Leveling Up Reading Engagement Among Nontraditional Community College Students

College reading engagement is a significant predictor of students’ skill development and degree completion. However, only about one-third of college students are completing assigned readings, and among those who do, many struggle with successful interpretation and analysis of content (ICAS, 2002). One reason is that students may be underprepared for the academic rigor of college-level texts (Bartolomeo-Maida Citation2016). Previous research on reading support has often focused on traditional college students; however, the number of nontraditional students continues to grow, especially at community colleges, where curriculum reform is occurring with reading courses. As educators work to redesign these programs, it is important to illuminate the voices of nontraditional students to create accessible reading support so that they can successfully engage with college-level texts. This qualitative study explored interview responses of nine nontraditional community college students to learn about their experiences as readers and discover their desired reading support. Analysis of the data revealed negative self-perceptions as barriers, the importance of relatable content to reading engagement, and desired reading supports that included guidance from the content instructor and reading courses. These findings offer implications for educators seeking to offer equitable access to college-level reading skills for nontraditional community college students.