Perceptions Of Student Belonging In The Community College Developmental Math Classroom

Perceptions Of Student Belonging In The Community College Developmental Math Classroom PDF Author: Ann Patricia Conrad
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Most community college students are required to take developmental math; however, many do not complete their required math sequence. Supporting students through this coursework is an ongoing challenge for institutions of higher learning, especially those with open access missions. Although community colleges offer various support services to address content-related concerns, students often lose motivation to persist in these courses. This study examines the role of belonging in student motivation for developmental math students enrolled at Midwestern Community College (MCC). The research questions examined the student's belonging experience and whether these experiences contributed to their motivation in the course. During the Fall of 2021, ten developmental math students at MCC participated in this qualitative study. I used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to explore the students' experience in Fall 2021. Data was collected through participant interviews, journal entries, artifacts, and research notes. The results suggest academic and social belonging fostered student motivation in developmental math courses. The resulting themes indicate (a) the course design, (b) interpersonal connections, (c) the student's ability to keep up with the course content, and (d) feeling accepted and supported within the group were meaningful constructs in the belonging experience.

Perceptions Of Student Belonging In The Community College Developmental Math Classroom

Perceptions Of Student Belonging In The Community College Developmental Math Classroom PDF Author: Ann Patricia Conrad
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Most community college students are required to take developmental math; however, many do not complete their required math sequence. Supporting students through this coursework is an ongoing challenge for institutions of higher learning, especially those with open access missions. Although community colleges offer various support services to address content-related concerns, students often lose motivation to persist in these courses. This study examines the role of belonging in student motivation for developmental math students enrolled at Midwestern Community College (MCC). The research questions examined the student's belonging experience and whether these experiences contributed to their motivation in the course. During the Fall of 2021, ten developmental math students at MCC participated in this qualitative study. I used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to explore the students' experience in Fall 2021. Data was collected through participant interviews, journal entries, artifacts, and research notes. The results suggest academic and social belonging fostered student motivation in developmental math courses. The resulting themes indicate (a) the course design, (b) interpersonal connections, (c) the student's ability to keep up with the course content, and (d) feeling accepted and supported within the group were meaningful constructs in the belonging experience.

Inside the Community College Developmental Math Classroom

Inside the Community College Developmental Math Classroom PDF Author: Patricia A. Rehak
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Educational psychology
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
This study provides a better understanding of how student and faculty perceive the developmental math classroom experience and the impact on students’ ability to successfully complete developmental math courses. A significant contribution of the study is the identification of a positive correlation between students’ attitudes and perceptions of the classroom environment and successful course completion. A second major contribution is a detailed description of pedagogical strategies and classroom leadership behaviors exhibited by developmental math faculty who do, and do not, have high student pass rates. The three research questions for this study were: 1. What is the relationship between students’ attitudes and perceptions of their developmental math classroom experience and their likelihood for successful course completion? 2. To what extent are student and faculty attitudes and perceptions of the developmental math classroom learning environment congruent? 3. What are the pedagogical strategies and classroom leadership behaviors exhibited by developmental math faculty who do, and do not, have high student pass rates in these courses? Two theoretical frameworks; Goal Theory Model of Achievement Motivation and Transformational Leadership; were used to guide this research. This mixed methods study was a case study of developmental math students and faculty from a medium sized rural community college in Texas, enrolled and teaching in the fall 2013. The sample included 661students enrolled in developmental math during the fall 2013 semester. There were a total of 17 developmental math instructors, of which three were employed full time, and 14 were employed part time. Quantitative data was collected from all 17 faculty and seven of these faculty were interviewed about the instructional practices they use when teaching developmental math students. A quantitative analysis was conducted of secondary course evaluation and student success data. A factor analysis was first conducted and reliability established for the course evaluation data. Next, a Pearson product moment r correlation was conducted in to determine the correlation between student perception and student success rates. The qualitative methods employed included 7 interviews (2 full time and 5 part time) with recruited developmental math faculty. Transcribed interview data were organized by thematic data analysis using a deductive process (Creswell, 2008) The Pearson product-moment r correlation conducted in this study found moderate positive correlations, r(14) = .64, p

Development of an Instrument to Measure the Relationship Between Community College Developmental Math Instructors' Perceptions of Student Success and Instructional Practice

Development of an Instrument to Measure the Relationship Between Community College Developmental Math Instructors' Perceptions of Student Success and Instructional Practice PDF Author: Jonah Winkler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Underprepared Community College Students

Underprepared Community College Students PDF Author: Kathryn Claire King
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Academic achievement
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Community College Minority Males' Perception of Success Strategies in Developmental Math

Community College Minority Males' Perception of Success Strategies in Developmental Math PDF Author: Sandy L. Robinson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : African American male college students
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
The number of students attending higher education institutions has increased across the nation over the past few decades. Nearly 46% of students chose to begin postsecondary education or technical training at a community college (American Association of Community Colleges, 2008). Accessibility and lower tuition have contributed to the enrollment growth at 2-year colleges. Consistently, however, fewer minority students graduate in comparison with the majority student population. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of minority males regarding their motivation to attend college, engagement on campus, how they felt they were perceived on the campus, and their views on the strategies used in success initiatives as it related to developmental math. The study sought to determine if there were differences in those factors based upon successful completion of the remedial math course, enrollment status, the institution of attendance, and age. Eighty-nine minority males representing three community colleges in Ohio participated in the research. The study findings suggest that minority males perceive themselves as engaged in the college environment, interacting well with faculty members, and having an overall positive experience on campus. Findings also suggest a need for colleges to provide resources, interaction opportunities, and communication as it pertains to their success.

Programmatic Practices that Promote Student Success in Community College Math Developmental Education

Programmatic Practices that Promote Student Success in Community College Math Developmental Education PDF Author: Elizabeth J. Meza
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 167

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Book Description
Almost half of all college students in the U.S. attend community colleges; almost sixty percent of these students are referred to remedial English, reading or math through means of a standardized placement exam, with math being a the greatest area of need. While these courses, often as many as four in a sequence, are meant to be a boost for students unprepared for college-level coursework, they have low success rates and few students make it through the entire sequence to succeed in a first college-level math course, leaving them far short of graduation or a meaningful credential. While developmental (aka remedial) education, those courses or sequences of courses below the college-level, has received a lot of attention recently due to its high costs and low student success rates, current research has largely failed to document, examine, or classify programmatic approaches to developmental education. This lack of information that would facilitate analysis is due in part to the relatively recent recognition of the problem, but it is also because of the difficulty accessing reliable information about large numbers of programs and the range of definitions, student populations, and perceived quickly shifting innovations (some may go as far as to say educational fads) that developmental education programs encompass. Unfortunately, this lack of a comprehensive picture of developmental education programs has led to either the complete elimination of the programs as unnecessary and perhaps counterproductive for students, or to a focus on a number of disparate approaches with little underlying theory behind them or even agreement as to the problem. This research is centered in 28 Washington state community college campuses and examines a mixed methods approach to answer three main questions: 1) To what extent and in what ways do math developmental program elements vary across institutions? Developmental education may vary widely even within one relatively homogenous state system of community colleges, such as the system in Washington. Programs have differing resources devoted to them, as well as differing pedagogy, intervention strategies and approaches, student referral and advancement policies, etc., and this variation has not even been fully described in previous research. 2) To what extent do student outcomes, as measured by completion of the developmental sequence, completion of a first college-level math course, and highest education reached, vary across the different math developmental education programs, after controlling for student characteristics, among the 28 community colleges in Washington State? What proportion of overall variance is contributed by student characteristics vs. programmatic factors? Wide institutional variation has been found in previous outcomes studies of professional-technical programs leading to terminal associate degrees in Washington, suggesting that institutional or programmatic variables may be contributing significantly to student success or lack of it (Scott-Clayton & Weiss, 2011). 3) What program policies and practices seem to be associated with positive outcomes for developmental education students? Can developmental education programs be categorized in some meaningful way? Is there a "typology" or categorization of programs that identifies characteristics that seem to be associated with either positive or negative results? For example, do schools with better (or worse) results, net of student characteristics, share identifiable programmatic characteristics in terms of policy and practice variables that are positively or negatively associated with student outcomes? I find from this research that strategies such as reducing the total number of courses in developmental education pathways, implementing alternatives to placement in developmental math via standardized tests, and better preparing students for assessment, are associated with greater student success in completing the developmental math sequence and in completing a first college level course. I also find that colleges with these more innovative features are significantly more successful than their more traditional institutional peers in terms of student outcomes. However, I also find no variation between colleges in the outcome of highest education reached, after controlling for student background characteristics. It seems that, at least for this sample, college did not have a significant association with ultimate educational attainment. Diving deeper to examine colleges' policies, practices, and the perspectives of students, faculty, and administrators, I find wide variation in pathways, program structure, assessment policies, connection to advising, tutoring, and institutional research departments, and day-to-day concerns and operations. One commonality is the conviction that teaching that addresses student motivation and confidence in their ability to learn math and peaks their interest, factors not usually examined systematically in higher education policy research, is central to developmental education student success. This research informs strategies for increased college completion for underprepared students. College completion has emerged as of paramount importance in fostering U.S. economic development and global competitiveness, yet if half of college students are unprepared for college work and thus are unlikely to persist to degree completion despite their motivation to attend college, serious attention should be paid to what can be done to increase their odds of success.

Community College Mathematics

Community College Mathematics PDF Author: Brian Cafarella
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000595706
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
This book explores the rich history of community college math with a specific focus on gatekeeper math classes. Gatekeeper math classes include courses such as college algebra, introduction to statistics, and all developmental math classes. For community colleges, successful completion of these classes is imperative for student retention. This book presents a decade-by-decade analysis of the history of community college mathematics. The author employs a mix of conceptual, empirical, and quantitative research. The empirical research stems from interviews with 30 community college faculty members from seven community colleges. From the 1970s to the pandemic in the early 2020s, the book explores math curricula as well as trends, initiatives, teaching practices, and mandates that have impacted community college math. The positives and negatives of such trends, initiatives, and mandates are presented along with suggestions on how to apply such knowledge going forward. The author addresses the key questions: How can we build a future model for community college gatekeeper math classes that is both successful and sustainable? Additionally, how can we learn from the past and the present to build such a model? This book will be ideal for students in graduate programs focusing on community college leadership or developmental education leadership as well as all those hoping to improve success rates in community college mathematics programs.

Community College Students' Academic Success and Persistence in Math Courses After Developmental Math

Community College Students' Academic Success and Persistence in Math Courses After Developmental Math PDF Author: Robin Bontrager
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Academic achievement
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
This qualitative research study was a bounded case study exploring how and why community college students achieved academic success after completion of the developmental math sequence and a college level math course. The purpose of this research was to explore how and why community college students were academically successful in college algebra or elementary statistics after completion of the developmental math sequence. For the purpose of this study, the students' changes in behavior that influenced academic success and persistence in their math courses were generally defined as involvement in academic support programs, integration into social groups, and the perception of their ability to perform in the college level math curriculum. Throughout this study, the intent was to explore the participants' historical and social perspective through their descriptions and perceptions from developmental math through college algebra or elementary statistics. Data collection consisted of surveys, interviews, field notes, archival data, and a focus group session. Themes emerged after repetitive, rigorous listening of the interviews and focus group session; in addition, rereading the transcriptions allowed for immersion into the data. The themes that emerged were (a) ability to succeed, (b) academic support, (c) involvement and behavior changes, and (d) connectedness to faculty. The findings indicated that students' perception of their ability to succeed, self-motivation, family support, faculty relationships, and academic support were all contributing factors of students' achieving academic math success.

Classroom Experiences that Predict Sense of Belonging and Academic Performance Within the Community College Math Classroom

Classroom Experiences that Predict Sense of Belonging and Academic Performance Within the Community College Math Classroom PDF Author: Roopa Prasad
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781321474923
Category : Classroom environment
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description
The purpose of this correlational research was to examine whether community college students' classroom experiences predict their sense of class belonging. Sense of belonging has been linked to persistence decisions of Hispanic students as well as the academic success of these students at four-year institutions. Little work has been done to explore students' sense of belonging within a classroom and its relationship to academic outcomes outside of a four-year institutional context. The two main research questions included examining whether demographic, pre-college/environmental pull, psychosocial, and classroom experiences collectively predict (1) sense of belonging and (2) course performance in a math classroom. A survey was administered to 302 students enrolled in college level math courses at a community college in south Texas. Two multiple hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to assess which predictor variables were significant predictors of sense of belonging and course performance respectively. Results indicated that peer support, faculty validation, math efficacy, and degree of collaboration significantly and positively predicted sense of belonging within the math classroom. Findings also indicated that only math efficacy and math anxiety were significant predictors of course performance. The study concluded that higher degrees of collaborative learning and peer interactions can lead to cohesion and higher sense of class belonging but better academic preparation alone is not significantly related to better course performance.

Attitudes of Community College Developmental Students Toward Mathematics and Their Perception of Mathematically Intensive Careers

Attitudes of Community College Developmental Students Toward Mathematics and Their Perception of Mathematically Intensive Careers PDF Author: Godwin Yao Dogbey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Logistic regression analysis
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description