Ongoing action research at the University of Pretoria investigates first-year students' preparedness for a study in calculus. In 2005 first-year engineering students completed a mathematics diagnostic survey at the beginning and end of the year. In this article the results of the 2005 survey are compared with the students' final school marks in…

Comprehensive programs to enable students to acquire skills necessary for college work are discussed. It is suggested that developmental courses be supplements to regular academic courses. In starting a new developmental program, three factors are important: commitment of the school's faculty and administration to the program's success, adequate…

Reports that developmental freshmen taking a one-credit remedial learning skills course did not receive grades significantly better or worse (either during or immediately after taking the course) than non-participating students. States that these results are consistent with other studies indicating that developmental freshmen need time to respond…

The report examines postsecondary developmental education for students denied regular admission to the institution. Addressed are such concerns as the evolution of developmental programs, the effect of developmental programs on the integrity of academic institutions, and the future of postsecondary developmental programs. The report's seven…

This paper contains an overview of policy decisions being made at the state and national levels about learning assistance activities in higher education and developmental education. The principles driving those decisions are also outlined. Some policymakers want to fine the high schools from which under prepared students have graduated; others…

This paper discusses current issues and trends in developmental education. The biggest trend is expected to be the concurrent development of learning strategies while students are enrolled in graduation-credit content courses. Separate developmental education courses will be mainstreamed into the traditional college course work in a variety of…

The provision of developmental education to the academically underprepared student in colleges and universities in the United States is traced historically. U.S. colleges admitted underprepared students before the advent of open admissions and equal opportunity policies. In fact, the presence of underprepared students in American colleges has been…

Mercy College (Ohio) has expanded its services for at-risk students, due to the fact that many of these students are not functioning at college level in writing, math, and reading. The hope of attaining a college education among at-risk students is high, and it is important that they receive help in their areas of need. To help accomplish this…

Discusses problems of communication apprehension (CA) among developmental students. Explains types of CA, reviews methods of individual assessment among developmental students, and describes a structured alleviation curriculum. Provides step-by-step instructions for employing the CA alleviation techniques of systematic desensitization, cognitive…

A study was conducted at Rockland Community College (New York) to determine the adequacy of the reading criterion that determined entry into its intensive freshman English classes from the college skills program, a developmental program designed to improve skills in communication, mathematics, reading, and studying. A group of 746 freshman English…

A study investigated how persistence in an academic self-management course related to self-control. Results indicate that the students dropping out had a limited repertoire of general learned resourcefulness skills. However, both high- and low-resourceful students who completed the course used the skills they learned and achieved comparable final…

A pilot program was begun at the University of Southern Mississippi to measure the effect of a concentrated period of linguistic and communication skill development at the beginning of college for high risk students. The experiment was designed to follow an experimental group drawn carefully from the 15% of college freshmen with the lowest scores…

This report presents findings from the third of a series of studies of the Upward Bound (UB) program. The study was conducted between April, 1978, and September, 1979, to investigate long-term educational outcomes of UB program participation. The Upward Bound program was designed for low income high school students with potential for successfully…

Describes South Suburban College's implementation of the Structured Open Access Model, an interventionist system that responds to underprepared students. (YKH)

This study was designed to compare (on locus of control and several achievement variables) middle school students who have been instructed for two semesters in a cooperative learning study skills class with those who have been instructed for two semesters in a competitive study skills class. Seventy-six eighth graders were given a semester of…