This applied dissertation was designed to examine the effectiveness of a summer bridge program as a mechanism to impact community college student retention in the first year by addressing college readiness, inclusive of academic skills and academic self-efficacy. Archival data collected during the evaluation of a summer bridge program held at a large urban community college located in the Southeastern region of the United States was utilized to determine whether there was a difference between the college self-efficacy and academic readiness of summer bridge program participants before and after their participation in the program and whether there was a difference between the academic success of summer bridge program participants and a comparison group of their peers. An analysis of the data found that participants of the summer bridge program experienced a statistically significant increase in both their academic confidence and academic skills specific to mathematics after participating in the program. Participants also held significantly greater belief in their ability to be successful in college and to successfully navigate the college environment after participation in the summer bridge program. Although there were statistically significant improvements in academic readiness and college self-efficacy for participants, these improvements were not accompanied by corresponding significant relationships between participation in the program and measurable improvements in academic success. No significant relationship was detected between program participation and first math course success, average first term GPA, nor persistence rates from fall to spring semester when examining summer bridge program participants and a corresponding sample of their peers.
| Date of Award | Jan 1 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Ashley Russom (Supervisor) & Katrina Pann (Advisor) |
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