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Objective: This study explored the relationship between different types of interpersonal interaction, characterized by their underlying motivations, and educational outcomes among students in manufacturing programs at two-year colleges. While there exist several ways to classify interaction, motivation as an inherent attribute that fuels behaviors has been largely neglected. In this study, we developed a nuanced approach to differentiating types of interaction based on students' underlying motivation and further investigated how different forms of interaction are related to educational outcomes. Method: We analyzed the Community College Survey of Student Engagement data and administrative records of 242 students entering manufacturing programs during 2011-2012 at four public two-year technical colleges in Wisconsin. The outcome variables were students' cumulative grade point average (GPA) and their retention/graduation status as of spring 2013. A multiple regression model and a logistic regression model were separately estimated. Results: We found that interaction can be grouped into three categories that represent different underlying motivations: interaction as a response to curricular demands, interaction for broader educational purposes, and interaction for diverse experiences. Interaction for broader educational purposes was positively associated with GPA, but interaction as a response to curricular demands had a negative relationship with GPA. Diversity-related interaction moderated the relationship between college under-preparedness and retention/graduation status. Contributions: This study provides an in-depth examination of interpersonal interaction that is based in the context of students' underlying motivations. Our findings shed fresh and nuanced light on the relationship between motivation-driven interactions and college outcomes, and inform two-year college administrators and instructors as they strive to provide an enriching learning environment where students interact with faculty and peers to not only navigate course requirements but also engage in activities contributing to their broader educational and career goals.

Objective: Research on labor market outcomes for individuals who enroll in technical colleges is limited, with even less attention to the effects of short-term certificates than associate degrees. Also, despite the importance of manufacturing programs, there is a lack of research on employment outcomes for individuals who enroll in these programs at technical colleges. In this study, we explored how types of credential earned are related to employment outcomes 4 years post-enrollment for students in manufacturing programs at public 2-year technical colleges in Wisconsin. Method: We drew upon administrative and wage data on over 6,000 first-time students matriculating into manufacturing-related programs at Wisconsin's technical colleges between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2009. Using ordinary least squares (OLS) and logistic regression, we investigated the association between types of credentials earned and labor market outcomes while controlling for the sample's sociodemographic background and academic experiences. Results: Our analyses revealed that students, particularly males, who completed an associate degree or a 2-year technical diploma were at an advantage in both rates of employment and earnings. White male students also enjoyed a stronger likelihood of being employed and earned higher annual wages than their ethnic minority counterparts. These advantages were not as manifest among female students. Contributions: Our study indicates that, to advance the employment prospects of technical college students, it is critical to expand institutional efforts to support longer term credential attainment. Our findings did not support the popular "jobbing-out" myth lingering in manufacturing education at the 2-year college level.

Objective: Despite the fairly substantial body of literature devoted to understanding whether dual enrollment programs are related to academic success in college, less is known regarding how dual enrollment transmits its potentially positive influence, especially among two-year college students. In this study, we fill this gap by delving into the process of how dual enrollment is related to academic success among students attending two-year technical colleges. Specifically, we examine academic momentum as a potential mediator of the relationship between dual enrollment and educational outcomes. Methods: We draw on a sample of more than 15,000 first-time postsecondary students who entered Wisconsin's two-year technical colleges in 2009 to 2010 after graduating from high school between 2007 and 2009. Using a path analysis, we investigate student transcript records, along with data from the National Student Clearinghouse. Results: Participation in dual enrollment is found to be related to more attempted credits, higher likelihood of college entry without delay, summer enrollment, as well as stronger academic performance. These early academic momentum indicators are then positively related to students' college completion or retention, fully accounting for the positive relationship between dual enrollment participation and college outcomes. Contributions: Our study provides a finer look into two-year college students' academic progress and success and how dual enrollment may fuel this process by promoting students' academic momentum early during their college careers.

Founded in 1964 and housed within the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Education, the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) is one of the nation's oldest and most highly regarded education research and development centers. While there is notable diversity in the focus areas and methodological approaches of WCER scholars whose research involves two-year colleges, our collective work centers on promoting student success. Three major takeaways from our work that help contribute to our understanding of how to promote optimal student outcomes at two-year colleges are: building early academic momentum, contextualized and integrated curriculum, and investing in evidence-based reforms through researcher-practitioner partnerships.

The present study is to investigate the brain activation associated with the informative value of negative feedback in rule acquisition. In each trial of a segmented Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, participants were provided with three reference cards and one target card, and were asked to match one of three reference cards to the target card based on a classification rule. Participants received feedback after each match. Participants would acquire the rule after one negative feedback (1-NF condition) or two successive negative feedbacks (2-NF condition). The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) results indicated that lateral prefrontal-to-parietal cortices were more active in the 2-NF condition than in the 1-NF condition. The activation in the right lateral prefrontal cortex and left posterior parietal cortex increased gradually with the amount of negative feedback. These results demonstrate that the informative value of negative feedback in rule acquisition might be modulated by the lateral prefronto-parietal loop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]