Michael BeckFollow

Date

4-2017

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

John R Duryea

Keywords

Academic Probation, Community College, Online Learning, Retention

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Education | Educational Psychology | Other Education

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of first-year online community college students on academic probation at a small, rural community college in central North Carolina. Four research questions guided the study: (RQ1) How do first-year, online community college students who are on academic probation describe their academic experiences? (RQ2) What do participants identify as reasons for receiving poor grades and being placed on academic probation? (RQ3) How do participants on academic probation describe what they could have done differently to avoid being placed on academic probation? (RQ4) What do participants who are on academic probation do to successfully return to satisfactory academic progress? The researcher used a phenomenological design to examine the gap in the existing research, specifically that there is insufficient understanding of the experiences of first-year community college students who take online courses and are placed on academic probation. This study focused on the experiences of students who attended a community college in central North Carolina. Data was collected through interviews, written documents, and a focus group and primarily analyzed through coding and establishing themes. Four themes emerged: Lack of Preparedness, Lack of Perseverance, Lack of Communication, and Optimism for the Future.

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