Date of Award
9-22-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
Mahauganee Bonds
Second Advisor
Ella Benson
Committee Members
Les Wyatt
Abstract
The term student success is frequently used in higher education, yet no universally accepted definition exists. This lack of a common understanding of what success means can lead to inconsistent priorities and practices across institutions. This qualitative case study explored how internal stakeholders at one community college define student success and whether discrepancies exist between their definitions. Guided by the framework of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, this study addressed three research questions: (1) How do definitions of student success vary across community college stakeholder groups? (2) How do different community college stakeholders describe the relationship between the academic components of a college student’s life and student success? (3) How do different community college stakeholders describe the relationship between the non-academic components of a college student’s life and student success? Data were collected through focus groups with 16 students, open-ended questionnaires completed by 20 full-time faculty and 6 student success staff, and via one-on-one interviews with 8 institutional leaders. Findings revealed both points of alignment and notable differences between stakeholder groups’ definitions of student success. While some stakeholders focused on traditional metrics like grades and graduation, others emphasized personal growth, engagement, or preparation for life after college. These varied perspectives suggest that how success is defined often depends on a person's role within the institution, leading to institutional priorities and student support strategies that are misaligned with student priorities and needs. By identifying commonalities and gaps within the stakeholders’ perspectives, this study provided insight into the complexity of defining student success and the importance of cross-campus dialogue in promoting a more student-centered and consistent approach in community colleges.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Swain, Kathleen, "Defining Student Success: Whether Inconsistencies Impact Institutional Resources and the Ability to Meet Student Needs" (2025). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1112.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1112
