Volume 31, Issue 1, Fall 2007
Table of Contents
Does Faculty Employment Status Impact Developmental Mathematics Outcomes?
By David S. Fike and Renea Fike…..2
A Retention/Persistence Intervention Model: Improving Success Across Cultures
By Geneva Escobedo…..12
Challenges and Potentials in Developmental Education: An Interview with Raymund A. Paredes
By Hansel Burley…..18
Academic Motivation and Performance of Developmental Education Biology Students
By Randy Moore…..24
For Your Information…..34
Critical Thinking: The Art of Socratic Questioning
By Richard Paul and Linda Elder…..36
Techtalk: Assistive Technology
By David C. Caverly and Debra Fitzgibbons…..38
Article Abstracts
Does Faculty Employment Status Impact Developmental Mathematics Outcomes?
By David S. Fike and Renea Fike
ABSTRACT: This study assessed the impact of faculty employment status on student outcomes in developmental mathematics. The sample consisted of 1318 students enrolled in Intermediate Algebra classes at a community college. Multivariate analysis revealed that faculty employment status (full time or part time) was not associated with students’ final grades, with faculty possessing graduate degrees having better outcomes. Student gender, race, and age were associated with outcomes; semester hours attempted were not. These findings should help equip administrators to make informed decisions regarding faculty assignments that lead to improved student outcomes and help faculty to target interventions for “at-risk” students.
A Retention/Persistence Intervention Model: Improving Success Across Cultures
By Geneva Escobedo…..12
ABSTRACT: This article describes a 3-year pilot study that addressed persistence and retention of developmental students at a multi-campus community college in the Southwest. The study was conducted as part of a U.S. Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institutions grant program. Qualitative research and formative evaluation with outcomes on data for three fall cohorts were collected and analyzed. Analysis of the data revealed that there a significant difference between the persistence rates of three fall cohorts compared to the general population. The intervention strategies applied to the fall cohorts resulted in increased persistence rates.
Academic Motivation and Performance of Developmental Education Biology Students
By Randy Moore
ABSTRACT: At the beginning of classes, 1st-year developmental education students in an introductory biology class are confident that they will earn high grades and so extra-credit work is given the opportunity to do so. However, in this study fewer than 25% of students submitted such work, despite the fact that the extra-credit was guaranteed. Students who did the extra-credit work (a) were more likely to come to class, lab, and optional help-session and (b) earned higher grades than the students who did not do the extra-credit work, even when the points were not considered in the calculations. These results indicate that the most success developmental education students have a variety of motivation-related behaviors that maximize success, and the least successful students are often unwilling to expend the effort necessary to succeed.
Volume 30, Issue 3, Spring 2007
Table of Contents
30 Years of Developmental Education: A Retrospective
By Hunter R. Boylan and Barbara S. Bonham…..2
Online Mathematics Achievement: Effects of Learning Strategies and Self-Efficacy
By Leigh M. Wadsworth, Jenefer Husman, Mary Anne Duggan, and M. Nan Pennington…..6
Oral History of Postsecondary Access: Mike Rose, A Pioneer
By Laura Bauer and Martha E. Casazza…..16
Ideas in Practice: Developmental Writers’ Attitudes toward Audio and Written Feedback
By Susan Sipple…..22
For Your Information…..33
Critical Thinking: The Nature of Critical and Creative Thought, Part II
By Linda Elder and Richard Paul…..36
Techtalk: Screen Capturing
By Lucy MacDonald and David C. Caverly…..38
Developments…..40
Article Abstracts
Online Mathematics Achievement: Effects of Learning Strategies and Self-Efiicacy
By Leigh M. Wadsworth, Jenefer Husman, Mary Anne Duggan, and M. Nan Pennington
ABSTRACT: A fluid and flexible learning strategies repertoire and self-efficacy have been documented as important factors for learning and achievement. However, there has been little research examining the edicts of these same factors on achievement in an online learning environment. The current research investigates the strategies used by and self-efficacy demonstrated by successful college students in an online developmental mathematics course. This article provides evidence of the relationship between learning strategies, motivation, self-efficacy, and student achievement in this environment. Participants were 89 students enrolled in an online developmental mathematics course. Results indicate four types of learning strategies – motivation, concentration, information processing, and self-testing – along with self-efficacy predicting 42% (r=0.65) of the variance in grade achievement.
Oral History of Postsecondary Access: Mike Rose, A Pioneer
By Laura Bauer and Martha E. Casazza
ABSTRACT: Mike Rose holds a PhD in educational psychology and is a professor in Social Research Methodology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. His research interests include the study and implementation of effective methods for teaching literacy and writing and examining the social, cultural, linguistic, and cognitive factors that affect individuals’ written communication. Rose has authored numerous articles and books including The Mind at Work, Possible Lives, and Lives on the Boundary, for which he won the National Council of Teachers of English David H. Russell Award for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English. Rose stresses the importance of working with underprepared students as a basic tenet of our society’s values.
Ideas in Practice: Developmental Writers’ Attitudes toward Audio and Written Feedback
By Susan Sipple
ABSTRACT: Instructor commentary on student essays in developmental writing classes is typically delivered in handwritten margin and endnotes. Audio-recorded instructor commentary in these classes, delivered via cassette tape, CD-R, or email, may provide a more effective method for students who need individualized instruction. In this qualitative pilot study, designed to determine student attitudes toward audio and written commentary in developmental writing classes, results show a preference for audio commentary by the majority of study participants. Survey and interview responses reveal that audio commentary positively affected students’ perceptions of their motivation, self-confidence, revision practices, student/professor bond, and overall learning in ways written commentary did not.
Volume 30, Issue 2, Winter 2006
Table of Contents ACCUPLACER TM OnLine: Accurate Placement Tool for Developmental Programs? By Cindy L. James..2 L.D. Students' Access to Higher Education: Self-Advocacy and Support By Wanda M. Hadley...10 The Art and Science of Teaching Developmental Mathematics: Building Perspective Through Dialogue By Michael W. Galbraith and Melanie S. Jones...20 Ideas in Practice: Bringin' Hip-Hop to the Basics By K. Leigh Hamm Forrell...28 For Your Information...31 Critical Thinking: The Nature of Critical and Creative Thought By Richard Paul and Linda Elder...34 Techtalk: Word Processing from Adoption to Innovation By Lucy MacDonald and David C. Caverly...36 Developments...38 Article Abstracts ACCUPLACER TM OnLine: Accurate Placement Tool for Developmental Programs? By Cindy L. James ABSTRACT: ACCUPLACERTOnLine appears to be a suitable placement tool for developmental programs, but little is known about its predictive validity. This study evaluates the correlation between ACCUPLACERT OnLine test scores and student performance in various levels of English and mathematics developmental courses and the placement validity for these courses based upon preestablished cutscores. The results reveal strong predictive values for the ACCUPLACERTOnLine Arithmetic and Elementary Algebra tests and achievement in the mathematics developmental courses but weaker values between the ACCUPLACERT OnLine Reading Comprehension and Sentence Skills test scores and performance in the English developmental courses. Implications of these results relative to entry placement procedures are discussed. L.D. Students' Access to Higher Education: Self-Advocacy and Support By Wanda M. Hadley ABSTRACT: Increasing numbers of students with learning disabilities are entering postsecondary education. While in high school, students with a learning disability are assured services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This legislation, however, does not apply to colleges and universities. This qualitative study applied psychosocial theorist Arthur Chickering's (1969) vectors of student development theory to examine how traditional-age, first-year college students with learning disabilities adjusted to academic expectations as they moved from a sheltered secondary environment to a less monitored collegiate environment. The importance of students with learning disabilities self-advocating with their professors, and the importance of their professors' support of their academic needs, were major findings of this study. The Art and Science of Teaching Developmental Mathematics: Building Perspective Through Dialogue By Michael W. Galbraith and Melanie S. Jones ABSTRACT: This article suggests that a balance of the art and science of teaching is essential if the learning and teaching process is to be a meaningful and rewarding educational journey. This notion is explored through a dialogue, held over a 3-year period, with a developmental mathematics instructor at a community college who discovered that technique alone was not sufficient to becoming a good instructor. An unusual situation occurred as a result of the dialogue: Discussion of research-based literature on college teaching and personal experiential reflectivity merged and resulted in an organizing framework for understanding the artistic and mechanic elements of effective instruction. Ideas in Practice: Bringin' Hip-Hop to the Basics By K. Leigh Hamm Forrell ABSTRACT: While shifting definitions of literacy and changing demographics of students in higher education, a unique opportunity arises for instructors of basic reading and writing to reflect on their classroom practices and question whether discursive practices within the academy readily align with students' home and community values. This article describes how integrating hip-hop into the developmental/basic writing curriculum might bridge the gap between literacy practices within and outside of the classroom and why this is important in terms of student persistence and success. Specifically, this piece explores the research that has been done on the efficacy of an techniques for using hip-hop as a teaching tool in basic writing classrooms to connect with students and inform and enhance their composition projects. It also includes a discussion of specific practices-some outlined from related research and others that I developed based on research and piloted in my own classroom-for integrating hip-hop into the composition curriculum. Volume 30, Issue 1, Fall 2006 Table of Contents Improving Supervision of Part-Time Instructors By Patricia R. Eney and Evelyn Davidson...2 Disability Services in Postsecondary Education: Impact of IDEA 2004 By Joseph W. Madaus and Stan F. Shaw...12 Developmental Mathematics in 4-Year Institutions: Denying Access By Irene M. Duranczyk and Jeanne L. Higbee...22 Critical Thinking.and the Art of Substantive Writing, Part III By Linda Elder and Richard Paul...32 Techtalk: Integrating Mapping Software By Lucy MacDonald and David C. Caverly...34 Developments and Advertisers Index...36 Article Abstracts Improving Supervision of Part-Time Instructors By Patricia R. Eney and Evelyn Davidson ABSTRACT: With an increasing number of colleges and universities turning to part-time instructors to teach courses at their institutions, developmental education professionals are faced with the task of finding appropriate ways to train, serve, and evaluate these instructors. Unfortunately, there is little published information on how to accomplish these tasks. Therefore, the authors have drawn on best practices and research in the field to develop recommendations for supervising part-time instructors. Disability Services in Postsecondary Education: Impact of IDEA 2004 By Joseph W. Madaus and Stan F. Shaw ABSTRACT: In November of 2004, Congress passed the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Although postsecondary institutions are not subject to the mandates of the IDEA, there will be a ripple effect of the law on postsecondary services for students with disabilities. The focus of this article is to provide information to postsecondary disability service providers related to four key areas of the new IDEA that will impact students accessing services in the coming years: (a) reevaluations of disabilities, (b) the summary of performance requirement, (c) transition planning, and (d) new criteria for the diagnosis of a learning disability. Changes in each area are highlighted, as a re possible implications for postsecondary disability programs. Developmental Mathematics in 4-Year Institutions: Denying Access By Irene M. Duranczyk and Jeanne L. Higbee ABSTRACT: In this article we use two avenues to make a case for retaining developmental mathematics education at 4-year postsecondary educational institutions. First we review the literature surrounding inadequate preparation for college-level mathematics. Then we report results from a qualitative research study that examined students' perspectives on policies related to relegating all developmental mathematics course offerings to a 2-year institutions. We conclude that both students and institutions benefit from making developmental mathematics available at a 4-year institutions. Volume 29, Issue 3, Spring 2006 Table of Contents Computer Homework Effectiveness in Developmental Mathematics By Eric Jacobson...2 Ideas in Practice: Building Bridges in a Multicultural Learning Community By Patricia A. James, Patrick L. Bruch, and Rashné R. Jehangir...10 Strategic Reading and Learning, Theory to Practice: An Interview with Michele Simpson and Sherrie Nist By Norman A. Stahl...20 Annual Index, Volume 29...27 Ideas in Practice: Theoretical Bases for Using Movies in Developmental Coursework By Linda Sweeney...28 Critical Thinking.and the Art of Substantive Writing, Part II By Linda Elder and Richard Paul...38 For Your Information...39 Techtalk: Online Discussion Forums By Cynthia L. Peterson and David C. Caverly...40 Developments and Advertisers' Index...42 Article Abstracts Computer Homework Effectiveness in Developmental Mathematics By Eric Jacobson ABSTRACT: Students in a college prealgebra course were required to do all homework on the computer practice/tutorial system which accompanied their textbook. Student evaluations of the computer experience were strongly positive. However, exam performance did not reflect these high opinions. Computer students did not do better on course exams than control students. Difficulties in learning to enter mathematical notation with keyboard and mouse may have distracted computer students from the mathematics they were to learn. A relatively large investment of time and resources could be required to make computer support software beneficial; institutions should not depend on student opinions to decide if the effort is worthwhile. Ideas in Practice: Building Bridges in a Multicultural Learning Community By Patricia A. James, Patrick L. Bruch, and Rashné R. Jehangir ABSTRACT: This article describes conceptual foundations and practical student outcomes of a learning community designed to serve culturally diverse, first generation students in a developmental college at a research university. We focus on the social, cultural, and cognitive bridges that our themes enabled students to build between their nonacademic lives and higher education and share details of a student project that highlights the strengths of a multicultural learning community approach for 1 st year students. We also discuss principles of learning communities that can be utilized in other settings. Strategic Reading and Learning, Theory to Practice: An Interview with Michele Simpson and Sherrie Nist By Norman A. Stahl (Interview - no abstract) Ideas in Practice: Theoretical Bases for Using Movies in Developmental Coursework By Linda Sweeney ABSTRACT: This article discusses the use of movies from a practitioner's viewpoint, supporting the process of screening, discussing, and/or writing about movies as an enhancement of the literacy process. Substantiation from a variety of literature sources is explored, from classic language arts theory to second language journals and English journals. Implications and indications are made for watching or assigning movies for developmental reading and writing coursework. Volume 29, Issue 2, Winter 2005 Table of Contents Prefreshman Summer Programs' Impact on Student Achievement and Retention By Joseph Christopher Maggio, William G. White, Jr., Susan Molstad, and Neelam Kher...2 Performance Indicators for Postsecondary Disability Services By Stan F. Shaw and Lyman, L. Dukes, III...10 Oral History of Postsecondary Access: K. Patricia Cross, a Pioneer By Laura Bauer and Martha E. Casazza...20 Attendance: Are Penalties More Effective Than Rewards? By Randy Moore...26 Research Tips: Classroom Observation Data Collection, Part II By Dale T. Griffee...36 Techtalk: Building Academic Literacy through Online Discussion Forums By Cynthia L. Peterson and David C. Caverly...38 Article Abstracts Prefreshman Summer Programs' Impact on Student Achievement and Retention By Joseph Christopher Maggio, William G. White, Jr., Susan Molstad, and Neelam Kher ABSTRACT: This study utilized 397 students who participated in Prefreshman summer programs in 1998 at six universities and who were tracked for 3 years. The purpose of this study was to identify which Prefreshman summer program characteristics and precollegiate student characteristics had an effect on college GPA and student retention. The findings revealed that high school GPA had a direct positive effect and program size and program length had direct negative effects on college GPA. Furthermore, age and voluntary peer/professional tutoring had direct negative effects on student retention. The findings and implications for practice are discussed. Performance Indicators for Postsecondary Disability Services By Stan F. Shaw and Lyman, L. Dukes, III ABSTRACT: There is an increasing expectation of state-of-the-art services for college students with disabilities. Although access to postsecondary education has resulted in positive outcomes for students with disabilities, there has been little validation of services that should be available to students with disabilities. This study sought to identify and validate Performance Indicators that experts agree foster access to postsecondary education. The results identified 90 Performance Indicators that are essential "best practices" for disability services in higher education. The findings provide direction for institutions of higher education to implement and validate their services for students with disabilities. Attendance: Are Penalties More Effective Than Rewards? By Randy Moore ABSTRACT: This study examined how developmental education students' grades and attendance rates were affected by (a) penalties of excessive absenteeism, and (b) an emphasis on the academic benefits of class attendance in a large introductory biology course. On average, students in sections of the course in which the importance of attendance was stressed throughout the semester came to class more often and made higher grades than did students in sections in which the importance of attendance was not emphasized (despite the fact that students received no academic credit for coming to class.) Imposing a penalty for excessive absences did not affect attendance or grades. These results indicated that improved rates for class attendance were associated with improved academic performance and that an emphasis on the academic benefits of class attendance was more effective for boosting attendance and academic performance than penalties for excessive absenteeism. Volume 29, Issue 1, Fall 2005 Table of Contents Reconceptualizing Diversity in Higher Education: Borderlands Research Program By Ross B. MacDonald and Monica C. Bernardo..2 Women with Attentional Issues: Success in College Learning By Jill Hinckley and Peg Alden.10 Increasing Attendance Using Email: Effect on Developmental Math Performance By Eric Jacobson.18 Ideas in Practice: Science Courses in Developmental Education By Leonardo Hsu, Murray Jensen, Randy Moore, and Jay Hatch.30 For Your Information.38 Critical Thinking and the Art of Substantive Writing, Part I By Richard Paul and Linda Elder..40 Research Tips: Classroom Observation Data Collection, Part I By Dale T. Griffee.42 Developments and Advertisers' Index.44 Article Abstracts
Reconceptualizing Diversity in Higher Education: Borderlands Research Program By Ross B. MacDonald and Monica C. Bernardo ABSTRACT: In this article we intend to contribute to a deeper discussion of diversity in the context of developmental education theory and practice. The article is a position piece, proposing that diversity be defined as a continually expanding awareness of the dynamics of difference in regard to social power, personal perceptions, and judgments about others. It then discusses the theoretical and practical underpinnings of a research program identifying the competencies of multicultural students and their applications in educational settings. Although untested, the ideas are intended to challenge thinking, promote discussion, and set the stage for future articles reporting on outcomes of the research program. Women with Attentional Issues: Success in College Learning By Jill Hinckley and Peg Alden ABSTRACT: This pilot study, funded from a 5-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education Title III Strengthening Institutions Program, explores the factors identified by women with AD/HD that are necessary to their achieving college success. The results of this study, based on 13 in-depth interviews with women who are both academically successful and have AD/HD, highlight the influence of motivation, attitude, support systems, self-reflection, and social-academic balance on academic success. The article concludes with implications that may help instructors and institutions better serve women with attentional issues in the college setting. Increasing Attendance Using Email: Effect on Developmental Math Performance By Eric Jacobson ABSTRACT: From the assumption that class attendance is important for learning it follows that methods which increase attendance will increase learning. To increase attendance, students who missed developmental math classes were sent email reminders that they should attend. Students in sections which received the email reminders did attend at higher rates than students in matched sections. The higher attendance, however, did not result in greater learning as measured by standard course examinations. Attending class may be superficial behavior not necessarily related to the deeper study behaviors which determine learning outcomes. Ideas in Practice: Science Courses in Developmental Education By Leonardo Hsu, Murray Jensen, Randy Moore, and Jay Hatch ABSTRACT: One of the goals of developmental education is to help students to be able to succeed in mainstream college courses. However, courses in developmental education traditionally have focused exclusively on reading, writing, and basic mathematics. In this article, we discuss the role that science courses can play in developmental education. Drawing upon examples from our own courses, we illustrate how science courses can be used both as vehicles for the application of best practices in teaching and as contexts within which to conduct research on how to help developmental students acquire the skills they need to succeed. Volume 28, Issue 3, Spring 2005 Table of Contents Theory, Practice, and the Future of Developmental Education
By Carl J. Chung.....2 Reducing Attrition Rates for Maori Students
By D.F. McKenzie.....12 Teaching in Postsecondary Institutions: An Interview with Dr. Wilbert McKeachie
By Russ Hodges and Christie L. Hand.....20 Developmental Mathematics Self-Efficacy
By J. Michael Hall and Michael K. Ponton.....26 For Your Information.....33 Research Tips: Interview Data Collection
By Dale T. Griffee.....36 Techtalk: Wireless Networking
By David C. Caverly and Lucy MacDonald.....38 Developments.....40 Advertisers' Index.....41 Annual Index, Volume 28.....42 Article Abstracts Theory, Practice, and the Future of Developmental Education: Toward a Pedagogy of Caring
By Carl J. Chung ABSTRACT: The guiding premise of this article is that developmental education and learning assistance programs will continue to be undervalued and vulnerable as long as there is no overarching, shared theoretical framework that practitioners can (and want to) call their own. The traditional approach to addressing this theory crisis has been to import theories from outside the field. This article presents an alternative approach. Advantages and benefits of a practice-oriented approach are identified and briefly discussed. Reducing Attrition Rates for Maori Students
By D.F.McKenzie ABSTRACT: Attrition statistics for first-year students in many tertiary environments suggest that students face a wide variety of obstacles. Students in Developmental Education programmes usually have one additional obstacle, viz. they have a history of failure in academic settings. Therefore there are emotional and psychological barriers in addition to academic ones. Those students who come from low socio-economic background, often linked to membership of a minority ethnic group, face further obstacles again. This paper follows the efforts made in one Developmental programme to reduce the dropout rate for such a group of students. Teaching in Postsecondary Institutions: An Interview with Dr. Wilbert McKeachie
By Russ Hodges and Christie L. Hand BIO: Wilbert J. McKeachie is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and former Director of the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan , where he has spent his entire professional career since obtaining his doctorate in 1949. In more than 30 books and monographs, 120 chapters, 200 journal and professional articles, and 500 scientific and professional presentations and workshops, he has left a legacy of immense proportions to the fields of psychology and education. Perhaps he is best known for Teaching Tips, Strategies, Research and Theory for College and University Teachers (2002, 11th ed., Houghton Mifflin). Dr. McKeachie is Past President of the American Psychological Association; the American Association of Higher Education; the American Psychological Foundation; the Division of Educational, Instructional, and School Psychology of the International Association of Applied Psychology; and the Center for Social Gerontology. He is also Past Chairman of the Committee on Teaching, Research, and Publication of the American Association of University Professors and of Division J (Psychology) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has been a member of the National Institute of Mental Health Council, the Veterans' Association Special Medical Advisory Group, and various other government advisory committees on mental health, behavioral and biological research, and graduate training. Among other honors, he has received eight honorary degrees and the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal for Lifetime Contributions to Psychology. Most recently, the College Reading and Learning Association, during their 2004 annual conference, honored him with a Lifetime Honorary Membership for his contributions to the practice and research of college teaching, the training of college teachers, and the study of human learning at the college level. Developmental Mathematics Self-Efficacy
By J. Michael Hall and Michael K. Ponton ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to determine differences in mathematics self-efficacy between students enrolled in a developmental mathematics course and those enrolled in a calculus course. Data from a sample of 185 freshmen students at a single 4-year institution using the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale are analyzed. Results indicate that calculus students possess not only better mathematical skills but also a more powerful sense of self-belief in their ability to succeed in a college mathematics course. The results of this study suggest that future teaching methodologies should be designed specifically for students enrolled in developmental courses that not only develop mathematics capability but also a self-awareness of increased capability. Efficacy-enhancing instructional strategies should be tested for effectiveness, thereby improving the teaching and learning process for all learners. Research Tips: Interview Data Collection
By Dale T. Griffee
Featured Column; No Abstract TechTalk: Wireless Networking
By David C. Caverly and Lucy MacDonald
Featured Column; No Abstract Volume 28, Issue 2, Winter 2004 Table of Contents Reading and Learning Strategies: Recommendations for the 21 st Century
By Michele L. Simpson, Norman A. Stahl, and Michelle Anderson Francis.....2 Refocusing Developmental Education
By Thomas Brothen and Cathrine A. Wambach.....16 Delaying Developmental Mathematics: The Characteristics and Costs
By Marianne Johnson and Eric Kuennen.....24 In Memoriam, Arthur E. Whimbey.....30 For Your Information.....33 Critical Thinking and the Art of Close Reading , Part IV
By Linda Elder and Richard Paul.....36 Techtalk: Keeping Up With Technology
By David C. Caverly and Lucy MacDonald.....38 Developments and Advertisers' Index.....40 Article Abstracts Reading and Learning Strategies: Recommendations for the 21 st Century
By Michele L. Simpson, Norman A. Stahl, and Michelle Anderson Francis ABSTRACT: Finding practical ideas about college reading and learning strategy programs that have been drawn from theory and research is difficult for most veteran instructors, but is even more difficult for those instructors new to the field. Over a decade ago the authors reviewed the literature and generated a list of their own "best ideas" as a way of facilitating professional development. Given the promising research trends and best practices that have emerged since then, the authors deemed it important to update these ideas or recommendations. In addition, the authors have purposely cited many scholarly sources in order to provide an extensive bibliography for colleagues new to the field. Refocusing Developmental Education
By Thomas Brothen and Cathrine Wambach ABSTRACT: Dissatisfaction with student success has caused a crisis in
developmental education. Critics from both inside and outside the field question whether remedial courses really prepare students for future college work or even if they are properly part of the college mission. In this article, we review research and present information that suggests developmental educators should redefine core principles and key concepts to reinvigorate theory and practice in the field. Delaying Developmental Mathematics: The Characteristics and Costs
By Marianne Johnson and Eric Kuennen ABSTRACT: This paper investigates which students delay taking a required developmental mathematics course and the delay's impact on student performance in introductory microeconomics. Analysis of a sample of 1462 students at a large Midwestern university revealed that, although developmental-level mathematics students did not reach the same level of performance as nondevelopmental microeconomics students, students who did take developmental mathematics performed better than students who had not yet done so. We recommend that students needing mathematics remediation take the course in their first semester and that the importance of developmental courses to other disciplines be stressed. Critical Thinking.and the Art of Close Reading Part IV
By Linda Elder and Richard Paul
Featured Column; No Abstract Techtalk: Keeping Up With Technology
By David Caverly and Lucy MacDonald
Featured Column; No Abstract Volume 28, Issue 1, Fall 2004 Table of Contents Basic Writing Placement with Holistically Scored Essays: Research Evidence
By Richard N. Matzen and Jeff E. Hoyt.....2 Influences of Online Delivery on Developmental Writing Outcomes
By Trudy G. Carpenter, William L. Brown, and Randall C. Hickman.....14 Oral History Interview of Postsecondary Access: Martha Maxwell, a Pioneer
By Martha E. Casazza and Laura Baur.....20 Do Colleges Identify or Develop Intelligence?
By Randy Moore.....28 For Your Information.....34 Critical Thinking.and the Art of Close Reading , Part III
By Richard Paul and Linda Elder.....36 Research Tips: Validity and History
By Dale T. Griffee.....38 Developments and Advertisers' Index.....40 Basic Writing Placement with Holistically Scored Essays: Research Evidence
By Richard N. Matzen Jr. and Jeff E. Hoyt ABSTRACT: Recently, the popularity of timed-essay exams has increased, becoming part of the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) in the late 1990s and now being incorporated into The College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in Spring of 2005 and ACT (American College Testing Program) test in Fall of 2004. This research evaluates the A value added of an essay component, contrasting placement using ACT's multiple choice COMPASS (Computerized Placement Assessment Support System) writing test versus essays holistically scored by English faculty. Evidence suggests that (a) combining the timed-essay exam score with another score may improve accurate placement; (b) that the timed-essay exams, not multiple-choice tests, may be fairer for minority students; (c) and that a questionnaire creates an invaluable context when relating scores on placement tests to final grades in courses. Influences of Online Delivery on Developmental Writing Outcomes
By Trudy G. Carpenter, William L. Brown, and Randall C. Hickman ABSTRACT: Four years of data on the academic performance of 256 students who self-selected online developmental writing rather than a face-to-face section (about 10% of the 2,275 students enrolled in the course overall) are examined in this empirical study. The research controls for self-selection effects related to demographic variables, student status, and academic preparedness. Resulting analysis of the data suggests that instructional delivery method-asynchronous or face-to-face-has a significant impact on student outcomes. The researchers summarize findings related to the influences of various factors on the retention and success of students in the online course. Based on these findings, the researchers offer suggestions for improving or creating a new online developmental course and discuss implications for future research. The Beginning Pioneers: Martha Maxwell By Martha Casazza and Laura Bauer BIO: Truly a pioneer in the field of learning assistance and developmental education, Martha Maxwell has mentored hundreds, if not thousands, of professionals and students as well as authored a variety of reference shelf publications. Her career spanned 50 years. In her classic, Improving Student Learning Skills, she says there are seven persons named Martha Maxwell: counselor, teacher, academic advisor, reading learning disabilities specialist, researcher, administrator, and perennial student. Do Colleges Identify or Develop Intelligence?
By Randy Moore ABSTRACT: Most colleges and universities emphasize identifying smartness much more than developing smartness. This value is made explicit in the many influential rankings of colleges and universities, in which elitist schools who recruit students with high SAT scores, grade point averages, and class rankings are declared "better" than other schools. The pursuit of high academic rankings (a) often is accompanied by a disdain for underprepared students who lower a school's ranking and (b) often contradicts the alleged desire to promote educational opportunities for groups of students who are placed at a strong disadvantage by factors such as SAT scores. Critical Thinking...and the Art of Close Reading, Part III
By Richard Paul and Linda Elder
Featured Column; No Abstract Validity and history: What really happened?
By Dale Griffee Volume 27, Issue 3, Spring, 2005 Table of Contents Students' Resistance to Change in Learning Strategies Courses
By Myron H. Dembo and Helena Praks Seli.....2 Enabling Access: Toward Multicultural Developmental Curricula
By Patrick L. Bruch, Rashné R. Jehangir, Walter R. Jacobs, and David L. Ghere.....12 50 Years after Brown v. the Board of Education: An Interview with Cheryl Brown Henderson
By Nancy E. Carriuolo.....20 Research in Practice: Understanding Significance Testing in Program Evaluation
By Dale T. Griffee.....28 Critical Thinking...and the Art of Close Reading (Part II)
By Linda Elder and Richard Paul.....36 Techtalk: Developing Tech-Knowledge
By David C. Caverly and Lucy MacDonald.....38 Developments.....40 For Your Information.....41 Annual Index, Volume 27.....41 Readers Service Card and Advertisers' Index.....42 Article Abstracts Students' Resistance to Change in Learning Strategies Courses
By Myron H. Dembo and Helena Praks Seli ABSTRACT: Research findings indicate that many students fail to benefit from academic support services and courses. The paper discusses reasons why some students resist changing their academic behaviors and links the reasons to learning and motivation variables. The explanations for failure to change include: (a) students believe they can't change, (b) they don't want to change, (c) they don't know what to change, or (d) they don't know how to change. The authors describe an assignment in which students identify their own academic problems and conduct individual case studies based on a four-stage process for behavioral change: self-observation and evaluation, goal setting and strategic planning, strategy-implementation and monitoring, and strategic-outcome monitoring. Enabling Access: Toward Multicultural Developmental Curricula
By Patrick L. Bruch, Rashné R. Jehangir, Walter R. Jacobs, and David L. Ghere ABSTRACT: This article seeks to initiate discussion of the contours of a multicultural developmental curricula. It first discusses the need for multiculturalism in developmental education and offers an understanding of access to higher education that integrates key strengths of several, currently popular, conceptions of multiculturalism. Then, it presents a model curriculum and discusses specific classroom practices to implement a multicultural developmental approach. 50 Years after Brown v. the Board of Education: An Interview with Cheryl Brown Henderson
By Nancy E. Carriuolo Significance Testing Program Evaluation
By Dale T. Griffee ABSTRACT: Despite its widespread use in evaluation data analysis, statistical testing has come under persistent criticism resulting in calls for its rethinking, and even possible elimination (Carver, 1978, 1993). Saxon and Boylan issue a call "to strengthen developmental education research and to make it more accessible" (2003, p. 2). Among the types of research they consider appropriate is control group methodology which often makes use of statistical tests. This paper responds to that suggestion, and seeks to explain statistical testing, to state what it can and cannot tell us, and to make practical recommendations for its use. Critical Thinking and the Art of Close Reading, Part II
By Linda Elder and Richard Paul
Featured Column; No Abstract Techtalk: Developing Tech-Knowledge
By David C. Caverly and Lucy MacDonald
Featured Column; No Abstract Volume 27, Issue 2, Winter, 2004 Article Abstracts Self-Regulation Support Offered by Developmental Educators
By Dawn B. Young and Kathryn Ley ABSTRACT: Poor self-regulation may partially explain developmental student academic achievement because self-regulated learning has been consistently related to achievement in learners across age and educational groups (Lan, 1998; Ley & Young, 1998; Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1990). Underprepared college students, those who enrolled in college developmental courses, may require more external support from the learning environment. By observing two master developmental educators in the classroom for an entire semester we have sought to answer the question, "what is the experienced developmental educator doing to foster self-regulation in the poorly self-regulated student?" Results demonstrate that the developmental education classroom, although rich with instructional interactions, has provided self-regulation support only on a selective basis. Explanations regarding the lack of prevalent self-regulation support and recommendations as to how it may be provided are included. ESL Student Transition to College: The 30-Hour Program
By Myra M. Goldschmidt, Norma Notzold, and Christine Ziemba Miller Abstract: This paper describes a student-designed and student-conducted program initiated to provide incoming college students, including a unique group of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students, with those skills necessary for success in their freshman classes. This individualized 30-hour, precollege program, offered during the summer prior to freshman year, is designed to ready underprepared students for their math and English classes and to introduce them to learning strategies that can be used in all of their college courses. Recruiting and Retaining Women and Minority Faculty: An Interview with JoAnn Moody
By Nancy Carriuolo BIO: Dr. JoAnn Moody's book Faculty Diversity: Problems and Solutions will be published in early 2004 and can be ordered at www.routledge.com. A higher education diversity consultant, Dr. Moody coaches senior faculty and administrators about how to recruit, retain, and mentor U.S. gender and racial minority faculty and students. As director of the Northeast Consortium for Faculty Diversity, she also prepares underrepresented minority students for a strong start in the professoriate. Her web site is DiversityOnCampus.com. Ideas in Practice: A Novel, "Cool" Assignment to Engage Science Students
By Murray Jensen, Randy Moore, Jay Hatch, and Leon Hsu ABSTRACT: We've developed a unique assignment that rewards students' creativity. Students are told to "do something cool" that is related to human anatomy and physiology. This article documents the history of the assignment, provides examples of both good and bad projects, and reports students' reactions to the assignment. Evaluating the projects is the most difficult part of the assignment for instructors, but the overall benefits of the project outweigh this detriment. Critical Thinking and the Art of Close Reading
By Richard Paul and Linda Elder
Featured Column; No Abstract Techtalk: Implications of Changing Storage Needs in Developmental Education
By Lucy MacDonald and David C. Caverly
Featured Column; No Abstract Volume 27, Issue 1, Fall, 2004 Article Abstracts Program Evaluation for Postsecondary Disability Services
By David R. Parker ABSTRACT: In an era of decreased funding and rising expectations for demonstrable outcomes, postsecondary professionals face a growing need to evaluate the effectiveness of their program's mission and activities using data-driven procedures. Numerous studies have documented disappointing educational and occupational outcomes for young adults with disabilities. These findings have driven reform efforts designed to make special education services more accountable. This article draws upon recommendations in the literature and examples from five campuses to describe a decision-making process that can be used to organize an evaluation action plan. Although examples are specific to disability services, the rationale, framework, and activities described in this article can be applied to any program in higher education. Recommendations for making program evaluations a routine component of professional practice are presented. Diversity as a Resource in Developmental Education: Research and Policies
By Hunter R. Boylan, E. Michael Sutton, and James A. Anderson ABSTRACT: Recent research indicates that interacting and taking classes with students of a different ethnic background contributes to students= intellectual development. Because a large number of minority students pass through developmental courses on their way to the credit-bearing curriculum, these courses may serve as either a barrier or a facilitator for minority retention. This manuscript proposes methods of increasing retention of minority students--thereby enhancing intellectual development--through developmental education. It also offers a challenge to development al educators to view the diversity of their classes as a benefit to learning rather than as a detriment to teaching. Connections: An Integrated Community of Learners
By Rebecca Brittenham, Richard Cook, Janet B. Hall, Phyllis Moore-Whitesell, Connie Ruhl-Smith, Morteza Shafii-Mousavi, Jay Showalter, Kenneth Smith, and Karen White ABSTRACT: This study compares the outcomes of connected developmental mathematics and developmental writing sections to those of nonconnected sections at a regional commuter campus of a Midwestern public university system. The Connections Program directs all of the university support systems toward students enrolled simultaneously in developmental mathematics and developmental writing courses. The program proposes to underprepared students that they are entitled to learn the habits of mind, to practice the social and academic skills, and to build the personal and professional connections that lead to academic success. The Connections Program courses have significantly higher pass rates in math (85% pilot vs. 69% all developmental sections) and in writing (85% vs. 53%). Students enrolled in the two connected developmental courses returned to the university the following fall at a 13.9% higher rate than all other students in this cohort of first-year students, including students requiring only one or no developmental courses. The results suggest that a public university with a large commuter population of developmental students can teach basic skills and encourage psychological and social adjustment to university life through appropriately designed academic programs. Ideas in Practice: Letters of Advice From At-Risk Students To Freshmen
By Nannette Evans Commander and Maria Valeri-Gold ABSTRACT: This article describes an assignment that required at-risk students to give advice for success in college to freshmen through letter writing. Analysis of the letters revealed ten specific themes that mirrored what instructors of orientation classes often communicate to beginning students. Research documents that letter writing is a valuable tool for learning about writing skills. In addition to being an effective writing exercise, at-risk students shared their valuable experiences as they connected with freshmen who learned essential elements for success. Critical Thinking: Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part IV)
By Linda Elder and Richard Paul
Featured Column; No Abstract Techtalk: How Technology has Changed Developmental Education
By David C. Caverly and Lucy MacDonald
Featured Column; No Abstract Volume 26, Issue 3, Spring, 2003 Table of Contents Supplemental Instruction: Short- and Long-Term Impact
By Peggy Ogden, Dennis Thompson, Art Russell, and Carol Simons.....2 Principles for Effective Teaching in Developmental Education
By Patricia Smittle.....10 Annual Index, Volume 26.....16 Perceived Inhibitors to Mathematics Success
By Ethel Wheland, Rose Marie Konet, and Kevin Butler.....18 Social and Emotional Intelligence: Applications for Developmental Education
By Suzanne B. Liff.....28 Critical Thinking: Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part III)
By Richard Paul and Linda Elder.....36 Techtalk: Developing Academic Literacy through WebQuests
By Cynthia Peterson, David C. Caverly, and Lucy MacDonald.....38 Developments.....40 For Your Information.....41 Readers' Service Card and Advertisers' Index.....43 Article Abstracts Supplemental Instruction: Short/Long-Term Impact on Academic Performance
By Peggy Ogden, Dennis Thompson, Art Russell, and Carol Simons
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to assess Supplemental Instruction (SI), an academic assistance program, for short-and long-term impact on college academic performance and retention. Data were compiled for students registered in a political science course supported by SI. Four groups were identified according to their university entry status and SI participation: traditional (regularly admitted) SI participants, conditional (Learning Support Programs and/or English as a Second Language entry status) SI participants, traditional non-SI participants, and conditional non-SI participants. All SI participants volunteered for the program. Conditional students participating in SI had significantly higher short- and long-term outcomes compared to conditional non-SI participants. Conditional SI participants reenrolled at a higher rate than did the other three student groups included in this study. Principles for Effective Teaching
By Patricia Smittle
ABSTRACT: Effective teaching in developmental education is one of the most challenging jobs in the college teaching profession. The search for teaching excellence in this field extends beyond basic cognitive issues to address noncognitive needs of underprepared students also. The six principles for effective developmental education teaching reviewed in the article are the product of integrating research findings from successful developmental education programs and general principles for effective teaching in undergraduate education. The principles focus on key elements that teachers may use to support effective teaching. Perceived Inhibitors to Mathematics Success
By Ethel Wheland, Rose Marie Konet, and Kevin Butler
ABSTRACT: This study examines five perceived inhibitors to successful performance in an intermediate algebra course: perceived inhibitors examined are (a) non-native English speaking status of the instructor, (b) instruction provided by teaching assistants versus adjunct faculty, (c) student performance in mathematics compared to other courses, (d) relationship of performance in an intermediate algebra course to success in subsequent mathematics courses and (e) student attendance. Student performance data, collected using uniform, nongrader-biased computer-based assessment techniques, are presented and then analyzed. Discussion of the results, their implications and potential strategies to more actively influence students' beliefs about mathematics are included. Social and Emotional Intelligence: Applications for Developmental Education
By Suzanne B. Liff
ABSTRACT: By addressing social and emotional learning within their classrooms, postsecondary educators, in both traditional and developmental classrooms, will foster the scholarly, as well as interpersonal, growth of students. This article explores the very real, if not causal, relationship between social and emotional intelligence and success in college. Student needs and faculty capacities to address those needs are the focus. Six components of the social and emotional intellectual paradigm, gleaned from the literature and merged with the voices of college educators, are reviewed and pragmatically applied to campus life and learning. Traditionally not a pedagogic focus of higher education beyond a variety of developmental enhancements, it will be shown how sensitivities and learning within the affective domain are strongly linked to the efficacy of a successful collegiate experience for all students. Critical Thinking: Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part III)
By Richard Paul and Linda Elder
Featured Column; No Abstract TechTalk: Developing Academic Literacy through WebQuests
By Cynthia Peterson, David C. Caverly, and Lucy MacDonald
Featured Column; No Abstract Volume 26, Issue 2, Winter 2002 Table of Contents Program Evaluation Studies: Strategic Learning Delivery Model Suggestions
By Michele L. Simpson.....2 Curriculum and Affect: A Participatory Developmental Writing Approach
By Thomas J. Reynolds and Patrick L. Bruch.....12 Comprehension Monitoring: An Aid to Mathematical Problem Solving
By William A. Schurter.....22 For Your Information.....33 Critical Thinking: Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part Two)
By Linda Elder and Richard Paul.....36 Techtalk: Effective Technology Use in Developmental Mathematics Classroom
By Lucy MacDonald, Selina Vasquez, and David C. Caverly.....38 Developments.....38 Advertisers' Index.....40 Article Abstracts Program Evaluation Studies: Suggested Strategic Learning Delivery Models
By Michele L. Simpson
ABSTRACT: Although strategic learning delivery models such as study strategy courses or paired courses are essential in assisting college freshmen with their challenging academic tasks, very few program evaluation studies have been conducted on their efficacy. In order to encourage academic assistance professionals to evaluate their strategic models, the author shares seven suggestions that have been drawn from personal experiences and actual research studies. These suggestions focus on important questions that should be asked, instruments that might be used, possible data analyses methods, and tips for collecting data and writing reports. Curriculum and Affect: A Participatory Developmental Writing Approach
By Thomas J. Reynolds and Patrick L. Bruch
ABSTRACT: Developmental writers have traditionally been taught according to a method that favors mastery of smaller discrete skills before moving on to sophisticated writing tasks. This article first describes an alternative approach to a 1st-year developmental writing curriculum. We explain our approach in terms of its theoretical foundations and practical activities. We then discuss student perceptions of our "literacy work" curriculum gathered through a survey of students upon completion of a 2-semester developmental writing sequence. The article concludes by highlighting the promise of a participatory approach to developmental writing instruction. Comprehension Monitoring: An Aid to Mathematical Problem Solving
By William A. Schurter
ABSTRACT: Teaching problem solving continues to be a challenging and often frustrating task for mathematics teachers. Students do not understand how to use all of the information available to them, and perhaps more importantly, they do not know what it is that they do not understand. This study investigates using comprehension monitoring as a technique for problem solving by students in three different sections of developmental algebra. It concludes that although there is no apparent difference in the conscious use of these techniques, the students who receive increased emphasis in the use of comprehension monitoring strategies perform better in mathematical problem solving than students who do not receive this type of instruction. Critical Thinking: Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part Two)
By Linda Elder and Richard Paul
Featured Column; No Abstract Techtalk: Effective Technology Use in Developmental Mathematics Classroom
By Lucy MacDonald, Selina Vasquez, and David C. Caverly
Featured Column; No Abstract Volume 26, Issue 1, Fall, 2002 Table of Contents Repetition and the Informational Writing of Developmental Students
By Dolores Perin.....2 Comparison of Beginning Algebra Taught Onsite Versus Online
By Gail H. Weems.....10 Ideas in Practice: When Older Readers and Younger Readers Meet
By Jennifer M. Good and Terry C. Ley.....20 Developmental Mathematics Education and Supplemental Instruction: Pondering the Potential
By Gary L. Wright, Robin Redmon Wright, and Charles E. Lamb.....30 For Your Information.....33 Critical Thinking: Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part I)
By Richard Paul and Linda Elder.....36 Techtalk: Access to Distance Education
By Cavid C. Caverly and Lucy MacDonald.....38 Developments.....40 Article Abstracts Repetition and the Informational Writing of Developmental Students
By Dolores Perin
ABSTRACT: This study investigated the effects of task repetition on the writing skills of upper-level developmental reading students. On two occasions spaced 1 week apart, the students were presented with college-level allied health and business text and asked to write an informational report. Although no writing instruction was provided in the interval, performance changed significantly on four of five indicators of writing skill. Productivity, use of source text, and representation of key ideas improved, which suggests that the simple repetition of meaningful literacy tasks has potential to facilitate learning in developmental education classrooms. However, there was also an increase in copying from the sources, possibly the result of students' growing recognition of task difficulty. Comparison of Beginning Algebra Taught Onsite Versus Online
By Gail H. Weems
ABSTRACT: This study compared two sections of beginning algebra: one taught online and the other onsite. The dependent variable of primary interest was mathematical achievement; however, other variables included student attitude toward mathematics, their reasons for selecting an online section, and their critiques of the online format.
Although there was not a significant difference between exam averages for the two formats, there was a significant decrease in performance by the online students across the exams, whereas performance by the onsite students remained relatively stable. Significant differences were not found regarding student attitudes toward mathematics. Students indicated an overall satisfaction with taking the course online and many plan to enroll in online, courses in the future. Ideas in Practice: When Older Readers and Younger Readers Meet
By Jennifer M. Good and Terry C. Ley
ABSTRACT: To encourage older students (high-needs, college-level students involved in developmental education) to develop their own literacy skills while also providing an opportunity for them to interact with youth from the surrounding community, a program model entitled "Community Days" was designed for university freshmen enrolled in a developmental studies course. The program model includes the following components: (a) the older students are taught a variety of prereading, during reading, and postreading strategies which they apply to their own reading processes in order to help them construct meaning; (b) the older students spend an introductory session at the library learning various search methods; (c) the older students search for a selection of children's literature that would be appropriate for a specified age group; (d) the older students plan and explain the use of specific prereading, during reading, and postreading activities in order to engage an audience in their chosen text; (e) the older students visit a local public school where they read the books to kindergarten and elementary school-aged children, engaging the students in the predetermined reading activities; (f) the older students reflect in writing on their own reading process and the reading processes of others. The theoretical underpinnings of this model are discussed, and responses from the older students illustrate their perceptions of the experience. Developmental Mathematics Education and Supplemental Instruction:
Pondering the Potential
By Gary L. Wright, Robin Redmon Wright, and Charles E. Lamb
ABSTRACT: During the Spring, Summer, and Fall 2000 semesters, data were gathered and analyzed concerning the effective use of Supplemental Instruction (SI) in 90 developmental mathematics courses. The study monitored student outcomes in a small pilot program conducted at a southern state university with about 11,000 students. The student outcomes suggested that Supplemental Instruction may have made a positive difference in the performance and retention rates of developmental mathematics students when the instructor was actively involved in promoting the SI group and certain modifications were made to the traditional role of the SI leader in the classroom. Critical Thinking:
Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part I)
By Richard Paul and Linda Elder
Featured Column; No Abstract Techtalk: Access to Distance Education
By David C. Caverly and Lucy MacDonald
Featured Column; No Abstract |
