Using word study instruction with developmental college students

High school senior preparedness for community college level courses has decreased significantly over the last two decades. A large group of students are "placing" into developmental college courses, which delays their entrance into college-level courses each year. Students placing into developmental courses are typically not retained in college. The following study examined what factors contributed to recent high school graduates placing into developmental college courses at Community College X (CCX) located in the Northeast region. Literature comprised student readiness, developmental courses, and course placement tools to identify factors related to students' placing into developmental courses in a mid-size community college in the Northeast region of one specific county. The study was conducted using archival data from one community college and researched data from the fifteen public schools in which the college students matriculate. Relationships were evaluated to determine factors that contributed to students placing into developmental courses. Several statistical correlations were pertinent to this study. Some correlations did not indicate a relationship between a students' preparedness for college level courses and other socioeconomic factors. Reports on high schools with the highest quality ranking and highest median household income showed that at least 50% of their students tested into developmental courses at CCX. As the schools dropped in quality ranking and median household income, the percentage of students placing into developmental classes rose significantly. Most students start to research their college entrance plans during their third year of high school. This is almost always too late for students to attempt to place into college-level courses. Results of this study indicated that all students in high school should be educated on how to learn; however, they may need to learn and practice this key skill at a much earlier age.

Using a qualitative survey research design, researchers solicited faculty input on challenges and common instructional practices applied in teaching online developmental education courses. Online was defined as 80% or more of the instruction of a course being delivered online. Participants of the study were faculty teaching developmental education courses online, primarily in 2-year colleges. They completed an online survey on faculty characteristics and various aspects of teaching online. The most frequently occurring challenges identified by field practitioners included technology issues, student engagement, time management, and basic literacy skills. The most commonly used instructional activities reported were discussion boards, multimedia, offering of feedback and synchronous sessions, and communication. Based on the findings, implications for practice are discussed, which can benefit faculty as they design and deliver online developmental education courses.

Background/Context: Accelerated instructional strategies for developmental education have been promoted as a way to help underprepared students to progress more quickly through college-level coursework. Yet, what remains unknown is whether certain accelerated strategies are more effective than others and whether this initial acceleration may lead to longer term success. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: We examine whether the likelihood of success varies for completion of mathematics and English requirements over 3 years among the Florida students enrolled in courses using one of four developmental instructional strategies: compressed, corequisite, modularized, or contextualized. Population/Participants/Subjects: Our sample includes all first-time-in-college students during the 2015–2016 year who enrolled in all 28 public state colleges and took any developmental education course during the first year. Research Design: We use inverse probability-weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA) to compare success rates in completion of mathematics and English requirements over 3 years for Florida college students in each of these strategies. Findings/Results: Overall, the results demonstrate variation in the likelihood of success for completion of mathematics and English courses over 3 years among students in different developmental instructional strategies, which suggests that the method of acceleration does matter. Corequisite courses tended to lead to greater long-term gains in math and, to an extent, in reading, while contextualized tended to be most effective in writing. Conclusions/Recommendations: Leaders can play an important role in strengthening institutional capacity to effectively implement developmental education reform by developing faculty buy-in, ensuring adequate resources to scale and sustain reform efforts, and using data to inform future decision-making.


 
 
 Based on the response for the need to engage students in developmental reading, the purpose of this study was to examine whether a hybrid method of instruction has an impact on student reading achievement. To measure reading achievement, quantitative data in the form of student grades on end of the semester exit exams was collected. Data was analysed using dependent-samples paired t-test and the results indicated a significant impact on reading achievement: t=.360, p=0.011. Future research is needed to determine the impact of the hybrid method of instruction on developmental reading students in differing socioeconomic backgrounds and geographic locations.
 
 

As the rate of developmental reading students continues to climb, so does the surge in digital platforms as a means to deliver postsecondary instruction. Students enrolled in developmental reading courses should not be assumed to have digital literacy skills simply because they have been termed a “digitally literate generation.” In this study, one digital technology—multiuser virtual environments (MUVEs)— provided a platform that allowed students to engage in learning opportunities congruent with digital literacy. Examined in this study were (a) the digital literacy skills of developmental readers, (b) the differences in digital literacies between developmental reading students who used a MUVE and those who did not, and (c) the behaviors exhibited by students indicating their degree of digital nativeness. Participants in the experimental group demonstrated digital literacy through reading activities and observations in the MUVE, Second Life, and made higher reading achievement gains over the control group.

This chapter examines current instructional practices, and argues for the importance of pedagogy designed to promote the generalization of basic skills from developmental education to college-credit classrooms. It begins by defining academic preparedness, summarizing the characteristics of low-skilled community college students, and outlining the basic academic skills required in postsecondary education. To understand the nature of academic preparedness, it is helpful to reflect on the intricate concepts and processes involved in reading, writing, and math. The chapter discusses the issues in the transfer of skills from developmental to college-level disciplinary courses and the need to increase the underprepared students' academic motivation. It also discusses contextualization as a change in teaching processes that may benefit students through transfer of skill and increased motivation. By creating connections to the college curriculum, contextualization may help improve the usefulness and effectiveness of developmental education courses.

BackgroundBased on the control-value theory of achievement emotion and self-determination motivation theory, this study attempted to examine the multi-chain mediating relationships among online class-related enjoyment, school motivation, learning engagement and academic achievement.MethodsThis is an empirical study based on cross-sectional data. Online class-related enjoyment is the independent variable, academic achievement is the dependent variable, and school motivation and learning engagement are the mediating variables. Sample data were collected from 1294 Chinese college students, and SPSS macro program PROCESS 3.3 was used for data analysis.ResultsThe present study confirmed that students’ online class-related enjoyment has a significant positive correlation with academic achievement. And there is a positive correlation between college students’ school motivation with learning engagement and college students’ learning engagement with academic achievement. In addition, online class-related enjoyment affects academic achievement through the chain mediating effect of school motivation and learning engagement.ConclusionsOur study indicated that online class-related enjoyment has a significant impact on academic achievement. Both of these factors should be considered when determining the optimal multi-chain mediating model for Online Class-related Enjoyment and Academic Achievement of college students.

A qualitative case study in 15 community colleges across the country found that learning assistance centers and specialized skills labs are an important means of increasing students' academic preparedness for postsecondary study. Since these facilities provide instruction or support in reading, writing, and math skills, it appears that they play a valuable remedial role. Most of the assistance occurs in the form of tutoring and computer-assisted instruction, and some of the centers also provide specialized learning workshops and self-paced remedial courses. The majority of colleges have several learning centers and labs, and duplication of services may explain the lower than expected demand for assistance services seen in some of the sites. However, the institutions consider the learning centers to be effective, and report positive outcomes including retention in college English and increase in GPA. Because, in some cases, recipients of learning assistance services display severe learning difficulties, tutors may benefit from professional development in instructional strategies for special-needs students. It is recommended that future research compare the effectiveness of learning assistance services and developmental education courses in boosting students' basic academic skills.

BOSTON — When student affairs staff at Texas State University wanted to boost student retention and graduation rates, they decided to focus on students on academic probation and in developmental education courses. Knowing that 20% of first year students find themselves on academic probation, and 75% of those students don’t get into good academic standing, and so they lose their financial aid and have to leave the institution, according to Victoria Black, Associate Dean for Student Services at Texas State University. To set those struggling students on a path to success, staff developed a success coaching program, resulting in improved GPAs for at least 50% of students who received success coaching at least three times. And about 75% of students who received coaching at least two times described the program as helpful, Black said during a presentation at the annual conference for NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

This study aims to determine the role of adversity quotient and authoritative parenting on college students academic achievement. Subjects in this quantitative study were specifically college students in Denpasar, the biggest city in Bali which amounted to 106 people who were selected through a multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Instruments used were Adversity Quotient Scale, Authoritative Parenting Scale and students GPA. The results of multiple linear regression test showed a significance value of 0.000 (p <0.05) and an R value of 0.832 with a coefficient of determination (R Square) of 0.692, which means that Adversity Quotient and authoritative parenting style together play a role of 69, 2% towards academic achievement. The higher the level of Adversity Quotient and authoritative parenting, the higher the academic achievement of college students

Recent research in L1 reading and education has focused on cognitive and metacognitive strategies that can increase students' comprehension and learning of academic subject matter from written text. However, the insights from this work have had limited impact on academic purposes ESL curricula. ESL developmental reading courses continue to rely on such standard activities as comprehension and skill-building exercises. Study strategies may receive little attention or be taught generically. This article urges English for academic purposes (EAP) programs to devise more holistic, task- and text-specific, strategy-oriented approaches for reading instruction. Recommendations are given for selecting reading materials, defining criterion tasks, and providing strategy instruction to prepare intermediate- and advanced-level ESL students to meet the demands of reading assignments in secondary and postsecondary content classes.

Present study aims to assess the relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement of college students. Parental involvement in a student's academic life improves the student's performance. Assisting with college work, joining in extracurricular, and talking to teachers are all examples of ways to get involved in the classroom. Present study assessed the relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement of college students. The scale of parental involvement scale developed by Dr. Rita Chopra and Dr. Surabala Sahoo (2005) were used in the study and for the measurement of academic achievement, previous school/college marks were used, which were obtained from students’ school / college records (i.e. school marksheet). Through correlational analysis data were analyzed and hypotheses were accepted through results. Gender differences were also analyzed in this study.

Cognitive and noncognitive college readiness were assessed for participants in the Huskins dual credit program (n = 42), non-Huskins dual enrollment program (n = 10), and Early College High School (n = 31) at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, North Carolina. College readiness was also assessed for two comparison groups: nonconcurrently-enrolled college bound high school students (n = 32) and regularly matriculated college students (n = 50). Cognitive college readiness variables included the percentage of Cs or better in college transfer courses and the rate of acceptance into colleges at various degrees of entrance difficulty. Noncognitive college readiness variables included commitment to education, self- and resource-management skills, interpersonal and social skills, academic success skills, and career planning skills. After controlling for the effects of age, ethnicity, gender, prior completion of college transfer courses, completion of developmental education courses, verbal skills, and mathematical skills, the Huskins and non-Huskins dual enrollment groups had significantly higher probabilities of Cs or better than the college comparison group. After controlling for the effects of age, ethnicity, gender, and pretest levels of the five noncognitive college readiness variables, the Huskins and non-Huskins dual-enrollment groups had significantly higher levels of career planning skills than the high school comparison group. Although the results did not prove the existence of a causal relationship, they supported the notion that concurrent enrollment might have a positive impact on college readiness.

This chapter discusses a significant body of research over the last several decades speaks to the issue of how this integration might occur. It explores the foundation for word study instruction through examination of the following topics: the spelling system or orthography of English; research into the development of orthographic knowledge; research investigating the efficacy of word study instruction; developmentally based word study instruction; and the teacher knowledge base necessary to support word study. The chapter also discusses the developmental nature of orthographic knowledge; orthographic development in other languages; and brain, genetic, and perceptual studies of orthographic knowledge. While this pattern detection with respect to orthography is largely tacit, the fact that this wiring exists has instructional implications because the nature of instruction will influence the perceptual component of word recognition during the reading process.

A difficult issue for tutoring programs is low participation, especially at commuter campuses. At the University of Houston-Downtown, this problem seems particularly acute for developmental education (DE) courses. This paper describes the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) with focus on the role of the SI Leader in accelerated DE math courses. A study was conducted between Fall 2015 and Spring 2017 to evaluate differences in student performance in two courses between sections that were staffed with an SI Leader and those that had no assistance from the SI program. The study found statistically significant differences in grade performance between SI session participants and non-SI participants. The study also found that students passed at a higher rate in accelerated Intermediate Algebra as compared to traditional biweekly sections. Finally, students passed at a higher rate in accelerated sections that were staffed with an SI Leader compared to accelerated sections without an SI Leader.