This paper presents the recommendations chapter of a study addressing low graduation rates among Hispanic minority students at a community college, where 81.6 percent fail to complete courses on time. Drawing on reviewed literature and qualitative data collected from student participants, the paper advances two evidence-based recommendations: (1) introducing outdoor pre-orientation programs for first-year students to build social capital, peer networks, and faculty relationships; and (2) providing professional development opportunities for lecturers to enhance student engagement and improve academic outcomes. The paper also outlines stakeholder roles and responsibilities connected to implementation.
The paper demonstrates evidence triangulation: claims are consistently supported by multiple sources simultaneously (peer-reviewed studies, survey data, and interview findings). For example, the lack of a sense of belonging among Hispanic students is corroborated by both qualitative interview themes and external literature (Beard et al., 2023; Pickard et al., 2020), which strengthens the evidentiary basis for each recommendation.
The paper opens with a restatement of the study's purpose and central research question, then presents the two recommendations in sequence. Each recommendation section follows the same internal structure: definition and context, literature support, connection to study findings, and specific implementation details. The chapter closes with a section on stakeholder roles and responsibilities, signaling a transition toward implementation planning.
The purpose of this study was to provide recommendations to solve the problem of low graduation rates among Hispanic minority students at a regional university. The problem is that 81.6 percent of Hispanic students fail to complete their courses on time. This chapter summarizes the recommendations for addressing this problem, the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, the resources needed for implementation, and a timeline for each recommendation.
The central research question guiding the study was: How can the problem of low graduation rates among Hispanic minority students be solved? The study advances two recommendations to address this problem. The recommendations are drawn from the reviewed literature and from data collected from study participants:
The first recommendation for addressing the problem of low graduation rates among Hispanic students is the introduction of an outdoor pre-orientation program for first-year students. Currently, students have access to a summer bridge program that exposes incoming students to an intensive, week-long classroom-based orientation experience, where they interact with current students and are taught different aspects of how to succeed in college. Common topics covered in the summer bridge program include transfer options, financial literacy, growth mindset, campus resources, study skills, time management, available programs, and transfer processes. However, as Beard et al. (2023) point out, the increasingly diverse nature of students entering college necessitates more intimate interventions targeted at specific groups rather than traditional orientation models that bring all students together. For this reason, institutions are increasingly adopting outdoor pre-orientation programs as a complement to summer bridge and college orientation programs (Beard et al., 2023). Studies have equally shown outdoor pre-orientation programs to be more effective than traditional orientation models in enhancing college students' retention and persistence (Hill et al., 2018). According to Hill et al. (2018), outdoor pre-orientation programs challenge students emotionally, mentally, and physically, which aids in developing resilience.
In a typical outdoor pre-orientation program, incoming students are placed in small groups that also include at least one faculty member and one or two upperclassmen a few weeks before they begin college (Pickard et al., 2020). Total group membership often does not exceed 15, and the program involves camping in an off-campus outdoor setting for at least one night. The outdoor adventure period varies across institutions due to resource differences, with some programs lasting as long as eight days. However, the activities are often similar across programs regardless of duration (Beard et al., 2023). The faculty or staff member and the upperclassmen lead daily educational sessions while students participate in outdoor activities such as service projects, hiking, climbing, fire-building, and cooking (Beard et al., 2023). Unlike traditional orientation and summer bridge programs that bring together all incoming students in one large group, outdoor pre-orientation programs introduce a "scaled-down version of college" to students with relatively similar needs, such as Hispanic or Asian students pursuing math- or science-related courses (Beard et al., 2023, p. 665). In doing so, such programs provide both social and academic experiences that help minimize initial transition shock and help students build the social and academic capital required to navigate the college environment.
Nguyen (2019) defines professional development as programs, procedures, and policies that support and facilitate staff members in enhancing their knowledge, attitudes, and skills for improved productivity. Common forms of professional development include mentorship, attending professional conferences or industry workshops, taking in-house training opportunities, and advancing one's education by earning additional credentials in one's area of expertise (Purwanto & Darussalam, 2023). The primary goal of professional development is to improve an employee's productivity in an expected or assigned role (Nguyen, 2019).
For teachers, professional development refers to "systematic efforts to bring about change in the classroom practices of teachers, their attitudes and beliefs, and the learning outcomes of students" (Nguyen et al., 2019, p. 33). By initiating changes in teachers' beliefs and attitudes, professional development drives changes in specific classroom practices and behaviors, which in turn lead to improvements in students' learning outcomes (Nguyen et al., 2019).
Studies have found a significant positive association between teachers' professional development and students' learning outcomes (Miller et al., 2019). Miller et al. (2019) found that professional development improved teacher-student relationships and how students perceived their own academic potential. The study also found a significant positive correlation between professional development and teachers' engagement with students, teacher morale, and both collective and individual efficacy. These findings lend support to the recommendation to adopt professional development as a solution to the low completion rates of Hispanic minority students.
Results from the survey, interviews, and document analysis reveal gaps in teachers' classroom practices. The majority of students feel that lecturers do not engage them in class and focus primarily on covering course content rather than ensuring that students understand key concepts. One student described lectures as boring, noting that instructors mostly use PowerPoint presentations and lecture continuously without taking time to challenge students through questions or to understand their perspectives. In line with the findings of Miller et al. (2019), professional development would enhance teachers' knowledge and skills in identifying learner needs and applying pedagogical techniques that increase student engagement, ultimately leading to improved academic outcomes and higher graduation rates.
However, as Purwanto and Darussalam (2023) point out, the success of any professional development program depends on the type of development offered and how well the program addresses the needs of learners. Audisso et al. (2023), in their working paper, found that a school fellowship program significantly improved students' academic outcomes in math and language arts as measured by performance on state achievement exams. Research has also shown that a combination of professional development strategies is more effective in improving student outcomes than any single strategy alone. An apparent need emerging from the interviews is the low level of student engagement during lectures. Notably, students acknowledged that some teachers have found ways to increase engagement, and they reported performing better in those subjects than in others. The institution could therefore explore mentorship and peer teaching sessions, in which teachers learn from their best-performing counterparts and are mentored in the art of effective pedagogy.
For higher levels of efficacy, peer-to-peer training and mentorship sessions could be complemented by fellowship programs for teachers, awarded on the basis of performance. The professional development interventions could be focused on increasing teachers' knowledge and skills in promoting interaction and student engagement, as these emerge as the most pressing training needs from the interviews and survey findings.
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