The first-year experiences of six African American male students participating in a developmental education program at a community college were examined. African American male students constitute a significant proportion of those who struggle with academic performance. The initial year of college can be challenging for African American males,…

Counterstory, an analytical tool of Critical Race Theory, was used in this dissertation to foreground the voices of four young Black men completing a non-credit bearing developmental or remedial mathematics (DevRemMath) course at Suburban Community College (SCC). This study presents young Black men's first-person perspectives about the conditions…

Students taking developmental mathematics often need academic support to succeed in their courses, but also benefit from support in adapting to university life. In this paper we describe our experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating a peer mentoring program for developmental mathematics students at a large research university that…

In October 2022, the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) released a systematic review of evaluation literature on developmental education reforms to identify interventions found to have positive effects on student outcomes entitled, "Five Principles for Developmental Education: A Review of the Evidence" (see…

With open door admission policies, lower tuition rates, and convenient locations, community colleges are enrolling more and more academically unprepared students who are placing into developmental mathematics courses. Many of these community colleges need to assess their developmental education programs, instructors, courses, and students to…

This study explored the lived experiences of community college students who successfully completed developmental reading courses. The purpose of the study was to identify common experiences of successful students. A narrative inquiry was used and data were collected through individual interviews. The researcher concluded that successful students…

National studies reveal that 50 percent to 70 percent of community college students are required to take developmental, or remedial, math courses upon enrollment, and only 20 percent of developmental math students ever successfully complete a college-level math course. Taking up the challenge is the "New Mathways Project" (NMP),…

Four elements contribute to a classroom's success or failure as a learning environment: student needs, instructor approach, course content, and institutional setting. This chapter discusses the challenge of aligning these elements in the developmental classroom.

Two interrelated studies were undertaken to assist Alberta post-secondary institutions with meeting challenges associated with providing services to diverse distributed students that are of similar quality to services provided to traditional classroom students. The first study identified and assessed best practices in distributed learning; the…

The purpose of this case study was to describe the role of teacher knowledge in the instructional methods of a community college developmental literacy instructor and determine in what ways that knowledge may have impacted the perceptions of the student participants regarding their authority over their academic progress in the class. Therefore,…

Most instructors and administrators will refer to a student's lack of study and organizational skills to explain why so many freshmen students drop out or fail to continue with their educational goals. Often students graduate high schools without having to vigorously study and apply themselves in order to pass. As a result, many students enter…

Each year, the Community College Survey of Student Engagement ("CCSSE") presents the results of its annual survey--and helps colleges use that information to improve student learning and persistence. "CCSSE" results give community colleges objective and relevant data about students' experiences at their colleges so they can better understand how…

Each year, the Community College Survey of Student Engagement ("CCSSE") presents the results of its annual survey--and helps colleges use that information to improve student learning and persistence. "CCSSE" results give community colleges objective and relevant data about students' experiences at their colleges so they can better understand how…

Acknowledging that basic skills instructors must deal with the affective characteristics of developmental students, this paper describes factors to consider for creating an environment in which developmental students can improve their learning skills. The first section of the paper discusses ways to meet emotional needs when planning a pretest for…