The problem addressed in this study was that teachers have been challenged to implement effective strategies in recent years at a local community college in the southern region of the United States with a 47 to 49% student failure rate in developmental English. The purpose was to investigate the challenges encountered by developmental English…

The growing number of underprepared students entering two- and four-year colleges and universities is the number one challenge currently facing the field of higher education. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, 41% of all undergraduates and 39% of first-time freshman consider community college their "go-to"…

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the impact of project-based learning on the writing, communication and interpersonal skills of students in a college skills course. This course was required for students who were enrolled in at least one or more developmental courses. The purpose of this course was to equip the students…

This quantitative research study considered three academic factors, seven student-level variables, and four success measures across ten years of academic data related to undergraduate remedial mathematics beginning with the 2009-2010 academic year and ending with the 2018-2019 academic year. Secondary data was used to determine if there was a…

This Capstone project studied a pilot of the web-based homework system "Hawkes" in developmental mathematics classes at a mid-sized community college. The purpose of the study was to investigate how three instructors of developmental mathematics courses incorporated "Hawkes" in their classes, what obstacles they encountered,…

With open door admission policies, lower tuition rates, and convenient locations, community colleges are enrolling more and more academically unprepared students who are placing into developmental mathematics courses. Many of these community colleges need to assess their developmental education programs, instructors, courses, and students to…

Developmental writers have long been viewed as marginalized, and one course delivery method which might disrupt this marginalization is computer-assisted personalized system of instruction (CAPSI), which has proven successful in many disciplines. However, research on CAPSI writing courses is minimal, and there have been no published articles about…

The developmental sequence of mathematics courses in most 2-year and 4-year colleges is designed to prepare students to succeed in college-level math courses. That is, students must complete this sequence in order to progress to courses such as statistics, college algebra, precalculus, calculus, and differential equations. Research on the…

The purpose of this investigation was to identify strategies used by effective instructors of developmental mathematics, and to discover the perceptions developmental mathematics students have about these strategies. While there are research projects focusing solely on developmental mathematics achievement, this study fills a need by incorporating…

Research indicates that African-American non-traditional female students often experience academic difficulties when they have a placement in developmental education programs and courses at community colleges. As a result, African-American non-traditional female students often drop these courses, leave college, and do not persist to degree…

This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study determined whether the game of chess can be used as an educational tool to improve critical thinking skills of developmental mathematics students and improve mathematics achievement for these students. Five research questions were investigated. These questions were as follows: (a) Is there a…

This action research study, set in a community college in the southwestern United States, was designed to investigate the effects of implementing cooperative learning strategies in a developmental mathematics course. Introductory algebra was formerly taught in a lecture based format, and as such regularly had a low course completion rate. To…

This dissertation explores student perceptions of effective teaching strategies in a developmental writing course and their perspectives of how well the course prepared them for the freshman college composition course. Three research questions guided the study. Research Question 1 asked which teaching strategies developmental writing students…

Large numbers of students who attend college each year are required to enroll in remedial programs aimed at enhancing their weak reading, writing, and/or mathematical skills and helping to prepare them for success in college-level courses. Recently, a host of new course innovations have surfaced that are intended to move students through…

This descriptive study employed a survey to examine the perspectives of developmental education faculty members at public community colleges regarding instructional practices that have been identified in the literature as effective for developmental education. The study focused on two major areas related to the instructional practices surveyed:…