Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Committee Chair
Morgan Blanton
Abstract
Today, millions of students are entering higher education underprepared for college-level coursework. In the Southeastern Community College System, approximately 60% of the students were required to take developmental coursework prior to enrolling in college-level courses. Of these students, close to 30% enrolled in developmental mathematics courses. Attempts to improve success rates in these courses led the Southeastern Community College System to redesign the developmental mathematics program and determine college readiness using Multiple Measures. Implementation of these measures have changed the student demographics for developmental mathematics, which leaves to question: Who are the underprepared students? Research has shown that these students are students who are minority (Black or Hispanic), from low-income families, first-generation, and/or nontraditional. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between the demographical characteristics of underprepared students in developmental mathematics, success in subsequent college-level mathematics courses and persistence in the mathematics program. This study found a statistically significant association between the demographical characteristics of underprepared students and success and persistence. This study also found a statistically significant difference in the proportions of success and persistence of underprepared students based on the type of developmental mathematics program. The methodology used in this research study consisted of the chi-square tests of independence and homogeneity, and post-hoc testing with Bonferroni corrections. Recommendations for future research are to include first-generation students and to expand the data collection to cover the academic years of the traditional and redesigned developmental mathematics programs.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Citation Information
Edwards, Pamela Devone, "Bridging the Gap: The Success of Underprepared Students in Developmental Mathematics and Subsequent College-Level Mathematics Courses" (2019). Education Dissertations and Projects. 329.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/education_etd/329