Little is known about the importance of instructional quality in American higher education because few recent studies have had access to direct measures of student learning that are comparable across sections of the same course. Using data from two developmental algebra courses at a large community college, I found that student learning varies…

Reports the results of research conducted to investigate the relationship between involvement in learning mathematics and achievement as measured by test scores and course grades. Finds that attendance is the one measure of effort most closely related to success in developmental mathematics. Indicates that academic autonomy was consistently…

The effectiveness of one remedial mathematics technique is examined. Results indicated that students who passed remedial math and then took college algebra had significantly higher final algebra grades than did undergraduates who failed remedial math. (MLW)

Nearly 48 percent of the students in Developmental Studies Mathematics courses at a major southern university during the fall of 1983 had taken college preparatory mathematics courses in high school. Some had even taken trigonometry, pre-calculus, or calculus. Yet, they were placed in university developmental studies mathematics courses because…

Reports that students entering an urban state college still had high remedial placement rates even though they successfully completed college preparatory math and English courses in high school. Discusses the "chain of blame" and concerns regarding the rigor of high school programs. (Contains 45 references.) (AUTH/NB)

Describes a program to help students succeed in developmental mathematics courses, such as arithmetic, elementary algebra, and intermediate algebra. Provides information on program evaluation and how the program is funded. (YP)

This study identified predictors of academic performance in college algebra for postdevelopmental students at a predominantly black college. Questionnaires were randomly distributed to 175 students who were enrolled in college Algebra I and II. The sample included 142 students (classified as developmental on college entry by their own reports) who…

An evaluation is presented of the remedial programs in each of New Jersey's 32 public colleges and universities. The academic outcome of full-time students entering in fall 1984 is tracked over four semesters. This analysis combines measures of the colleges' administrative efficiency in testing and enrolling students in needed remedial courses,…

Describes the results of a study that tracked college algebra students who had previously completed an Academic Assistance mathematics course that facilitated collaborative learning. Only 53% of all students who enrolled in college algebra in fall 1994 earned grades of C or higher, but 95% of students who had previously participated in the…

This study was an initial effort at Brenau College (Georgia) to analyze the relative effectiveness of a self-paced math lab approach to developmental pre-college algebra. Students enrolled in 1988-89 were taught under the lecture method; this applied to students needing both developmental arithmetic and developmental algebra. During the subsequent…

"Informed math self-placement," a program implemented at American River College in Sacramento, California, to determine students' readiness for college-level math, has been in place for three years. This case study describes the development and implementation of math self-placement at American River. Math self-placement consists of a…