ABSTRACT
Community colleges play a critical role in providing access to postsecondary education for a wide range of student populations, including large numbers of racial/ethnic minorities, low-income students, fi rst-generation college students, adult learners, and recent immigrants (Hagedorn, 2010; Levin, 2007; National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2010a; Phillippe & Gonzalez Sullivan, 2005). Students from these groups continue to be among those most likely to attend community colleges rather than fouryear institutions, as evidenced by historical and recent student enrollment data (NCES, 2010a). Th e factors that lead diverse groups of students to enroll in community colleges are both complex and highly nuanced. Certainly, the relatively low costs, close proximity, program fl exibility, and breadth of course off erings of community colleges may be more attractive to students whose economic, academic, and overall life circumstances require such institutional characteristics (Adelman, 2005; Brint & Karabel, 1989; Cohen & Brawer, 2008; Dougherty, 1994; Flores, Horn, & Crisp, 2006; Goldrick-Rab, 2006; Kurlaender, 2006; Levin, 2007). Indeed, the expansion of the community college mission to include vocational education, remedial education, certifi cate programs, and continuing education programs, as well as transfer (Bragg, 2001; Brint & Karabel, 1989; Cohen & Brawer, 2008; Dougherty, 1992; Rendón & Nora, 1994), has broadened the spectrum of students attending community colleges.
