Debates over the promising change Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) might offer to traditional online learning now produce significant attention and discourse among the media and higher education. Ample articles discuss the potential benefits of MOOCs from the perspectives of faculty and administration. However, little is known about students'…

The goal of this study was to understand how students' attitudes were connected to their mathematics learning and achievement. This investigation of students (n = 78) and their attitudes was specific to web-based homework in developmental mathematics courses in a two-year community college located in a large urban city in the United States. A…

As open-door institutions of higher learning, community colleges should continue to increase their understanding of the characteristics, needs, and satisfaction of underprepared students. Understanding the satisfaction levels of underprepared students provides a foundation upon which to build support for student success and retention for…

Developmental education courses have become a standard in community colleges in the United States. An overwhelming majority of these public two-year schools offer developmental courses to a wide array of students. At the same time, developmental programs are under a constant barrage of attacks from a variety of stakeholder organizations that view…

Developmental education and the surrounding issues of academically underprepared students have been an ongoing source of debate within American higher education. While secondary education systems are frequently blamed for failing to adequately prepare students, community colleges, state colleges, and universities offer developmental programs to…

This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study determined whether the game of chess can be used as an educational tool to improve critical thinking skills of developmental mathematics students and improve mathematics achievement for these students. Five research questions were investigated. These questions were as follows: (a) Is there a…

In this study the author examines the use of small peer-led collaborative learning groups to change students' perceptions of mathematics and their success in developmental mathematics classes at a small tribal community college. The quasi-experimental study involved both quantitative and qualitative data. Rationale for, methods of, and outcomes…

In this study, we investigated the self-efficacy beliefs and sources of self-efficacy among first-year college students placed in developmental reading courses. Students enrolled in developmental reading were compared to students who were not placed in developmental reading courses in terms of self-efficacy in various contexts and sources of…

Many students enter the Canadian college system with insufficient mathematical ability and leave the system with little improvement. Those students who enter with poor mathematics ability typically take a developmental mathematics course as their first and possibly only mathematics course. The educational experiences that comprise a developmental…

This study explores the affective characteristics of students taking developmental education courses at the postsecondary level. It is widely acknowledged in research that affective issues still remain at the forefront of impeding the success of developmental education students. This is one step in examining the types of interventions which may…

Researchers investigated the use of two mentoring programs for students who were part of a support component of Fundamentals of Conceptual Understanding and Success (FOCUS), a comprehensive intervention grant for students enrolled in developmental mathematics coursework at a large public Texas university. The technology-based mentoring program,…

The purpose of this research is to identify any differences in the academic engagement of Hispanic students enrolled in a developmental course compared to those enrolled in a retention initiative course. Researchers proposed that personal interests and perceptions of instrumentality to future goals would help develop, guide, and direct successful…

The purpose of this narrative inquiry research study was to explore how learning communities impact attitude changes of developmental college students. The qualitative research design enabled the researcher to determine attitudes, and changes in attitudes, via narratives shared by the participants about their personal experiences. The participants…

This research explored the efficacy of blended learning for developmental reading courses by studying the relationship between learners' experience, success, and persistence rates in a blended learning setting of a developmental reading course. Using the model of the blended learning studies done at the University of Central Florida in the 1990s,…

Teacher quality is instrumental in improving student performance. Unfortunately, discrepancies between teacher preparation programs and national and state K-12 student standards have contributed to the difficult task of producing quality teachers. The contemporary mathematics education paradigm used at most colleges and universities relies on…