Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-2019

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Higher Education Administration

Major Professor

Dorian McCoy

Committee Members

Norma T. Mertz, Terri Ishitani, Michelle Christian

Abstract

While community colleges serve the majority of Students of Color in higher education, a large percentage of these students drop out of college and do not graduate or transfer to four-year institutions. This problem is well-documented and has been the focus of multiple initiatives (i.e., first-year experience courses, cohort learning, professional advisers, student success coordinators) within higher education (Bailey & Alfonso, 2005; Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010; Hatch, Mardock-Uman, & Garcia, 2018; Hyman, 2018; Tinto, 1999; Topper, 2019). This transformative-emancipatory mixed-methods study was conducted at a large community college in the southeastern United States, and offered a critical examination of whether or not service-learning involvement influenced graduation rates for Students of Color at community colleges, and how. The quantitative results from the study supported the literature by indicating service-learning participation and cumulative GPA increased the likelihood of graduation for Students of Color. There was a negative relationship between identifying as a Student of Color and graduation. The qualitative findings indicated Students of Color attributed service-learning with their ability to succeed in college; however, students also reported racialized experiences within the service-learning experience. This study expanded the literature by exploring ways in which service-learning contributed to Students’ of Color Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005). Due to the complex nature of service-learning and the innumerable differences between individual student’s experiences, there is no simple way to illustrate the ways in which service-learning influences success in courses, graduation rates, or future success in a career. However, these findings can serve as empirical evidence to support the further exploration of Students’ of Color experiences within service-learning courses and programs.

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