The Relationship Between Student Retention in Community College Courses and Faculty Employment Status

ABSTRACT

Community colleges are under pressure to educate a growing student population while economic resources in higher education are diminishing. One measure of success for colleges is the ability to retain students. Due to the varied nature of the community college population, measuring student retention is challenging. One facet of student retention is course retention, defined as the successful completion of a course with a grade of C or higher. Course retention is associated with the likelihood of degree completion; therefore, it served as the measure of student retention used in this study. Theoretical models show a link between student retention and faculty interaction. Furthermore, faculty/student interactions, both inside and outside of the classroom, are influenced by faculty employment status. While researchers have linked faculty interactions with broad measures of student retention, and faculty behavior with employment status, limited research is available on the relationship between course retention and faculty employment status. In this quantitative correlational research study, student enrollment data and faculty employment data were used to examine the relationship between course retention and faculty employment status in a Florida community college. Differences between course retention rates among faculty employed in permanent positions and those employed in adjunct positions were explored using ANOVA.

Acknowledgments

I want to thank the Liberty University faculty for their support and guidance during the course of this research. I specifically want to acknowledge the members of my dissertation committee—Randy Tierce (chairperson), Amanda Dunnagan, and Travis Bradshaw.

Further exploration of the relationship between course retention and faculty status is warranted. Expanding the data set to account for individual differences in faculty members (e.g., years of experience, course load, teaching style); students (e.g., major, GPA); or courses (e.g., subject, credit hours) would provide insight into specific factors that may influence course retention. Including more than one college campus would also strengthen the study. An examination of possible explanations for the higher retention of adjuncts’ students (e.g., teaching techniques, course assignments, grading patterns) would contribute to understanding the nature of the difference that was found between the course retention of permanent and adjunct faculty. A longitudinal analysis of course retention during the first two years of college would provide a clearer picture of how early course performance ultimately impacts successful program completion.