DR_CommunityCollege_MotivatorsSucess

This research examined how community college students perceive faculty behaviors, their relationship with classroom motivators, and how these perceptions predict student persistence and academic success. A quantitative non-experimental design was used with an online survey administered to 352 students from the only community college in the Dominican Republic. Data were analyzed using independent T-tests, ANOVA, Canonical Correlation Analysis, and regression models.
The results showed that faculty qualities and behaviors explained 48.5% of the variance in students’ classroom motivation. Rapport, Time Spent with Students Outside Class, Course Preparation and Delivery, Encouragement, and Fairness had the highest canonical loadings. Encouragement-related behaviors were a significant predictor of students’ intention to persist in college. In predicting GPA, success, usefulness, and interest explained 17%, 10%, and 6% of the variance, respectively.
These findings confirm the crucial role faculty play in supporting students in a Dominican community college modeled after U.S. institutions. Recognizing that specific faculty behaviors influence student motivation, persistence, and success, higher education leaders should develop programs that raise faculty awareness and implementation of essential behaviors.