Introduction: The Changing Nature of Student Demographics in Community Colleges Globalization, shifts in immigration, and increasing access to higher education have changed the characteristics of students in colleges and universities. The profile of students has changed as universities and colleges became open access institutions to students from nontraditional lower socioeconomic backgrounds. First-generation college students, students who aspire to attain education beyond high school for the first time in the family, have become an important demographic to study (Terenzini, Springer, Yaeger, Pascarella, & Nora, 1996; Trow, 2001; Woods-Warrior, 2014). Community colleges in the United States provide education to nearly 50% of all undergraduates, many with diverse backgrounds and needs. Out of this group of students, 36% constitute firstgeneration college students (American Association of Community Colleges, Fact Sheet, 2018). Community colleges offer flexible programs and various financial aid opportunities. Their affordability allows many students to achieve their higher education goals. Both administrators and professors in community colleges work hard to increase success rates for all students, especially for minority and economically disadvantaged students (Niu & Tienda, 2013; Shugart, 2013). Although many students enter community colleges with great aspiration, they are at a greater risk to take at least three years to graduate due to various reasons, such as depending on financial aid, working part time, and having less persistence getting a degree (Fike & Fike, 2008; Thayer, 2000). After making the transition from high school to community college, their academic progress is rather slow. Only one-third of community college students get a college degree within six years (Bailey, Calcagno, Jenkins, Leinbach, & Kienzl, 2006). There are several economic and flexible curricular incentives for students to graduate in a timely manner. The Pathway Project, Pell Grants, and the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) provide the opportunity for students to graduate in three years through financial, academic, and support programs
The widespread use of technology and the Internet have changed many of language learners' everyday practices, including literacies. While there have been many studies with the focus on language learners' digital literacies, few, however, have explored language learners' digital information literacy and online reading practices with the use of social bookmarking tools, especially in a community college setting. We address this gap by investigating community‐college language learners' digital literacies when social bookmarking with the focus on digital information and online reading practices from an ecological perspective. In this qualitative multiple‐case study, the focal participants were five English learners, students in an English as a Second Language writing course in a community college in the northeastern United States. Data collection included interviews, observations, and researchers' e‐journals. Thorough within‐ and cross‐case analysis of data shows that language learners searched for digital texts and evaluated them based on relevance, reliability, interest, language, and importance for them and their learning community in the social bookmarking tool. The participants struggled with the number of results in search engines, keywords, and evaluation of digital texts for relevance and reliability. We show the need for more instruction, support, and guidance of language learners' digital information literacy practices as well as the benefits of providing students with opportunities to read digital texts. Our suggestions for future research include investigating the role of multimodality and other factors that influence language learners' evaluation practices when they look for and read information online.
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