Using theory and research to improve student affairs practice: Some current examples

Abstract

This chapter describes two emerging theories that informFor many students, community colleges are the point of entry into the higher education system. Although some educators argue that students who attend community colleges are less likely to obtain a bachelor's degree than those who enroll directly in four-year institutions (Schneider and Stevenson, 1999), for many students from underrepresented populations, the choice is not between two-or four-year colleges but between the community college and no college (Cohen and Brawer, 1996). Many community college students are the first in their families to attend college, immigrants, returning adults, or members of an underrepresented population based on their ethnicity, cultural orientation, or socioeconomic status (Bailey, 2004). Often, these students have a limited understanding of how to succeed in higher education and lack essential academic skills, thus presenting significant challenges to the institution. In order to help these students define and reach their educational and career goals, community college student affairs professionals, especially those with responsibility for providing career counseling services and increasing student access to higher education, must move beyond traditional models of student learning and development and incorporate a social perspective such as that proposed by Tanaka (2002). Tanaka suggests that social theory is the missing link between student development theory and effective programs and services that can benefit all students, including those considered nontraditional in higher education.