Academic language proficiency, particularly academic writing, appears to be significantly related to academic achievement. The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between written language proficiency and academic achievement, and to investigate the effects of a remedial academic writing programme. Academic writing was assessed…

This article reports on a study analyzing the digital skills of 91 low-income students enrolled in writing remediation. Findings suggest that technological demands widen the equity dimensions of the college preparation gap by aggravating the academic challenges remedial writers already face. Suggestions to support the compound literacy needs of…

A significant challenge in higher education is to narrow the educational attainment gap between academically prepared and unprepared students. To this end, developmental or remedial education is intended to improve the academic skills and knowledge of students who are unprepared for undergraduate coursework, particularly in the areas of…

To determine the effectiveness of a program for reteaching writing skills, students from ten intermediate classrooms in three schools, who achieved poor scores on a screening instrument or received teacher evaluations indicating low skill levels, participated in this study. An experimental group of 78 subjects received a pretest, a program of ten…

This study addressed the writing of college educated officers compared to their overall performance in an introductory Army course. The effects of an effective writing (communicative skills) program and a remedial enrichment program were also examined. A total of 137 U.S. Army lieutenants, who were students in the 15-week Military Police Officer…

Describes the program of the Academic Skills Center at San Diego State University, which is designed to decrease the attrition rate among severely underprepared students by integrating general education courses with courses in academic reading and writing. (FL)

An evaluation is presented of the remedial programs in each of New Jersey's 32 public colleges and universities. The academic outcome of full-time students entering in fall 1984 is tracked over four semesters. This analysis combines measures of the colleges' administrative efficiency in testing and enrolling students in needed remedial courses,…

Basic skills programs are now almost a given in the curricula of postsecondary institutions; however, the key area of concern of basic skills researchers is, Are they working? The answer is two fold: yes, those involved in and committed to the programs are working very hard, and no, the programs themselves are not working very well. There is a…

A study was conducted to compare the achievement of students in an experimental remedial "core program" with that of students in a standard remedial English program. The core program consisted of an interdisciplinary remediation effort in which students took a nine-unit block of three courses in composition, reading, and guidance. The…

The GO Project was created at Sacramento City College (SCC) to help underprepared students achieve success in a transfer-level sociology course, while improving their reading, writing, and study skills. Throughout the fall semester, students in the GO Project engaged in reading, essay writing, and study skills practice which focused on the…

The academic records of over 2,000 students who were required as a result of their national percentile scores on the Cooperative English Examination to take a remediation course in reading and writing skills during their first semester at Queensborough Community College (New York) were compared to the academic records achieved by an equal number…

The extent of postsecondary remedial studies in the United States was investigated in 1983-1984, along with characteristics of current programs, and measures of program effectiveness. Reliable national estimates were sought on: the number and type of courses offered; the percent of students taking remedial courses and recent enrollment changes;…

A study was conducted by the Learning Assessment Retention Consortium (LARC) to describe the outcomes (i.e., goal satisfaction, retention, and skills acquisition) of students enrolled in remedial English writing courses in a sample of California community colleges, and to develop an evaluation model which could be used in community colleges to…

The New Jersey Basic Skills Council seventh annual report to the Board of Higher Education looks at the status of the reading, writing, and mathematical skills of incoming freshmen and of the effectiveness of remedial programs in its public colleges and universities. A comparison is presented of students who needed and completed remediation;…

In January 1986, the Virginia State Board for Community Colleges and the State Council of Higher Education undertook a joint study of postsecondary remedial education. The purposes of the study were to: (1) define the minimum levels of competence required of a student wishing to do college-level work for degree credit; (2) develop methods and…