Date of Award

1-2019

Rights

© 2019 Rebecca A. Martin

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Carol Burbank

Second Advisor

Angela Young

Third Advisor

Mark Kavanaugh

Abstract

The 21st century has altered the workscape, emphasizing non-cognitive skills required for success in the workforce. Community colleges that profess workforce readiness in their workreadiness programs use primarily cognitive assessment to ensure content and curricular learning. This quantitative study of rural Maine community college graduates examined non-cognitive workforce skills from this workforce readiness institution, correlating non-cognitive instrument scores to the standard cognitive score, cumulative grade point average (GPA). The Social-Emotional Health Survey-Higher Education (SEHS-HE) and the Review of Personal Experience with Locus of Control (ROPELOC) data were examined in relation to cumulative grade point average (GPA) to assess for the presence of non-cognitive schemas in graduating respondents. Statistical analysis of this data revealed that only 15% of the non-cognitive skills assessed were found to be correlated with GPA, while 35-40% of students responding to the surveys graduated from the institution with less than average non-cognitive scores, and scored an average of 35 points less than ideal scores, on both instruments. This study suggests there is little relationship between non-cognitive skills and GPA. Community colleges may need to refine assessments and practices to ensure graduates are truly being prepared for the 21st century workplace.

Comments

Ed.D. Dissertation

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