Running Head: REMEDIAL ENGLISH 3
Remedial English: Does it Work?
Deborah Davis
Liberty University
Abstract
This research seeks to determine if enrollment in remedial English courses impacts graduation completion rates students at a four-year University in rural Appalachia. The challenge begins with determining who the students are that are required to take remedial courses. While students are generally assigned to remedial English as a consequence of test scores, a few students will self-identify a need for this form of instruction. Transitions to college programs can aid students in identifying their needs, as can a variety of tools available. Seeking assistance and making assistance available is the next step. Then, students must identify their own learning strategies and take ownership of their own issues. Programs, such as remedial English courses, can aid with learning strategies. This research explores these needs and tools and programs and their impact on graduation rates at a University in rural southern Ohio.
Remedial English: Does it Work?
The Problem
Students with Learning Disabilities (LD) are typically even more unprepared for college level work upon graduating high school than those without learning disabilities. Consequently, LD students are more likely to be enrolled in remedial English classes. Students without LDs are frequently assigned to remedial coursework upon discovery that despite successful completion of high school, their English writing skills are insufficient for college coursework.. These classes are frequently taken for no course credit, yet are the same cost as a three unit course. This can be discouraging to a new college student. The student who takes the course may have to take it multiple times to prove readiness for freshman writing coursework. Consequently, students who take remedial English courses frequently struggle throughout their college careers. These students continue to struggle to graduation if they make it that far.
The Research
Bahr (2012) purports that “the majority of students do not attain college-level competency in the subjects in which they require remedial assistance” (p. 661). This unfortunate truth is applicable throughout the college population. Studies vary widely in the percentage of incoming students requiring remediation, but place it between 20 and 60 percent. Regardless, the problem is rooted below the college level. “Far too many secondary students struggle with literacy” (Ruggieri , 2012, p. 9). The current remediation plan sets up students with literacy issues for at least one extra year of college (Shaw, 2014). While the hope of common core curricula was as increase in academic rigor in preparation for life or college the majority of states have instead revamped their remedial programs to a more developmental approach (Shaw, 2014).
This Study’s Contribution
There is a culture gap between urban teachers and rural students (Hendrickson, 2012). Students who make it through their rural high schools frequently fail at the college level when faced with the need for remedial education. There is a dearth of literature on the subject as pertains directly to Appalachia and the determination of learning disabilities, remediation, and graduation rates. As Hendrickson (2012) points out, “The success of students in rural areas is vital to the success of the region, as these students will make up the community of the future” (p. 48).
Objective
This project endeavors to determine a relationship between the remedial English courses at a rural Appalachia four-year University and the graduation rates of those who take those courses. While students are generally assigned to the course initially by test scores, the students must pass the course and pass an achievement test to be allowed to register for the freshman level course. It would seem likely students who take and pass the remedial English course on the first effort are more likely to succeed in their college program. However, the students who repeat the course until they pass demonstrate a determination that may be critical in their success. This study will aim to determine the consequences of assignment and repeated assignment to remedial English courses on graduation rates.
Research Question
What is the effect of assignment to and participation in remedial English courses as measured by graduation completion rates for students at a rural Appalachian four-year-university?
A Review of the Literature
Background
Some students enter college without the necessary skills to succeed. For many, the enrollment in a remedial education program is intended to bring their skill sets to university level. One problem is that secondary schools and colleges do not always agree on what these skill sets and standards should be (Nasser & Goff-Kfouri, 2008). Another problem is the difficulty in evaluating “the causal influence of participation in developmental coursework compared with enrolling in college-level courses” (Bailey, 2009, p. 24). The consequence of being underprepared is a likelihood of failure in degree completion or certification (Collins, 2013, p. 84). Having some students admitted to college with insufficient skills (Koch, Slate, & Moore, 2012) is not only a source of controversy, but a financial burden (Nasser & Goff-Kfouri, 2008).
Assignment – Prepared for College
Testing is the bane of student existence. However, it is the tool used to measure competency in a given subject. For students entering college, by and large it will be a test score determining placement into a university level course or some form of remedial/developmental course (Collins, 2008). While the tests determine placement, “about 30% of students who were [sic] referred to remediation do not enroll in any courses” (Crisp & Delgado, 2014, p. 100). There is likelihood that “negative feelings related to learning that they would be required to take developmental coursework” (Koch, Slate, & Moore, 2012, p. 72) is one reason for those choosing not to enroll. Bachman (2013) points out the need for relating a remedial requirement with lack of preparation to aid in a shift to a more positive outlook. Credential status, experience, and educational attainment among secondary teachers affect the remediation rates of college-bound students (Howell, 2011). Howell (2011) also points out that “For those who find themselves in remedial courses, the average high school GPA is an astonishingly high 3.1, better than a B” (p. 315). This degree of academic skill is not translating into academic readiness at the college level. Koch, Slate, and Moore (2012) found “Increased rigor due to better alignment of standards or more challenging coursework would better prepare students for postsecondary education” (p. 77). Better preparation would lead to less remediation and a better outcome for these otherwise at-risk students.
Participation – Continued Effort
The skills of a student placed into remedial courses need work and work takes time. It would seem a given that students with lower skills, placed into remedial coursework, would need more time to complete their degree (Bahr, 2012). Bahr (2012) also notes that many of these students will eke through, but never truly attain competency in the areas of remediation. Further, students who succeed in each remedial course on the first try are logically more likely to continue in the remedial progression without delay (Bahr, 2012). Loch, Slate, and Moore (2012) noted that students successfully completing remediation felt good about their abilities having increased self-confidence. A study by Nasser and Goff-Kfouri (2008) sought to determine the impact of remedial on enrollment and whether or not the positive impact on future coursework anticipated was a reality. However, Bachman (2013) found that students were highly frustrated if they felt the work was too easy – not challenging them to enhance their skills. On concern, expressed by Collins (2013) is a “mismatch between developmental education requirements and those associated with students’ academic pathways” (p. 87).
Graduation – Making it All the Way
An instructor with a Master’s Degree and who applies harder tasks seems to result in greater success within English remediation (Howell, 2011). That being said, “degree completion for remedial students is also rare” (Bailey, 2009, p. 14). Bahr (2012) posits that to complete the college level writing course within the first semester is the ideal. Passing the first level courses, Collins (2013) found, was an elemental asset towards degree completion. Another asset to remedial course was when “several students became increasingly aware of their individual learning styles and were able to articulate preferences for particular instructional activities that aligned to their learning styles” ((Koch, Slate, & Moore, 2012, p. 75).
Conclusion
The purpose of this study is to follow up and review the efforts made in recent years for the progress to graduation/certification of students assigned to remedial/developmental courses at a rural Appalachian four-year University. Prior studies have shown that better and more rigorous work at the secondary level leads to higher success at the post-secondary level. Still, many students enter college thinking of themselves as good students, only to find they are not ready to perform college-level work. The consequence can be a challenge to their confidence and their finances. Beyond that, these students will take much longer to graduate and many, if not most will never reach certification or degree completion.
Hypotheses
Null Hypotheses
H01 – There is no statistically significant relationship between the assignment to remedial English education and graduation rates for students at a rural Appalachian four-year University when compared to students not assigned to remedial English education.
H02 – There is no statistically significant relationship between the failure to complete remedial English education on the first try and graduation rates for students at a rural Appalachian four-year University when compared to students not assigned to remedial English education.
H03 – There is no statistically significant relationship between the successful completion of remedial English education on the first try, and graduation rates for students at a rural Appalachian four-year University when compared to students not assigned to remedial English education.
Alternative Hypotheses
H1 – There is a statistically significant negative relationship between the assignment to remedial English education and graduation rates for students at a rural Appalachian four-year University when compared to students not assigned to remedial English education.
H2 – There is a statistically significant negative relationship between the failure to complete remedial English education on the first try and graduation rates for students at a rural Appalachian four-year University when compared to students not assigned to remedial English education.
H3 – There is a statistically significant positive relationship between the successful completion of remedial English education on the first try and graduation rates for students at a rural Appalachian four-year University when compared to students not assigned to remedial English education.
Participants
In the five year period 2007 through 2012, 1000 students were enrolled in remedial English courses at a rural Appalachian university. Of those, 350 were female (35%) and 650 (65%) males. The sample size was determined by all enrollments in remedial English over the fifteen semesters with five courses each during that period. The target population would be all students in rural Appalachian universities who are advised to enroll in remedial English coursework. Of these 1000 students, 875 (87.5%) were Caucasian, 50 (5%) were African-American, 50 (5%) were Native American, and the remaining 25 (2.5%) identified as blended or other.
Setting
The University pseudonymously named Alexandria University is located in rural Appalachia in a town of less than 20,000 people. The university traditionally enrolls between four and five thousand students per semester and has a 1:8 teacher-student ratio. In 2007, the school transitioned from quarter-enrollment to a semester program. In concert with this transition was a required change in curriculum to meet the new course length. Remedial English courses had been in a three-part series for reading, basic writing-mechanics, and basic writing-paragraphs. Since the transition, the reading course has been eradicated and the basic writing courses have been expanded to ensure students with reading issues are incorporated. These courses are limited to twenty students, but only require an enrollment of eight students to start the course. Typically, there are ten to fifteen students enrolled, but only as many as half maintain enrollment throughout the term.
Instrumentation
Alexandria University (AU) uses the ACT test for placement in the English composition program. Students receiving a score of 18 or higher are authorized to enroll in the college-level composition program while students receiving a 17 or lower are to enroll in a remedial English course officer through the School of University Studies. For those students to whom the ACT test was not an option, the school offers the ACT-Compass exam for placement purposes. Additionally, the Reading, Writing Skills, and Writing Essay portions of the ACT-Compass exam are used at the end of the remedial program to inventory the skills of the student and determine readiness for college-level work. The test scores are recorded by the Office of Institutional Efficiency under student identification numbers along with grades received. The ACT is internationally recognized as a validated instrument for placement purposes. Founded in 1959 as the American College Testing program, ACT has been placing students in colleges worldwide for the last fifty-five years. The Testing Center at Alexandria has been administering the ACT-Compass program since the establishment of the university in the mid-1980s.
Research Design
This research will be conducted using an ex post facto causal-comparative design. The independent variable would be the registration and participation in the remedial English course program. The dependent variable would be the placement test scores, grades following completion of a remedial course program, and graduation rates of participants in the remedial program.
This is the appropriate design because the intent of the study is to determine if the remedial program has resulted in student success as measured by completion of the remedial English program, follow-on college-level English coursework, and graduation rates. It is ex post facto in that it is measuring student success on a program that took place during the semesters Fall-2007 through Spring 2014. Schenker and Rumrill (2004) state, “Causal-comparative designs generally involve the use of pre-existing or derived groups to explore differences between or among those groups on outcome or dependent variables” (p. 117). In this study, the groups were pre-existing. Through the spring and summer of 2007, students were selected or directed to enroll in remedial English courses. These assignments were made as a consequence of test scores which were equated to the scores on the ACT-Compass testing program in use at the University. Upon successful completion of the remedial program (as measured by a passing grade), students took the ACT-Compass testing placement program again and, if successful, were then authorized to enroll in college-level English coursework.