Community colleges are two- or four-year public, independent, or tribal colleges (Community College Fast Facts, 2013) that act as a bridge to four-year universities as well as provide alternatives to university education to the community within which they are located. In the U.S., community colleges were established in the early 20th century “to ensure open access to higher education for individuals of all ages, preparation levels, and incomes” (Eckel & King, 2004, p. iii).

The growth of community colleges was paralleled and fueled by the rise in secondary school enrollments in the beginning of the 20th century (Cohen & Brawer, 2008). Today, almost half of all undergraduate students in the U.S. are enrolled in the more than a thousand community colleges spread across the country (Eckel & King, 2004; Mellow & Heelan, 2008b). Ranging from small rural colleges to large, multi-campus colleges located in urban communities, these colleges provide a wide range of services in response to the changing dynamics of community life in the U.S. including serving a majority of students from racial or ethnic minorities (Mellow & Heelan, 2008b) as well as non-U.S. citizens (Community College Fast Facts, 2013).

Main reference:

Jain, R. (2013). Practitioner-research as dissertation: Exploring the continuities between practice and research in a community college ESL classroom (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from: https://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/14515

List of references cited in the text:

• American Association of Community Colleges. (2013). Community college fast facts.
• Cohen, A. M., & Brawer, F. B. (2003). The American community college. John Wiley & Sons.
• Eckel, P. D., & King, J. E. (2004). An overview of higher education in the United States: Diversity, access and the role of the marketplace. American Council on Education.
• Mellow, G., & Heelan, C. (2008). Programmatic challenges of diverse demographics. Minding the dream: The process and practice of the American community college, 257-270.