Angela M. Gibson

Student Engagement at Two-Year Institutions: Age and Generational Status Differences.

For students to be successful in either two-year or four-year colleges, they need to be engaged in their college experiences. In this investigation, we analyzed data, over 40,000 cases obtained from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, concerning student engagement as it was related with student age and with student generational status. Statistically significant differences were found in the self-reported student engagement of these first-year community college students among different age categories and between first-generation and nonfirst-generation college students. Demographic characteristics play a factor in engagement, both in educationally purposeful activities and in quality of relationships, for first-year students at community colleges in Texas. Recommendations include the need for educational leaders and policymakers to consider that engagement efforts should not follow a one-size-fits-all model.