A Program Evaluation of Supplemental Instruction for Developmental Mathematics at a Community College in Virginia PDF Download

Author: Marilyn Lawson Peacock
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Academic achievement
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Author: John Martin McHugh
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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This program evaluation case study examined the academic effectiveness of a developmental math program in a North Carolina community college (p. 5). Developmental or remedial college mathematics as used here includes courses for college students who were not ready for college-level math (p. 1). The CIPP evaluation model (context, input, process, product (p. 44): cf. Fitzpatrick, Sanders, and Worthen 2004, Program Evaluation: Alternative Approaches and Guidelines, 3rd ed.) was used as the framework for this program evaluation. (1) The research questions used to guide the research were (i) what are the conditions which make a developmental mathematics program at the college level necessary? (ii) what other attempts have been made to solve the problem? (iii) how does the implementation of the developmental program at this college align with recommendations for appropriate instruction of developmental math students? (iv) how is the developmental math program at the college being implemented? and (v) how effective is the developmental math program at the college? (2) Data collection consisted of qualitative and quantitative methods including interviews, surveys, a pretest and posttest of math achievement, and documentation review. The information from the surveys and documentation review was coded and then entered into an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed for frequency of occurrence by code. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, then coded. These data, along with the data from pretests and posttests, were then entered into SPSS software for analysis, and t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were conducted. (3) The research questions were answered as follows: (i) Without the help of developmental courses, many admitted students would not succeed at the college level (p. 110). (ii) The history of the developmental and remedial program at the college under study is sketched (p. 111). (iii) The researcher recommended that professional development be added for those working with underprepared students (p. 113). (iv) The majority of the current developmental math students (69%) and former developmental students (59%) who completed the surveys indicated they felt they had been placed correctly based on their placement scores (p. 114). Recommendations are made for revising the developmental math placement test rules. (v) According to the data collected and analyzed, the program is improving the arithmetic test scores of students (p. 117), and appears to be doing what it was designed to do.

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Compensatory education
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Author: Farrah O'Neill Pacheco
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dropouts
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Author: Kristina Corey Legge
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 98

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The number of students entering the community college in need of developmental math has not changed, remaining at a steady 60% over the past seven years. This study compared the success rate of Mandatory Supplemental Instruction (MSI) sessions within four sections of a developmental math course compared with the success rates of students enrolled in both the Traditional Classroom setting and the Individualized format at Suburban Community College (SCC) during the Fall 2009 semester. These MSI format courses were compared with both the Individualized format of MAT 060 and the Traditional Classroom format of the same course. The students included in these sections were a combination of students who were: 1) suggested by advisors to enroll in this developmental math course after receiving a low score on the college's Accuplacer placement test for algebra or continuing the progression of developmental math from the lower level arithmetic class; 2) mandated to attend MSI after successful completion of the Jump Start Math Program, or 3) self-selected into the MSI group anticipating the need for additional help in the course. The two primary data sets available for this study are student math final grades and student participation/attendance records. Secondary sets of data include informal focus group notes, final exam scores, student attendance records for both class lectures and MSI sessions, and Supplemental Instruction Leader anecdotal records. The findings of this study conclude that success rates of students enrolled in the MSI sections of developmental math do not differ significantly from those enrolled in the Traditional Classroom format of developmental math; however, both groups did differ significantly from the Individualized format of developmental math, in that the students enrolled in the Individualized format succeeded at a lesser rate and withdrew at a greater rate than their MSI or Traditional Classroom counterparts. This study also concluded that female, full-time students succeeded at a greater rate across the board, which is consistent with the literature. These findings were significant for a number of reasons. Although the difference between the treatment group and the Traditional Classroom group was not significant, there are a variety of reasons at the program level as to why this may have been so and there are many future constructs that SCC can put in place to strengthen and reassess the MSI program. Although this study was focused on the MSI treatment, the data revealed a greater issue existing in the Individualized format of developmental math at SCC. Future considerations can be made in this particular delivery method to improve success rates of students involved in this program. Future research on MSI in the form of persistence and retention rates, graduation rates, transfer rates, subsequent math course grades and success in other college-level classes can be explored to provide the MSI program with more data to determine if particular groups of students are benefiting from this format.

Author: Teri Rysz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Author: Michael Frank Adkins (II)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Community colleges
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Community colleges face an environment that requires them to increasingly focus on completion while simultaneously maintaining open admissions (Sydow & Alfred, 2013). Developmental math courses are a linchpin in improving college completion because approximately 60% of community college students are placed into developmental math courses, yet very few of those students make it through developmental courses and on toward degree completion (Bailey, 2009; Developmental Math Redesign Team, 2010). In 2009, the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) embarked on a system-wide redesign of developmental math courses (Developmental Education Task Force, 2009). However, such large-scale system change means challenges and previous experience highlights that approximately 50% – 80% of change initiatives fail to meet their goals (Black, 2013). This study evaluated the change process used to implement the VCCS developmental math redesign. A uniquely created survey based on Kotter’s (2012) change model was used to determine if faculty observed sound change practices at their institutions during the redesign. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the findings suggest that faculty saw evidence of Kotter’s (2012) change model in the implementation of the redesign. There were differences in how faculty perceived the change processes based on different demographic characteristics. There was evidence that Kotter’s (2012) model was fully implemented in the redesign, and there were some significant differences in faculty perceptions of Empowerment. This study concluded that positively framing the results of the redesign at the system level could have improved student outcomes and that it would be wise for colleges to assess the change processes they use.

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dissertations, Academic
Languages : en
Pages : 634

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Author: Northern Virginia Comm. College-Manassas Campus
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN: 9780130870674
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Author: Julie Meer Phelps
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Sources of data included five rounds of interviews (three with SI learners and two with SI leaders), a Multiple Intelligence Inventory, and statistical information from the referent community college. Study findings revealed eight themes that characterized motivating factors for attending these optional instructional sessions. Moreover, nine themes emerged from the data regarding types of activities learners experienced in SI. Findings suggest that SI helps create a climate of achievement for learners taking developmental mathematics in a community college setting.