Community college developmental math students (N = 657) from three math levels were asked to place five whole numbers on a line that had only endpoints 0 and 20 marked. How the students placed the numbers revealed the same three stages of behavior that Steffe and Cobb (1988) documented in determining young children's number sense. 23% of the…

This study focused on a redesigned reading program that integrated project-based activities through the contextualization of reading and information literacy strategies using library databases. Students completing the new reading curriculum were compared to students who had completed a traditional reading curriculum to assess for differences in…

We present findings from a study about obstacles that Black students who succeeded in developmental mathematics in community college reported having endured in those mathematics classrooms. To understand the types of obstacles that can arise for students in these classrooms, we analyze data using two frameworks: mathematics identity and dimensions…

In corequisite models of instruction, marginally prepared students are placed directly into college-level coursework, taught with a paired support course. Initial research suggests that such models yield significant improvements in the number of students passing credit-level mathematics when compared to previous models of prerequisite remediation.…

With the high number of students entering higher education who need developmental math coursework, it is imperative that institutions evaluate their developmental math programs. This study explored the instructor dispositional traits and pedagogy that students found aided or would have aided in their success in these courses. A sample of students…

English Learners (ELs) attend community colleges at a greater rate than four-year schools, making community colleges primary sites of ESL education in American higher education. These institutions' recent embrace of the corequisite structure -- a pairing of a non-credit developmental course with a credit-bearing disciplinary content course in…

This qualitative study investigated co-requisite courses which pair a developmental course with a college-level course and offer insight into how co-requisite instructors adjusted their curriculum and pedagogy for English language learners. Specifically, it examined faculty experiences teaching a co-requisite course combining a critical thinking…

Currently, many community colleges are struggling with poor student success rates in developmental math. Therefore, this qualitative study focused on employing best practices in developmental mathematics at an urban community college in Dayton, Ohio. Guiding the study were the following research questions: What are the best practices utilized by a…

The community college continues to deal with the challenging of educating developmental writers. The challenge becomes more daunting with the failure of many to see this as a social and political endeavor. This article delves into the need to teach developmental writing in a way that empowers writers to see themselves as authors and their lives as…

The statistics about community college developmental math level and completion rates can seem disheartening, especially for those who work with these students day-to-day and know their life stories. When it comes to teaching her students, the author chooses not to focus on the statistics. Instead, she pays attention to their varied career goals…

This study considered whether delivery modality, student GPA, or time since high school affected whether 290 students who had completed a developmental math series as a community college were able to successfully complete college-level math. The data used in the study was comprised of a 4-year period historical student data from Odessa College…

Objective: Given the current concern across the United States with improving community-college student outcomes, particularly in developmental education, understanding what students encounter inside developmental education classrooms is a necessary first step. Method: Drawing on data from a study of teaching practices inside developmental math…

After many years of extremely low success rates, a radical new design of the first semester arithmetic remedial course was implemented and studied. Students at a large urban community college could take a traditional semester-long traditional lecture-based remedial arithmetic course or a new accelerated 4-week 20-hour problem-solving based…

Students taking developmental mathematics courses resist attempting word problems when they are presented to them. Although word problems can help students contextualize learning, develop better understanding of the concepts and apply world knowledge, they constitute an impediment to students' progress in developmental mathematics courses. A…

Technology plays a vital role in education by linking students to resources around the world. In the past three to five years, community colleges in the southeast region of the United States have received funding through various initiatives, allowing them to make significant changes. In 2013 North Carolina Community College System website listed…