The first-semester orientation course at Irvine Valley College (IVC), in California, a non-required course taught by counselors, covers time management, study skills, academic policies, career and academic major exploration, and support services. In an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the course, a study was conducted of the 1990 freshman…

In 1989, a research project was initiated at Sacramento City College (SCC) to conduct a retrospective analysis of a sample of 400 continuing and entering students enrolled at SCC during fall 1987. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between academic success, basic skills assessment test scores and recommended placement levels,…

This study examined the separate and joint use of high school course grades, course work taken, and American College Testing Program (ACT) Assessment subject area scores for making course placement decisions. The data for this study were obtained from nine institutions through their participation in a pilot study of the ACT Course Placement…

The issue of grade retention and social promotion is still a very controversial topic. The empirical literature assessing the effectiveness of nonpromotion remains mixed. Nonpromotion seems most effective with students in white, suburban, and middle-class school districts. This paper describes a 4-year follow-up to an earlier controlled study by…

This report examines the predictors of college graduation for student athletes. Presented first are 5-year graduation results for the 1984 and 1985 cohorts of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) data base. Questionnaires were sent to representatives at Division I schools in each of the 5 years. Data is analyzed from the responses…

A study was conducted examining the characteristics and experiences of spring 1991 Kent State University (KSU) baccalaureate degree recipients who were originally enrolled in one of the seven regional two-year college campuses (RC's). Data were available for 177 degree recipients, representing 92% of all graduates who had originated at the RC's,…

This study investigated the relationship of students' sense of belonging in their classes to measures related to motivation, student effort, and academic achievement. Data from 612 fifth- through eighth-grade middle school students revealed that the sense of belonging in a class was related to: (1) students' expectations of academic success; (2)…

Drawing on 1988-89 transfer data provided by the California Postsecondary Education Commission, the University of California (UC), and the California State Universities (CSU), this paper provides a comprehensive portrait of the flow and performance of transfer students statewide and of transfers from the San Mateo County Community College District…

Eighty-three students enrolled in five graduate sections of educational research taught by the same instructor were administered a reading attitude scale and an educational research attitude scale. Under-graduate grade point averages (GPAs), entering graduate GPAs, and composite National Teacher Examination (NTE) scores were also obtained for the…

Data on the success rates of non-high school graduates at Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC), as determined by graduation or the achievement of a 2.00 grade point average (GPA) and 30 or more credit hours, are presented and analyzed in this report. Table 1 summarizes the enrollment of non-high school graduates at M-DCC by ethnic group, using…

The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at Pan American University (PAU) in Edinburg, Texas, which helps students from low income migrant families attend college and has served 1,762 students since 1972, assisted 174 students during the 1982-83 academic year, giving them extensive support in tutoring, counseling, follow-up, and financial…

The study reported in this paper used path analysis statistical methodology and an attrition model to examine the separate and combined relationships of several different types of background, personal, and college experience variables with the attained college grade-point average (GPA) and graduation rate for 3,125 Ball State (Indiana) University…

The role influx of underprepared students has challenged community colleges to develop effective ways to improve teaching and learning strategies in the classroom. In 1990, a study was conducted by the Mississippi State University Educational Media Center to compare the effects of traditional versus Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) on the…

This report explores the student background characteristics that might be associated with success or failure in calculus and evaluates the effectiveness of remedial mathematics education. The sample consisted of two groups at the University of California, Santa Cruz: (1) all students (105) who took first quarter calculus in spring, 1985; and (2)…

This paper argues that the standard "When it is expected that a test will be used to make norm-referenced assessments of groups rather than individuals, normative data based on appropriate group statistics should be provided," which was considered secondary in the 1985 "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" and…