Developmental education courses are typically defined as courses offered at postsecondary institutions below college level instruction. More than 60% of community college students are deemed non-college ready and required to enroll in non-credit bearing developmental education courses. Research shows that developmental education can be either a bridge or barrier to degree attainment for racial/ethnic minority students, particularly African Americans, who require developmental education more than any other racial/ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of African American community college achievers who were required to enroll in two or more developmental education courses. Achievers were defined as students who passed all developmental education courses and were enrolled in their final college gateway course at the time of the interviews. Utilizing a phenomenological approach and anti-deficit framework, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted to capture the essence of how African American achievers described, interpreted, and understood their journeys from developmental education to becoming college ready to completing college level courses. Twelve participants were female and three were male, ranging from 20 to 52 years old. Results revealed seven major themes. The first research question addressed how achievers described their developmental education experience from pre-collegiate years through inside the classroom, and four themes emerged: (a) Achievers experienced difficulty from childhood through college matriculation; (b) achievers experienced support from familial and institutional agents; (c) achievers experienced chilly instructional environments; and (d) achievers experienced positive interactions with peer tutors. The second research question addressed factors that contributed to the persistence of achievers, and three themes emerged: (a) Achievers persisted because of clearly defined goals; (b) achievers persisted because of help seeking behaviors; and (c) achievers persisted because of intrinsic motivation that stemmed from difficult life experiences. Although the majority of participants were discouraged by the requirement to enroll in two or more non-college level courses, all stated that developmental education courses served as a bridge to their success in college level courses. Because developmental education is positioned at the intersection of secondary and postsecondary education, recommendations for policy, practice, and future research are presented for both educational levels.

This applied dissertation assessed pairing undergraduate English courses as an innovative delivery method within developmental English courses. Developmental courses are remedial classes students take due to low standardized test scores. Developmental courses usually do not count for college credit. In this study, a developmental English course was paired with a college course. At times, this pairing method is also called a learning community. The study specifically discussed the effectiveness of pairing a developmental English course with the college credit English course next in the composition sequence for freshman college students. Paired courses were compared to the traditional model of 16-week semesters. This study was initiated due to low course completion rates of students taking a developmental course. The research reviewed indicated the challenges of developmental students and addressed possibilities regarding why students may not have finished courses. The literature review also offered research about course delivery. This study assessed whether or not pairing the two courses at the research location led to a higher course completion rate as compared to students taking the 2 courses in the traditional, separate 16-week semester.

This applied dissertation provides insight into the various factors affecting persistence and transition to college-level courses for students learning English for academic purposes (EAP). An influx of immigrants who want to continue their postsecondary studies has affected the programs serving EAP students in United States. Scholars have identified some factors that influence persistence and success of immigrant students at postsecondary institutions such as cultural and educational norms, curriculum and career support, and academic and social interactions. A qualitative approach with a multiple case study analysis allowed in-depth exploration of the factors affecting college course enrollment of EAP students. The researcher interviewed 10 participants who represented the student population enrolled in the EAP program. From these individual case analyses, the researcher identified strategies that could enhance retention and transition to college courses of EAP students. The researcher used NVivo qualitative data analysis software to gain a deeper understanding within textual categories and structural themes as well as to ensure thoroughness and reliability. The results of this study suggest that enhancement in both academic and social integration and curriculum and career support can assist EAP students in their transition to college courses.

This study was a quantitative multiple regression investigation into the relationships between campus factors of high school students graduating in 2013 who immediately enrolled in first-year college freshman level remedial coursework at a large, Central Texas two-year postsecondary institution. The goal of this study was to determine which high school campus-level factors predicted enrollment into college remedial education coursework. The dependent variable was a continuous variable representing the percentage of students from Texas public high school campuses enrolled into at least one student credit hour of remedial education during their first semester as a first-year college student. Eight high school campus-level independent variables were included in the regression model at the campus-level: at risk percentage, economically disadvantaged percentage, limited English proficient percentage, advanced course/dual-enrollment percentage, college ready math percentage, college ready English percentage, ACT average, and SAT average. Pearson correlations and linear regression results were examined and interpreted to determine the level of relationship between the eight selected variables and first-year college student remedial coursework. The multiple regression model successfully explained 26.3% (F(8,286) = 12.74. p < 0.05, r2 = 0.263) of the variance between first-year college students enrolled into remedial coursework at a large, Central Texas two-year postsecondary institution and the campus-level variables from high schools from which they graduated and indicated campus-level economic disadvantaged percentage and campus-level SAT average to be statistically significant at the p < 0.05 level.

Doctorat en sciences psychologiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished