that self-efficacy is impacted by feelings of college readiness.
Although the survey data did not uncover a gap in most of the self-efficacy related items, in the
interviews, participants discussed how increased feelings of self-efficacy were gained as they
became more comfortable in a college environment. A possible explanation for the findings is
that many Latinx students may be entering their classes without enough understanding of the
college environment. While they may feel motivated towards graduation and transfer,
accomplishing those is made difficult by not having the requisite skills for their classes. As
students’ progress in their coursework, they gain college-related skills and internalize feelings of
self-efficacy.
The second theme that emerged from the motivation influences was that utility value is
impacted by external issues. These issues are primarily family-oriented and involve feelings of
obligation towards providing for the family. Perceived stress towards family is a factor that
negatively affects retention in first-generation students (Saunders-Scott et al., 2017). While most
students Latinx students appear to understand the importance of graduation and transfer, they
may not have support from family members. Research suggests that the role of families and
family obligations are crucial factors in determining the motivation for academic success in first-
generation Latinx students (Covarrubias et al., 2015; Covarrubias et al., 2019).
A third theme that emerged is that academic persistence is intertwined with levels of self-
efficacy. Survey responses demonstrated that Latinx students may be underprepared in terms of
their study skills, which affects academic persistence. As with self-efficacy, academic
persistence appears to increase as self-efficacy increases. This section has examined motivational
influences related to Latinx students and has argued that motivation is influenced by knowledge

78

influences as well as external factors. The next part of this dissertation will investigate how
organizational influences contribute to academic success in Latinx students.
Organizational Influences
The organizational influence emphasizes the role of the institution in providing adequate
support and guidance to Latinx students. To understand the role of the organization, the
constructs of cultural settings and models were considered. Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001),
define cultural settings as shared norms that govern how a given environment works or should
work. Cultural models are shared ways of responding to challenging or changing aspects of the
common environment, that are typically invisible to those within the culture. The cultural setting
within a community college may shift due to multiple factors, such as funding availability and
staffing changes. Cultural settings in this research were theorized to be predicated on an
environment of student support and a high value placed on course completion, which in turn
produces interactions with role models and student support services within the college. As
discussed in previous sections, there are many departments at Lomita College that are involved
with student support and guidance.
Influence 7- Cultural Setting
The cultural setting influence was concerned with the shared ways of thinking which help
students to navigate changing academic requirements. Specifically, it was hypothesized that
students need to have role models and mentors to emulate. Students also need to receive effective
guidance from the institution to stay on track for graduation and transfer. Table 12 displays the
results from the survey.
Table 12
Cultural Setting Influences in Survey

79

Organizational
Influence-
Cultural Setting
Survey
Item
Strongly
Agree
n/%
Agree
n/%
Neutral
n/%

Disagree
n/%
Strongly
Disagree
n/%
M/
SD
Students need
effective
role models
within the
institution.

Students need
effective
guidance on
course
completion.
I have role
models at
this school.
(item 26)

I have a
mentor I can
talk to about
my
education
here. (item
27)

I receive
effective
guidance
from
faculty,
staff, and
support
services
(item 28)
6/38

7/44

7/44

3/19

4/25

6/38
6/38

2/13

1/6
0/0

2/13

2/13

1/6

1/6

0/0
2.19/
1.13

2.13/
1.27

1.88/
0.99

Most Latinx students felt that they did have role models at Lomita College, with 38% strongly
agreeing, and 19% agreeing. Around 38% were neutral while one respondent strongly disagreed.
Results were a bit different when survey participants were asked about the presence of a mentor
they could talk to, with 44% strongly agreeing, 25% agreeing, 13% neutral, 13% disagreeing,
and 6% strongly disagreeing. Survey results showed that most Latinx students feel they are
receiving effective guidance from the school, with 44% strongly agreeing, 38% agreeing, 6%
neutral, 13% disagreeing, and none strongly disagreeing.

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The interview findings regarding mentoring were mostly congruent with the survey data.
Alex and Diana typically used faculty for academic advising. Alex, however, was struggling with
the lack of a designated mentor, and was not getting enough guidance on choosing his major:
I'm also deciding where to transfer out. I’ve got UCLA, UC San Diego and Cal State San
Bernardino. And, the reason why I’m struggling to transfer out is because I got accepted
to UCLA as a political science major, but at Cal State San Bernardino I got accepted into
the cyber security program. And from what I heard at Cal State San Bernardino, with
cybersecurity there’s more job opportunities just because it's a growing field. But UCLA
is a huge research center. And that really attracts me because in the long run I do want to
become a professor… that's why I'm conflicted on it.
Diana, on the other hand, was actively interacting with one of her professors in a mentoring
relationship. This had proven to be valuable to her, with the professor helping her with her
course loads, and providing job references. She said:
I did talk to a professor and I was telling him when that whole situation with Financial
Aid happened. I asked him, can I use you for a reference, because I'm trying to look for
jobs. And he said okay. I was a full-time student at the time, and he said you might have
to drop a class because the classes you're taking are too much; a very heavy workload. He
reminds me of my dad…he tells me really upfront, why are you going to do that? All
right, you need to do this.
Interview participants seemed to feel that when they did use student services for guidance,
faculty were again the most reliable source of information. Other departments were perceived as
a bit variable with the accuracy of their information. Both Alex and Diana said that the Financial
Aid office presented problems for them.

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Alex remarked:
When I meant at first why it (college) wasn't for me, I didn’t picture myself, I got to push
myself…I didn't really know where I saw myself after high school, and I felt like going to
college- maybe it wasn't always the time because I didn't know what I wanted to say…I
didn’t know where I wanted to transfer to. And then I didn't know any of the financial aid
type of stuff. The biggest obstacle would be money.
Diana encountered a much more difficult time with the Financial Aid office, to the point where it
had a detrimental effect on her classes:
I was getting financial aid, but something happened with my taxes. I wasn't able to get
financial aid. So, it was extremely difficult. I felt like I hit rock bottom. I was very
discouraged when I came to school. I had used up all my financial aid money on stuff at
home. I had wasted all my financial aid money on buying milk, cereal, food, to get my
little brother and me to school and so that we're well fed. When I went to financial aid,
they just told me all you can do is this. And they just laid out two options for me. It really
does suck because I felt like I was just like, “Oh well, I'm sorry we can't do anything
about it.” That's when I felt that I wasn't really getting taken care of. I felt left in limbo,
and that doesn't feel so good to have to figure it out on my own.
Results appear to show that while most Latinx students do feel like they are exposed to role
models and mentors, perhaps it is necessary to provide designated mentors to students. This is
done in the Puente Program, and it has been highly successful. Puente students with their faculty
mentors are 44% more likely to graduate and transfer than Latinx students who are not in the
Puente Program (Lomita College, 2021). Lack of guidance over processes such as financial aid,
or choosing a major presented as obstacles for graduation and transfer.

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Influence 8- Cultural Models
The cultural model is an influence that may modify how students perceive academic
success and persist towards their overall academic goals. When analyzing the cultural model
influence, survey results indicate that of those participants who completed the survey, most felt
there was a general climate of support with an emphasis on academic success. Table 13 displays
the cultural setting items in the survey, along with the results of the descriptive statistics.
Table 13
Cultural Model Influences in Survey
Organizational
Influence-
Cultural Model
Survey Item Strongly
Agree
n/%
Agree
n/%
Neutral
n/%

Disagree
n/%
Strongly
Disagree
n/%
M/
SD
There needs to be
a general
culture of
academic
achievement
among students.

There needs to be
a culture of student
support to help
students achieve
success.
Course
completion is
important to
me (item 24)

I feel
adequately
supported as
a student at
this school.
(item 25)

16/100

10/63
0/0

5/31
0/0

0/0
0/0

1/6

0/0

0/0

1.00/
0.00

1.50/
0.79
Overall, the survey results show that there is not a gap for the cultural model influence. All
Latinx students felt that course completion was important to them. Most also felt that they were
adequately supported as a student, with only one participant disagreeing.

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The rest either strongly agreed (63%) or agreed (31%). These findings are somewhat
contradictory to what interview participants noted. While the participants did say that they were
aware of student support resources, they did not make much use of them after the initial
education plan was completed. Both interview participants indicated that they felt like the
services were not publicized enough, or that there was not enough outreach. Both mentioned that
they felt a kind of disengagement from school activities and campus support. There seemed to be
little incentive to participate in activities surrounding academic achievement. Instead, support
was sought from friends, peers, or individual professors.
Diana had this to say about a climate of course completion among students:
I feel a lot of a lot of students I talked to said it’s nonsense to try to go to the transfer
center. We've done this, we've done that, but we’re just kind of lost. And you know the
transfer center…It's a little, just a little door. I mean it's this office, so we're just passing
by. We don't really see it.
Alex noted:
I mean, I've had good experiences with professors, but like I said the transition from high
school to college was a bit rough just because it felt like it wasn't for me…The first year
was just me just trying to find myself in where I belong in terms of academics.
On feeling supported as a student, Diana said:
So maybe (there should be) more awareness so the kids are more involved. The kids
don’t know what's out there for them. Because, you know, it's on the syllabus. Our
professors try their best to get that information out. But we don't look at it- you know we
just ignore it.
Alex also remarked that:

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My experience here has been OK. I wasn't involved at all. I was just focusing on my
classes. Because, like I said, I didn’t know anything about school. Increasingly I started
getting involved…Because I didn't know how important it was to actually get involved in
school… I think it's really up to the individual to get the best out of his college education.
The lack of student involvement was something that Alex and Diana discussed as affecting their
academic journey. It appears that many students regard class attendance as the only important
aspect of college success. Both participants emphasized that if they wanted to feel like they were
supported in their academic endeavors, this was something they had to actively seek, as there
seems to be a lack of awareness on the part of students on the importance of continuing support
and campus involvement.
Themes- Organizational Influences
An emergent theme for organizational influences was that student impression of a
campus-wide culture of academic achievement and support are impacted by disengagement. The
initial contact with student services to set up an educational plan may be the only advising that
students get, and, if services are not constantly publicized in classes, students may not be aware
that they need ongoing assistance to reach their goals. Unless students are pushed by external
issues or faculty, they may not seek out any student support services at all.
Another theme was that cultural models are impacted by connections to role models and
advisers. If students do not belong to groups that serve special populations, such as Puente or
Umoja, they do not receive dedicated mentors or advisers. It is left to the student to seek out
assistance if needed. Research shows that while student support services and mentors are key to
providing stability and momentum towards academic success for Latinx and first-generation

85

students, they are less likely to receive effective guidance or advice from mentors than traditional
students unless they are part of specialized programs
This chapter has described the influences used in this investigation and it has uncovered
some gaps that are shaping rates of graduation and transfer for Latinx students. The themes
developed from the knowledge, motivational, and organizational influences mirror research on
current California community college students. Community colleges may establish divisions that
do not necessarily match the needs of their diverse student population, or coherently facilitate
academic progress. In consequence, students create their support networks, interacting with
individuals who they perceive as willing to help when necessary. Chapter Five addresses
recommendations for organizational change to help address these factors.

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Chapter Five: Recommendations for Practice
The New World Kirkpatrick Model was utilized to help evaluate the four levels and to
add novel elements to identify ways to effectively implement the stated stakeholder goals. This
approach provides the user with flexibility and a responsive framework that allows for changes
to be made as new information is uncovered (Maxwell, 2013; Merriam & Tisdell, 2014). In this
section, the final research question (What are the recommended knowledge and skills,
motivation, and organizational solutions?) is addressed, providing recommendations for practice
in the areas of knowledge, motivation, and organization influences and for closing gaps that the
researcher identified in previous sections. Tables 14-16 are the summary tables for the
knowledge, motivation, and organization recommendations.
In this dissertation, Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation are used as a framework to
align stakeholder goals with desired outcomes (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). By aligning
each assumed knowledge, motivation, and organizational influence with the appropriate learning
principles, context-specific recommendations have been generated for each separate influence.
These context-specific recommendations have led to an evaluation system to be used to
implement these recommendations throughout the organization, such as the creation and
implementation of student support programs based on the outcomes of the assessments. For
example, these may be achieved through a mixture of workshops, faculty mentoring, and peer-to-
peer mentoring activities where students will have the opportunity to learn more about the
processes necessary to them, and the timelines associated with such issues as graduation,
transfer, and support resources available. Using the New Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2016), Level 4 (outcomes) will be the starting point in terms of constructing the
evaluation process, although in practice, the evaluation will probably follow a more traditional

87

pathway. The third level is regarding implementation, while the second addresses knowledge,
and the first measures engagement. The benefit to this plan is that all outcomes and evaluations
are aligned from the beginning of the change process, as well as allowing faster changes to
organizational initiatives, should outcomes indicate so. Finally, the importance of culturally
responsive interventions will be discussed.
Recommendations for Practice to Address KMO Influences
The recommendations proposed in the following sections delineate interventions
designed to help guide students towards organizational resources that supply guidance in
graduation and transfer issues. They include specific assessments to help bridge the gaps in
knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors identified in Chapter Four. The more general
recommendations should be interwoven with culturally responsive practices discussed at the end
of the chapter.
Knowledge Recommendations
The knowledge influences examined in Table 14 include all assumed knowledge
influences as well as their probability of being validated. The knowledge influences used to
achieve the stakeholders’ goal were partially validated based on the conceptual, procedural, and
motivational knowledge influences that emerged to achieving during semi-structured interviews
and student surveys and supported through the literature review. The small sample size makes it
difficult to fully validate all the influences. The conceptual framework used for this study is
Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis. The knowledge influences include the conceptual
dimension that addresses the what, the procedural dimensions that address the how, and the
metacognitive dimensions that address the self (Krathwohl, 2002). Table 14 describes validated

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influences that have an impact on influencing stakeholder’s goals and also describes the
recommendations for these influences based on theoretical principles.
Table 14
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Knowledge
Influence
Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
Students need to know the
steps of constructing an
Educational Plan. (P) *

Conveying to
students the
“how-to”
knowledge and
providing
feedback
helps
individuals
achieve their
academic goal
(Clark & Estes,
2008)

Students must show a
completed
Educational Plan and
have the ability to
explain it. Provide a
demonstration,
practice, and
feedback on how to
construct an
Educational Plan.
Students need to know the
steps of transferring to a four-
year institution. (P)
Conveying to
students the
“how-to”
knowledge and
providing
feedback
helps
individuals
achieve their
academic goal
(Clark & Estes,
2008)

Students should be
able to articulate the
process of transfer to
a 4-year institution
and be aware of
important deadlines.
Provide guidance and
feedback on the steps
of transferring.
Students need to know how
their identity and mindset
impact their achievement.
(M)
The use of
metacognitive
strategies
facilitates
learning (Baker,
2006).
Provide opportunities
for students to
engage in guided
self-monitoring and
self-assessment
practices regarding
their identity and
mindset, such as a

89

workshop or webinar
(Baker, 2006).
Students should show
increased self-
efficacy on
assessments, such as
surveys.
Students need to know where
to receive Academic
Advising. (D)

To develop
mastery,
students must
acquire
component
skills, practice
integrating
them, and know
when to apply
what they have
learned (Schraw
& McCrudden,
2006).

Provide guidance,
modeling,
counseling, coaching,
and other scaffolding
during Academic
Advising by
explaining the use of
college website
resources (Mayer,
2011). Students
should be able to
navigate resources
for graduation and
transfer demonstrated
by successful use of
student services
website.
Students need to know where
to receive assistance while
taking their courses. (D)

Information
learned
meaningfully
and connected
with prior
knowledge is
stored more
quickly and
remembered
more accurately
because it is
elaborated with
prior learning
(Schraw &
McCrudden,
2006).
Model effective
strategy use,
including “how” and
“when” to use
particular strategies,
such as seeking
assistance (Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006).
Students should
attend tutoring and
advising sessions as
recommended by
faculty or advisors,
typically a minimum
of once per semester.

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*Indicated knowledge type for each influence listed using these abbreviations: (D)eclarative;
(P)rocedural; (M)etacognitive
As an addition to the recommendations listed in the table above, it is important to include
avenues for students to explore their academic journey that are more self-directed. As the
COVID pandemic has shifted the academic landscape to a remote-learning one, it is necessary to
develop online tools for students to change their educational plans and to explore majors. As the
interviews indicated, students will seek out information by themselves from unofficial sources.
Declarative Knowledge Solutions, or Description of Needs or Assets
Factual knowledge of declarative knowledge refers to basic knowledge that is needed in
solving problems (Rueda, 2011). An example of declarative knowledge of student success as
described in Table 2 would be students knowing where to receive academic assistance (D).
Survey results indicated that while most participants felt confident in their overall knowledge
related to college processes, there is a gap that exists concerning the process of transferring to a
four-year college. Interview data also indicated that students may feel disengaged from this
aspect of the knowledge dimension and that it took some time to gain the knowledge needed to
be successful in school. According to Schraw and McCrudden (2006), information that has been
internalized is more likely to be elaborated into faster rates of near transfer. For this to occur, the
recommendation is to provide scaffolded guidance, modeling, counseling, coaching, and other
forms of advising and assistance (Mayer, 2011). In practical terms, students should be assigned
Jones and Abes (2013) stated that for student success to be supported, educators must
build a community that fosters educational development and that includes knowledge factors that
impact the environment itself. In addition, according to Cleveland-Innes and Emes (2005), a
crucial attribute of creating a learner-centered curriculum is to explicitly teach those skills and

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outcomes related to student success, which in this case would be specific procedures and
knowledge related to academic assistance. These studies support the recommendation of
providing scaffolded guidance, and modeling regarding academic assistance.
Procedural Knowledge Solutions, or Description of Needs or Assets
Procedural knowledge is required throughout the college experience, as it encompasses
methods of inquiry, specific skills, or procedures related to a program or course (Rueda, 2011).
Students needing to understand the steps in constructing an Educational Plan (P) is an example
of this knowledge type. According to Clark and Estes (2008), through imparting the practical
steps needed for a specific goal and providing feedback, mastery, and achievement of the goal is
attained. This suggests that it is important to scaffold the steps for an Educational Plan for
students to achieve this goal. The recommendation would be to provide students with appropriate
guidance and feedback on the pathway to a personalized Educational Plan.
Metacognitive Knowledge Solutions, or Description of Needs or Assets
Research indicates that metacognitive knowledge is another important structure within
the framework of student success (Hoseinzadeh & Shoghi, 2013; Thomas & Anderson, 2014).
According to Thomas and Anderson (2014), by monitoring changes in how the environment
influences student learning, it is possible to ascertain changes in levels of students’
metacognitive knowledge. Thus, explicitly teaching and assessing levels of metacognition is
crucial to identify connections between learning environments and student achievement. an
example of this type of knowledge is that students need to know how their identity and mindset
impact their achievement (M). The use of metacognitive strategies supports overall learning and
academic achievement (Baker, 2006). The recommendation would be to allow sufficient

92

opportunities for students to engage in guided, thoughtful, reflection on how their identity and
mindset are impacting their academic achievement.
Metacognitive processes as related to self-identity are germane to student success
(Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Ellis & Chen, 2013; Rueda, 2011). In interviews of undocumented
immigrant students, it was found that by reframing experiences of acculturative stress, positive
changes in self-perception and self-knowledge were made and the academic experience was
impacted (Ellis & Chen, 2013). This research supports the recommendation of providing guided
reflection opportunities for students to support academic success. Current research indicates that
student awareness of support programs impacts graduation and transfer rates for traditionally
underrepresented groups (Mooring & Mooring, 2016; Waiwaiole et al., 2016). For both African-
American and Latinx students, knowledge and participation in student support programs were
predictive of later academic achievement, such as graduation (Mooring & Mooring, 2016;
Waiwaiole et al., 2016). This research supports the recommendation of scaffolded knowledge
with included personal feedback to support student success.
Motivation Recommendations
The motivation influences in Table 15 include all factors that were validated. Clark and
Estes (2008) framework is again being used to identify motivational gaps in the stakeholder
group. In addition, the specific definition for motivation used in this context is those constructs
that fulfill a student’s needs or goal orientations (Pintrich, 2003; Rueda, 2011). Table 15 includes
recommendations for each motivational influence based on relevant theoretical principles. In
general, survey data indicated a gap in persistence while interview data emphasized issues of
self-efficacy and utility value.

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Table 15
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Motivation
Influence

Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
Self-efficacy:
Students need to
believe they are
capable of academic
achievement.
Learning and
motivation are
increased when
students have
positive
expectancies for
success (Pajares,
2006).
Provide goal-
directed practice
coupled with
frequent, accurate,
credible, specific,
and private
feedback on
progress in
learning and
performance
(Pajares, 2006).
Students should
demonstrate
increased grades on
coursework.

Utility value: Students
need to see the value
of degree attainment.
Learning and
motivation are
increased if the
student values the
task (Eccles, 2006).
Provide rationales
as to the
importance and
utility value of the
task (Pintrich,
2003). Students
should show an
increased positive
attitude towards
academic
achievement on
student surveys.

Persistence: Students
need to persist at less
pleasant tasks to show
high motivation.
Self-regulatory
strategies, including
goal setting,
enhance learning
and performance
(APA, 2015:
Provide
opportunities for
students to check
their progress and
adjust their goals
and learning
strategies as

94

Dembo & Eaton,
2000; Denler et al.,
2009).

needed (Denler et
al., 2009). Students
should show
increase in
completed
coursework.

Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy is the beliefs and self-perceptions that people hold about their capabilities
(Bandura, 2005; Pajares, 2006). An example of self-efficacy in Table 15 is that students need to
believe they are capable of academic achievement. According to Pajares (2006), learning and
motivation are supported when students have positive expectancies for success. Thus, the
recommendation is that there are opportunities for goal-directed practice coupled with frequent,
accurate, credible, specific, and private feedback on progress in learning and performance
(Pajares, 2006).
Academic self-efficacy is correlated to various areas of student success, including retention,
persistence, and overall academic achievement (Slanger et al., 2015). According to Bandura
(1977, 1986, 1997), self-efficacy is defined as an individual’s belief in his or her ability to
achieve certain levels of goal or performance attainment. In 1995 Bandura theorized in his social
cognitive theory that self-efficacy was the basis for all human agency. Research shows that self-
efficacy, type of motivation, and goal orientation are correlated, with students displaying
intrinsic motivation and mastery goals also tending to display higher levels of self-efficacy
(D’Lima et al., 2014; Hseih et al., 2007; Madonna & Philpot, 2013). Thus, the research supports
the current recommendation given.
Utility Value

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Utility value refers to the way a task fulfills an individual’s goal orientation or other
psychological needs (Eccles, 2006). Here, an example of utility value is that students need to see
the value of degree attainment. Eccles (2006) states that learning and motivation are increased
when the student values the task. The recommendation is to provide rationales as to the
importance and utility value of the task (Pintrich, 2003).
While outcomes of emotion and utility value on student success are complex and
variable, in general, it has been found that positive emotions promote motivation and
engagement with a task, while negative emotions tend to be deactivating, such that motivation
and engagement are decreased (Pekrun, 2011). Tasks may provoke emotions around
participation, which in turn, affects motivation (Anderman & Anderman, 2006; Eccles, 2006;
Pekrun, 2011). If the locus of control is perceived as internal, then emotions will also tend to be
more positive with motivation and task engagement increased (Anderman & Anderman, 2006).
These constructs support the given recommendation.
Persistence
Persistence, or the ability to “keep going” at a potentially undesirable task, is an
important indicator of motivation (Schunk et al., 2009). Specifically, students need to persist at
less pleasant tasks to show high motivation. Relevant principles include that self-regulatory
strategies, including goal setting, will enhance learning and performance (APA, 2015; Dembo &
Eaton, 2000; Denler et al., 2009). Thus, the recommendation is to provide opportunities for
students to check their progress and adjust their goals and learning strategies as needed (Denler
et al., 2009).
Attributional and emotional models are predictive indicators of how learners form causal
beliefs about themselves in relation to academic settings (Anderman & Anderman, 2006). Non-

96

cognitive personal attributes as they relate to motivation, such as resiliency and persistence,
appear to predict self-regulation, which in turn predicts academic achievement (Burnette et al.,
2013; McGeown et al., 2015; Yaeger & Dweck, 2012). Those who hold more implicit self-
regulatory concepts are theorized to have more of a mastery goal orientation versus a
performance goal orientation and more malleable ideas about the self (Burnette et al., 2013).
This research supports the recommendation given.
Organization Recommendations
Table 16 explores the organizational influences that were validated in either survey or
interview findings. The definitions and frameworks of cultural settings versus cultural models as
set forth by Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001) are used to distinguish influences.
Recommendations based on theoretical principles are included in the table.
Table 16
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Organization
Influence

Principle and
Citation

Context-
Specific
Recommendati
on
Cultural Setting
Influence 1:
There needs to
be a general
culture of
academic
achievement
among students.
1.Effective
change begins by
addressing
motivation
influencers; it
ensures the group
knows why it
needs to change.
It then
addresses
organizational
barriers and then
knowledge and
skills needs
(Clark & Estes,
1.Determine the
reasons for
gaps in
motivation in
students, then
address their
specific
concerns.
Students should
show increased
positive
attitudes
towards
graduation and
transfer on

97

2008).

2.Social
interaction,
cooperative
learning, and
cognitive
apprenticeships
(such as
reciprocal
teaching)
facilitate
construction of
new knowledge
(Scott &
Palincsar, 2006).

school-wide
surveys.

2. Have
individuals
occasionally
perform
difficult
tasks in
partnership
with others
(Scott &
Palincsar,
2006). Students
should
demonstrate
increased
completion of
assigned group
projects in
coursework.

Cultural Setting
Influence 2:
There needs to
be a culture of
student support
to help students
achieve success.
Effective
organizations
ensure that
organizational
messages,
rewards, policies
and procedures
that govern the
work of the
organization are
aligned with or
are supportive of
organizational
goals and values
(Clark & Estes,
2008).

Conduct an
informal audit
of student
support
policies,
procedures, and
messages
to check for
alignment or
interference
with goals. All
stakeholders
surveyed
should show
increased
positive attitude
towards helping
students
achieve their
goals on given
surveys.

98

Cultural Model
Influence 1:
Students need
effective
role models
within the
institution.
#1
Effective change
begins by
addressing
motivation
influencers; it
ensures the group
knows why it
needs to change.
It then
addresses
organizational
barriers and then
knowledge and
skills, needs
(Clark and Estes,
2008).

Show
individuals how
academic
disciplines/prof
essions
conceptualize
the world
through role
models
(Scott &
Palincsar,
2006).
Expansion of
faulty mentor
program and
other special
population
advising
programs.

Cultural Model
Influence 2:
Students need
effective
guidance on
course
completion.
#2
Effective
organizations
ensure that
organizational
messages,
rewards, policies
and procedures
that govern the
work of the
organization are
aligned with or
are
supportive of
organizational
goals and values
(Clark & Estes,
2008).

Provide
sufficient
training to all
involved
campus faculty,
staff, and
administration
to ensure that
students receive
correct
information on
transfer and
graduation
policies.
Increased
training
opportunities to
be offered
during all
semesters.
Cultural Settings
Examples of cultural setting influences listed in Table 16 include providing a general
culture of academic achievement among students as well as a culture of student support to help

99

students achieve success. According to Clark and Estes (2008), motivation must be addressed
first, in that effective change begins by addressing motivation influencers first; it ensures the
group knows why it needs to change. Only then can organizational barriers, knowledge, and
skills needs be addressed. Other principles that concentrate on knowledge acquisition can then be
assessed, such as social interaction, cooperative learning, and cognitive apprenticeships (such as
reciprocal teaching) which would then facilitate the construction of new knowledge (Scott &
Palincsar, 2006). The recommendation is to first determine the reasons for any gaps in
motivation within the stakeholder groups, then address the stakeholders’ specific concerns. Once
any knowledge gaps have been identified, students should practice difficult tasks in a scaffolded
fashion in partnership with others to close gaps.
Regarding a cultural setting that supports student success within the academic
environment, an effective organization must ensure that all messages, rewards, policies, and
procedures that govern the work of the organization are aligned with the organizational goals and
values (Clark & Estes, 2008). The recommendation is to conduct an assessment to ascertain
where any misalignment may exist with the goal of correcting it.
Research suggests that both personal and institutional factors may impact educational
attainment (Bragg, 2015; Mooring & Mooring, 2016; Roska & Velez, 2012; Sommerfeld, 2016;
Stern, 2016). There are many institutionally based reasons why students may not transfer
promptly outside of engagement or academic issues: credit loss, poor advising, loss of financial
aid, and the unavailability of needed courses (Bragg, 2015). According to Stern (2016), other
significant negative predictors of community college transfer were age, hours worked, and
belonging to a racial/ ethnic minority group. Stern further says that significant positive predictors

100

of academic achievement were financial aid grants, higher levels of family income, and overall
student expectations towards academic attainments.
Cultural Models
In terms of cultural models, there are two in Table 16 that were validated. The first is that
students need effective role models within the institution. For this to occur, effective change
must begin by addressing motivation influencers; it ensures the group knows why it needs to
change. It then addresses organizational barriers and then knowledge and skills needs (Clark &
Estes, 2008). The recommendation is to show students how academic disciplines/professions
conceptualize the world using role models (Scott & Palincsar, 2006).
The second cultural setting influence is students need effective guidance on course
completion. Similar to the cultural models, all organizational messages, rewards, policies, and
procedures that govern the work of the organization must be aligned with or are supportive of
organizational goals and values (Clark & Estes, 2008). The recommendation is to provide
sufficient training to all involved campus faculty, staff, and administration to ensure that students
receive correct information on transfer and graduation policies.
From a cultural setting viewpoint, there are two major factors theorized to have an impact
on the stakeholder group of students. Students need to have effective role models within the
institution, and that students must receive effective academic guidance (Mooring & Mooring,
2016). Interacting with the cultural setting are two potential cultural factors. For students to
succeed within the cultural setting, there must be a climate of student support within the
institution itself, and there should be a consensus among the students themselves regarding the
value of course completion (the cultural models).
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan

101

Implementation and Evaluation Framework
The plan that will be implemented is one in which the desired outcomes have concrete
plans to be evaluated at every stage of implementation (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). The
evaluation portion is the first stage, according to the New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick
& Kirkpatrick, 2016). The idea is to “begin with the end in mind” (Covey, 2014, p.149). This
approach is substantially different than the previous version of the Kirkpatrick Model, which was
comprised of four levels: Reaction, Learning, Behavior, and Results, and which began with the
reaction level. Reaction is the extent to which participants found given training helpful,
interesting, or otherwise engaging, and important to their jobs. Once the level of reaction has
been gauged, the level of learning for all participants is measured. Once learning has been
assessed, it is important to measure how participants take what they have learned and implement
it back on the job. The final step under the old Kirkpatrick model is to measure results, which is
the degree to which the stated outcomes occur as a result of the training (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2016). Under the New Kirkpatrick Model, although it does keep the original four
levels of the old model, they are not planned in the same order. The New Model asks the trainer
to consider that defining and evaluating outcomes is the most critical part of the model, and thus,
must be accomplished first. Then the other levels may progress, although not necessarily in the
strict linear order of the original model, but in a more emergent way, as the organization
demands. Some processes may be done or planned for, concurrently, depending on that critical
Results piece (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016).
Organizational Purpose, Need, and Expectations
The goal of Lomita College will be that by June 2020, gaps in transfer to four-year
institutions will be closed in those groups who have been identified as disproportionately

102

impacted, such as Latinx, African-Americans, or Asians. The stakeholder group goal is that
transfer rates will be increased so that they are congruent with rates of other groups of students.
This goal was specifically chosen as part of an overall statewide mandate towards a “Guided
Pathways” model of student success and relates to the mission of the college of providing a
supportive and dynamic learning environment for all students. The desired outcomes for the
stakeholders would be increased graduation and transfer rates, as well as increased class
completion and retention as a part of fulfilling the larger goal.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Table 17 refers to the short-term observations and measurements that indicate that the
targeted stakeholder group is meeting the desired goals. Both external and internal metrics are
displayed in the table.
Table 17
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes
More students have
graduated from
community college
Number of degrees that are
granted.
Yearly college district reports.
More students have
transferred to four-year
institutions.
Number of students transferring
to four-year institutions.
Yearly college district reports.
More students from
college are in workforce
in local community.
Number of graduated students
who have attained employment
after graduation.
Yearly college district reports;
local labor market statistics
Internal Outcomes
Graduation rates from
community colleges in
targeted groups have
significantly increased.
The number of graduation
applications from community
colleges is increasing among
targeted stakeholder groups.
End of semester reports from
college district and departments

103

Transfer rates have
significantly improved in
targeted groups.
The number of transfer
applications is increasing among
targeted stakeholder groups.
End of semester reports from
college district and departments
More students are
persisting in classes.
Class retention rates are
increasing
End of semester reports from
college district and departments
More students are
finishing classes with a C
or better
Class completion rates are
increasing.

End of semester reports from
college district and departments

Level 3: Behavior
Critical Behaviors
Critical behaviors are those behaviors that are easily demonstrable as a result of training
or new learning (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). As Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016)
explained, these critical behaviors must be well-defined, must be few, must be observable, and
must be measurable. These behaviors must also be completed by the stakeholder group of focus.
Table 18 displays the critical behaviors necessary for students to meet the goal of closing
gaps in transfer and graduation rates. Also included in the table are the metrics, methods, and
timing needed to evaluate whether these critical behaviors have taken place.
Table 18
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s) Method(s) Timing
1.Students are
attending classes.
Individual class
attendance sheets
Faculty member’s list
compared to end of
semester college district
data
Every semester
2.Students are
completing classes.
Individual class
gradebooks
Faculty member’s
gradebook compared to
end of semester college
district data
Every semester
3.Students are
completing an
Educational Plan.
Each student has an
appointment to
complete an
Educational Plan
Number of students who
completed Educational
Plan
Every semester

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4.Students are
applying for
graduation and
transfer
Each student has an
appointment to fill
out/complete the
required applications
The number of students
who completed the
required applications.
Reported yearly

Required Drivers
To achieve stakeholder goals, required drivers of the critical behaviors described in Table
18 are necessary. These include motivational and organizational drivers that will impact the
behaviors. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) defined required drivers as schemas that positively
impact the performance of critical behaviors; they generally fall into the categories of support
and accountability. Table 19 describes the identified required drivers.
Table 19
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical Behaviors
Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Reinforcing
Follow-up messages Every semester 1,2,3,4
App or way to download Ed
Plan
Every semester 3
Encouraging
Emails from faculty or staff Every semester 1,2,3,4
Rewarding
Making sure each student has
some positive feedback.
Every semester 1,2
Monitoring
Self-checklist for transfer
timeline
Every semester 3,4

Organizational Support
The organization can support these critical behaviors by making some of these processes
automated for faculty and staff, and thus, easier to implement. For example, an email template to

105

be used when students have stopped attending classes, instead of the instructor having to
construct a separate one each time. Ideally, they could be sent out in batches. Another example
might be by making the Educational Plan available for download and review on mobile devices
by students after one has been completed. To take that idea even further, the app could then send
out reminders for students to book their next counseling appointment, apply for transfer,
graduation notices, etc., all through the single platform.
Level 2: Learning
Learning Goals
Following completion of the recommended solutions, particularly the workshops and
appointments on Educational Planning, time management, student support resources, and peer-
mentoring, students will be able to:
1. Understand the steps of constructing an Educational Plan. (P)
2. Articulate the steps of transferring to a four-year institution. (P)
3. Recognize how their identity and mindset impact their achievement. (M)
4. Remember where to receive Academic Advising. (D)
5. Summarize where to receive assistance while taking their courses. (D)
6. Reflect on their abilities regarding academic achievement. (SE)
7. Determine the value of degree attainment. (U)
8. Persist at less pleasant tasks to show high motivation. (P)
Program
The learning goals listed in the previous section will be achieved with a mix of
workshops, faculty mentoring, and peer-to-peer mentoring activities where students will have the
opportunity to learn more about the process and timeline associated with such issues as

106

graduation, transfer, and support resources available. The program will feature multiple repeated
workshops and networking/mentoring events offered on the school’s campus grounds as well as
online webinars and other online resource deployments. The workshops, more formal, will share
information on issues like academic success, time management, overall Educational Planning,
support resources, and graduation and transfer. The networking/mentoring events will be
opportunities for students to meet with faculty and other students who have successfully
navigated the world of academia, or who are undergoing those same processes. A proposed
schedule of a full academic year of workshops and seminars would look like the following: At
the beginning of each semester, workshops on educational plans, choosing classes, picking a
major, time-management, and college success would be offered; at mid-semester, workshops on
graduation, transfer, choosing a college, financial aid, and exam-taking would be offered; at the
end of the semester, workshops on taking finals, stress control techniques, and updating
educational plans would be offered. Included throughout the academic year would be career and
transfer fairs, faculty mentoring events, and scholarship workshops.
Evaluation of the Components of Learning.
Students need to feel certain that they can successfully transfer and apply the knowledge
and skills they acquired through the proposed training, workshops, and mentoring so that they
can more easily commit to using them in the future. Table 20 lists the ways that declarative and
procedural knowledge, attitude, and confidence levels will be evaluated, as well as outlining the
proposed timing for completing the critical elements of learning and transfer.
Table 20
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program.
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing

107

Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”
Discussion During workshops where new content is
shared. Participants will be given a checklist to
measure retention of new knowledge.

Knowledge checks using multiple choice. During workshops where new content is
shared. Participants will be given summative
and formative surveys during workshops to
measure new knowledge.

Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”
During the workshops using surveys with
multiple-choice items.

During workshops participants will complete
surveys.
Quality of feedback and questions from peers
during group discussions and mentoring.

During mentoring sessions participants will fill
out short-answer assessments to provide
feedback to other participants.
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”
Retrospective pre-and post-test assessment
item.

Before and after the workshops participants
will complete a checklist to measure attitude
towards academic achievement.
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”
Retrospective pre-and post-test assessment
items.

Before and after the workshops participants
will complete a checklist to measure self-
efficacy
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”
Discussions following practice and feedback. During mentoring sessions participants will fill
out short-answer assessments to measure
persistence and confidence regarding new
knowledge and skills.

Level 1: Reaction
Table 21 describes the components through which participants’ reactions to training will
be measured. Since both workshops and mentoring sessions are being used, each must be
assessed using multi-modal methods. Both formative and summative assessments will be built in
as part of the initial evaluation process. The formative evaluations will occur during the
workshop or mentoring event, while the summative evaluations will occur after the event(s) has
been completed.

108

Table 21
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program.
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement
Facilitator observation During the workshop/ mentoring sessions
Surveys Immediately after the workshop/ mentoring
sessions
Pulse check/ feedback During the workshop/ mentoring sessions
Asking meaningful questions During the workshop/ mentoring sessions
Relevance
Interviews/ focus groups After the event
Surveys Immediately after the event
Customer Satisfaction
Surveys Immediately after the event

Evaluation Tools
Immediately Following the Program Implementation
To assess levels 1 and 2, a Likert-type survey will be deployed immediately after the
event. The instrument will ask participants to rate their level of agreement on items that measure
constructs such as engagement, relevance, and overall satisfaction. In addition, some items will
be soliciting participants to rate their agreement or disagreement as to their current level of
procedural knowledge, confidence level, commitment, and skill level (see Appendix C).
Delayed for a Period after the Program Implementation
To keep the coding relatively consistent, another Likert-type survey was developed for
use in assessing Levels 1-4. While some of the same items from Level and 2 have been repeated
to measure test-retest reliability, as well as to capture participants’ feelings after a delay, other
items that are intended to capture Levels 3 and 4 have a slightly different focus. For example, the
items ask if the participant made use of the information, and met the stated outcome of the
program, which was either to graduate or transfer (see Appendix D).

109

Data Analysis and Reporting
After Levels 1 and 2 have been assessed, the results will be immediately tabulated and
reported. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and means, will be used to analyze the data
from the surveys. It is important to reinforce what is working, so that will be heavily
emphasized. On the other hand, formative assessments must also be used to uncover what is not
working, to do a “course correction.” Any information that shows that the programs might be in
danger of not meeting their stated objectives will be adjusted, redeployed, and reassessed. For
the delayed instruments, coding and data analysis will be identical. Again, there will be an
emphasis on the parts of the program that are successful, as well as ideas to implement during the
next round of training. Since this is planned as an iterative process, there should be interventions
as part of the process when the delayed instrument shows that certain areas need adjustment. All
results will be tracked using a dashboard, which will also be aligned with project resources (see
Appendix E).
Specific Recommendations for Latinx Students
While the recommendations were made using the Kirkpatrick model, due to the
researcher’s role as a full-time faculty member, there has been organizational interest in the
results of the study. In 2020, the researcher was invited to participate in a leadership academy for
California community colleges held by the RP Group, titled “Leading from the Middle”. The
idea was that in order to assist students more effectively within the institution, organizations
need to examine their attitudes towards student motivation and academic achievement as well as
changing current practices. According to research conducted by Booth et al. (2013), there are six
guiding success factors that make an effective framework for student success: directed, focused,
nurtured, engaged, connected, and valued. Students need support on all factors in order to meet

110

their academic goals in a timely manner. As the framework echoes the themes from this research,
it was decided to use the literature review and data generated by this dissertation. Lomita College
constructed an evaluation sent to current students as the first step in redesigning the student
experience. Underrepresented groups, such as Latinx students, are the initial focus. With that in
mind, there are specific recommendations made to help craft a more culturally-responsive
program for the Latinx students at Lomita College.
As the Latinx population is increasing in higher education, it is crucial to include
practices that recognize the need for connectivity and inclusion of students’ families, as well as
resources in multiple languages (Witkowsky et al., 2020). The survey and interview data
demonstrate that many Latinx students seek out alternative avenues for information and guidance
towards graduation and transfer when they perceive that the traditional resources are not
available to them. In the Latinx community, personal connections are highly valued, as
evidenced by the interview responses. Therefore, it is important to include opportunities for
making personal connections between the Latinx student and the larger campus community.
Serving as a faculty member and Puente mentor for 18 years, in both the School of Social and
Behavioral Sciences and in the Counseling department, there are certain issues that the
researcher has observed more frequently in Latinx students. One is that Latinx students may
encounter conflicts between their role as a student and the role they are expected to play within
their families. They may have a difficult time getting family members to understand the stresses
they face as a student, and the importance of degree completion. Something that has been very
helpful for Latinx students is to involve their families in the advisement process, assuming
proper consent. It is also crucial to have someone who is fluent in Spanish either lead the
advising sessions, or to simply serve as a translator, if needed. Many students’ families are

111

Spanish-speakers and are not comfortable communicating in English. All advising materials
should be available in both English and Spanish. It is also important for advisors to be Latinx
themselves, if possible, and it is even better if they have attended community college. Many of
the researcher’s students have commented on the motivational importance of Latinx
representation at all levels of the institution.
Another issue the researcher has noted is the importance of social capital in the college
environment. It is typical for Latinx students to rely on members of their community for things
like child care, job leads, car maintenance and repair, and overall support. This is fine for
everyday issues, but becomes a potential obstacle if people in the community have not attended
college themselves. Latinx students may enter college expecting to enjoy that same level of
social capital by making connections, but this is very difficult to accomplish in a commuter
school. Developing a network of other Latinx higher-education professionals is crucial in
assisting students with academic success. As an example, a personal referral and introduction to
faculty members in other departments or universities has been helpful in getting students to feel
more comfortable in both their home and potential transfer institutions.
At Lomita College, the graduation and transfer rates for students in the Puente program is
significantly higher than the rest of the student population. It is recommended that an expansion
of a cohort-model program, such as the Puente program, be implemented. The expansion of the
Puente program, or a program like it, should be implemented slowly, and started with a small
cohort. As summative evaluations and feedback are collected, the program can be refined and
scaled appropriately. If a cohort model is used, it is recommended that two short, fast-track (8
weeks) courses are developed. The first course could focus on topics like career, college success,
financial aid, and issues specific to first-generation students, such as family support, living as an

112

undocumented student, acculturation, and language barriers. A second fast-track course could
focus on specific majors or departmental advising. It is also recommended that Latinx students
take a minimum of two classes with their cohort and attend shared group advising, which would
include peer mentoring and advising from more advanced Latinx students. Interview participants
noted that they want to make deeper connections on campus, but struggle to establish those
connections.
It would be helpful for students to be assigned a specific counselor or academic adviser,
at least for the first semester of enrollment, but preferably for the first academic year. If students
were assigned a specific counselor or adviser, that would increase feelings of accountability, and
would help to quickly correct any issues if students got off track. Once the basic educational plan
is established, it is recommended that centralized resources on careers, majors, and transferring
become available. For example, establishing an LMS course for self-directed career and major
exploration with students automatically added upon enrollment, would be valuable. That way,
students would be using official resources with accurate information, instead of turning to peers
or other potentially unreliable sources.
Summary
The New World Kirkpatrick model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) was heavily drawn
upon to construct a viable plan for organizational change that has all stakeholder goals and
outcomes aligned. Since the end goals were visualized first, the specific outcomes and
benchmarks were built into every level of evaluation. It is expected that the use of this
framework will help to implement the stakeholder’s goals more successfully and allow the
organization to be more agile in pivoting to better solutions. By using the Kirkpatrick levels in

113

this way, it is further expected that the return on expectations will be higher due to increased
outcomes.
Recommendations for Future Research
The findings from the student interviews revealed several important areas and processes
that may affect transfer and graduation rates. These findings include the use of student support
services, knowledge of what services are available to students, and students’ perception of
organizational efforts to publicize support services. To better understand students’ self-efficacy
and motivation regarding processes of graduation and transfer to four-year colleges, the
interviews were somewhat effective in gathering and analyzing this data. The extremely small
sample size was an issue in making the study more robust and able to be generalized. It is
recommended that further analysis of students with a larger sample size be conducted to confirm
the findings of this research study.
Given the limitations of this study, there are several other recommendations for future
research. The first recommendation would be to focus on the organizational influences and
knowledge gaps pertaining to college support programs and transfer processes. Another
recommendation would be to include more stakeholder groups. Future research opportunities
exist in examining faculty and administrative attitudes towards the stakeholder goals.
Considering that all faculty, staff, and administrators were expected to close achievement gaps
by June 2020, this seems like the next critical area to explore to implement the desired outcomes.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to address the problem of disparities between the transfer
and degree completion rates between Whites and traditionally underrepresented groups, such as
Latinx students, in community colleges in California. Increasing the transfer and graduation rates

114

for traditionally underrepresented students is important to address because income disparities,
health, and social disparities exist as a result of the differences in degree attainment (Dupre,
2007; Hout, 2012; Tamborini et al., 2015). There is evidence that obtaining a college degree is
beneficial in a variety of ways, beyond raising wages. Not only does education increase lifetime
earning potential, but also health, community engagement, and general quality of life. By
recognizing gaps in academic achievement, it is possible to create a pathway to academic success
while meeting students’ needs. In addition, the Guided Pathways Initiative and new funding
model for community colleges have made the issues of graduation and transfer even more
pressing. It was mandated by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office to
implement the Guided Pathways model by 2020, and for partial performance-based funding to be
in place by the 2020-2021 school year (California Community Colleges’ Chancellor’s Office,
2019). By utilizing the recommendations for closing the gaps, it would serve two purposes: to
help promote the Guided Pathways Initiative and to conform to the performance-based funding
model. The implication of this study is to add to a scholarly body of knowledge aimed at
addressing the achievement gap in community colleges, particularly among underrepresented
populations.

115

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Appendix A- Survey Items
You are being invited to take part in a research study. Before you decide to participate in this
study, it is important that you understand why the research is being done and what it will
involve. Please take the time to read the following information carefully. Please ask the
researcher if there is anything that is not clear or if you need more information. The purpose of
this study is: to get an understanding of your experiences as a student at a community college.
There are no right or wrong answers.
Your expected time commitment for this study is 10- 15 minutes. You will be asked about your
thoughts and feelings related to your experiences at college.
Risks: The risks of this study are minimal. You may decline to answer any or all questions and
you may terminate your involvement at any time if you choose. Please rate the following items
based on your behavior in this class. Your rating should be on a 4- point scale where 1=
Strongly disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Agree, 4=Strongly agree

1. Compared with other students in this class I expect to do well. (O-CS)
2. I'm certain I can understand the ideas taught in this course. (M- SE)
3. I expect to do very well in this class. (M-SE)
4. Compared with others in this class, I think I'm a good student. (K-M)
5. I am sure I can do an excellent job on the problems and tasks assigned for this class.
(M-SE)
6.1 think I will receive a good grade in this class. (K-M)
7. My study skills are excellent compared with others in this class. (M-SE)
8. Compared with other students in this class I think I know a great deal about the

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subject. (K-M)
9. I know that I will be able to learn the material for this class. (M-SE)
10. I ask myself questions to make sure I know the material I have been studying. (K-M)
11. When work is hard I either give up or study only the easy parts. (M-P, *R)
12. I work on practice exercises and answer end-of-chapter questions even when I don't
have to. (M-P)
13. Even when study materials are dull and uninteresting, I keep working until I finish.
(M-P)
14. Before I begin studying, I think about the things I will need to do to learn. (M-P)
15. I often find that I have been reading for class but don't know what it is all about. (M-
P,*R)
16. I find that when the teacher is talking, I think of other things and don't really listen to
what is being said. (M-P,*R)
17. When I'm reading I stop once in a while and go over what I have read. (M-P)
18.1 work hard to get a good grade even when I don't like a class. (M-U)
(Pintrich & De Groot, 1990)
Please rate the following items based on your experiences in this school. Your rating should be
on a 4- point scale where 1= Strongly disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Agree, 4=Strongly agree
19. I know how to reach my professors if I need extra help in class. (K-F)
20. I have an Educational Plan. (K-P)
21. I know the steps needed to transfer to a four-year school. (K-P)
22. I know where to receive academic advising. (K-F)

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23. I am aware of the resources the campus has to support me. (K-F)
24. Course completion is important to me. (M-U; O-CS)
25. I feel adequately supported as a student at this school. (O-CS)
26. I have role models at this school. (O-CM)
27. I have a mentor I can talk to about my education here. (O-CM)
28. I receive effective guidance from faculty, staff, and support services. (O-CM)
Code Key: K-F=Knowledge-Factual, K-P= Knowledge- Procedural, K-M= Knowledge-
Metacognitive, M= Motivation, M-U= Motivation Utility Value, M-SE=Self-Efficacy, M-
P=Persistence, O-CM=Cultural Models, O-CS=Cultural Settings, *R= Reverse coded

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Appendix B- Interview Protocol
Interview Protocol and Questions
Good morning (afternoon). My name is ___. Thank you for agreeing to take part in this
interview. The purpose is to get an understanding of your experiences as a student at a
community college. There are no right or wrong answers. I would like you to feel comfortable
with saying what you really think and how you really feel.
Tape Recorder Instructions
If it is okay with you, I will be tape-recording our conversation. The purpose of this is so
that I can get all the details but at the same time be able to carry on a conversation with you. All
your comments will remain confidential. I will be writing a report which will contain all
students’ comments without any reference to specific individuals.
Consent Form Instructions
Before we get started, please take a few minutes to read and sign this consent form.
(Hand participant consent form.) (After participant returns preamble/consent form, turn tape
recorder on.)
Questions
1. Tell me a little bit about yourself.
2. Why are you going to school? (M-GO)
3. Can you give me some specific motivating factors for attending school? (M-SE, M-U)
4. What are your academic goals? (M-GO)
5. What might keep you from attaining your academic goals? (M-P)
6. What is helping you to achieve your academic goals? (M-SE, M-P)
7. Can you explain some of the steps you have taken to achieve your goals? (K-P)

135

8. How do you define success in school? (K-M)
9. In your opinion, what factors are most important in being successful in school? (M-SE)
10. How has your experience been in school so far? (O)
11. What has your experience been in terms of the college supporting you? (O-C)
12. Can you describe the process for obtaining an Educational Plan? (K-P)
13. What did you like/dislike about the Educational Plan process? (K-P)
14. How would you change your educational experience? (KMO)
15. If you could give advice to future students, what would it be? (KMO)
16. Was there anything I didn’t ask about, but you would like to add? (KMO)
17. Do you have any questions for me?
• Probes
• Why do you feel that way?
• You said ________, what do you mean?
• Yes, I see. Please go on.
• (Repeat back what was said).
• What do you mean by that?
• Can you explain a little bit more about ___________?
Code Key: K-F=Knowledge-Factual, K-P= Knowledge- Procedural, K-M= Knowledge-
Metacognitive, M= Motivation, M-GO=Goal Orientation, M-SE=Self-Efficacy, M-
P=Persistence, O-CM=Cultural Models, O-CS=Cultural Settings, *R= Reverse coded

136

Appendix C- Immediate Evaluation Instrument

Please rate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each item.
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Disagree Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
Agree
I was satisfied
with the
presentation
overall.

1 2 3 4 5
This
presentation
enhanced my
knowledge of
the subject
matter.

1 2 3 4 5
The
presentation
was relevant
to what I
might be
expected to do
to for
graduation/
transferring.

1 2 3 4 5

137

I would
recommend
this
presentation
to others.

1 2 3 4 5
I understand
the steps to
take for
graduation
and transfer.
1 2 3 4 5
I can
immediately
use what I
have learned
from this
presentation.
1 2 3 4 5
This
presentation
will help me
in the process
of graduating
or
transferring.
1 2 3 4 5
I am planning
to use the
skills/
information
from the
presentation.
1 2 3 4 5

138

I feel
confident in
using what I
have learned
from the
presentation.
1 2 3 4 5

What material did you find most helpful?
What were the major concepts you learned during the presentation?
Is there any part of the presentation that you did not like? HOW would you change it?

139

Appendix D- Blended Evaluation Instrument

Please rate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each item.
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Disagree Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
Agree
I have used
the
information I
learned in the
presentation.
(L1)
1 2 3 4 5
The
presentation
was a good
use of my
time.
(L1)
1 2 3 4 5
I used the
information
from the
presentation
to make an
Educational
Plan.
(L2)
1 2 3 4 5
I applied for
graduation or
transfer.
(L3)
1 2 3 4 5
I have
graduated or
transferred.
(L4)
1 2 3 4 5

140

Looking back, how could the presentation been improved? (L1)

What information would you like to see added? (L2)

How has your participation in this program benefited you? (L3)

141

Appendix E- Performance Dashboard Instrument

Performance Dashboard
Leading Indicators

142

Abstract (if available)

Abstract In California community colleges, disparities exist in rates of transfer and graduation, particularly in groups that have been identified as disproportionately impacted. The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences that interfere with closing the gap in transfer and graduation in those impacted groups, especially Latinx students. Interviews with current Latinx students attending a California community college, in conjunction with survey data, enabled the validation of KMO influences affecting student success. ? Survey data and interview findings demonstrated that community colleges may establish organizational initiatives and divisions that do not necessarily match the needs of their diverse student population or facilitate academic progress. As a result, students create their own support networks outside of student support services. Recommendations on implementing and evaluating interventions aimed towards graduation and transfer are provided for organizational leaders seeking to initiate expanded student success pathways.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Fitzpatrick, Maria Colleen (author)

Core Title Factors related to transfer and graduation in Latinx community college students

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Degree Conferral Date 2021-08

Publication Date 07/25/2021

Defense Date 07/22/2021

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

Tag college success,community college students,Graduation,Latinx students,OAI-PMH Harvest,transfer

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Datta, Monique (committee chair), Maddox, Anthony (committee member), Robles, Darline (committee member)

Creator Email mcfitzpa@usc.edu,psych1chaffey@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC15621732

Unique identifier UC15621732

Legacy Identifier etd-Fitzpatric-9869

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Fitzpatrick, Maria Colleen

Type texts

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

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the 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. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.

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