Gender Differences in Community College Enrollment Rates And Workforce Earnings in Tennessee: Quantitative Correlational Study
- Clark J.
- Clark J.
2026
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Description
The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between community college enrollment patterns and workforce earnings among males and females by analyzing state-level data on community college enrollment and median earnings among adults in Tennessee. Guided by expectancy-value theory, this study examined how differences in educational participation relate to variations in workforce outcomes across gender categories reported in state and federal datasets. The study used a quantitative correlational design, drawing on secondary data from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the National Center for Education Statistics, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The setting was Tennessee, with the sample consisting of aggregated state-level data on adult enrollment and earnings from 2019-2023. Data collection involved compiling publicly available secondary datasets on community college enrollment and median earnings and organizing them for statistical analysis. The analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Pearson correlation to explore relationships among variables. The main research questions investigated whether a significant relationship exists between gender and community college enrollment rates in Tennessee, and whether enrollment rates relate to gender-based workforce earnings. The study’s findings are expected to enhance understanding of disparities in educational participation and economic outcomes, potentially informing policy, institutional practices, and future research on equity in community college access and workforce development in Tennessee.
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Record Data:
- Program :
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- Doctor of Education
- Location :
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- CBE
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