A Retrospective of Four Decades of Community College Research

Abstract

In the 40th publication year of the Community College Journal of Research and Practice (CCJRP), the authors present a 39-year retrospective on research on the community college through the lens of the journal. It is not known exactly what the body of community college research wholly consists of. Without access to the larger picture of community college research, both the research and practitioner communities remain generally unaware of the existing research, areas lacking in study, and opportunities to build upon past research and to explore adaptation of practices that have been implemented at other institutions. The purpose of this study was to explore the evolution of community college research by surveying topics in community college research published over the past 39 years within the context of the CCJRP, highlighting implications for future research, policy, and practice. Findings from this content analysis study demonstrate more attention to student success, teaching and learning, and community college leadership than other topics. Overtime, topics such as college mission and international perspectives cycled across the decades, while others, such as access, held steady. Findings also show the popularity of policy and innovation topics and changes in authorship over time, particularly as related to gender.