Date of Graduation

12-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Adult and Lifelong Learning (EdD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Kevin Roessger

Committee Member

Kenda Grover

Second Committee Member

Adam Morris

Keywords

Community College, Feedback Loop, Library Expenditure, Library Services, Self-Regulated Learning, Student Retention

Abstract

Community college libraries exist to support institutional outcomes. One such outcome is student retention. This study’s purpose was to fill the gap in the literature at the community college level, proposing that a model including all library service use types would explain variance in student retention beyond that explained by total library financial expenditure. Services included were numbers of physical materials circulated, digital books circulated, e-serials used, reference transactions, library presentations, attendees at presentations, gate counts, and interlibrary loan materials borrowed. Additionally, it was proposed that the relationship between gate counts of physical entry into the library and student retention would be moderated by ratios of nontraditional students attending colleges and Pell Grants awarded.

The study uses 2018-2019 fiscal year data obtained from the ACRL Annual survey and IPEDS. A multiple regression analysis found no relationships between the service use model and retention. No relationships were found between any independent variable in the study and student retention, nor was any moderation detected.

It was proposed that a feedback loop may exist at community colleges that divorces library activity from institution level student retention outcomes. Such a feedback loop has been untested in the literature, and further research is suggested.

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