Abstract:
Over 11.8 million college students attend community colleges in the United States (American Association of Community Colleges, 2010), yet not much is known about the pedagogical training of and instructional methods used by instructors who teach those students. The purpose of this study was to gather information concerning the pedagogic background and use of instructional strategies by Kansas Community College general education instructors. A survey administered through an online survey site gathered information from fulltime community college instructors in Kansas Community Colleges. Results from 187 respondents indicate half of the instructors surveyed received K-12 teaching certification; just over half of the respondents indicated taking at least one course in pedagogy. Lecture was the most commonly used instructional strategy, both in number of instructors who used the strategy, and in the amount of time the strategy was used in the classroom. However, most instructors indicated the use of more than one instructional strategy. A relationship was found between pedagogical training and the use of several instructional strategies. A relationship was found between the length of service at the community college level and the use of several instructional strategies. Results indicate a relationship between the disciplines and the use of several instructional strategies.