Remedial English:
Teacher input student output
Deborah Davis
Candidate for Doctorate of Education (Ed.D)
Liberty University
EDUC 919-390-Winter 2016-LUO
Professional Writing and Research
Literature Review Presentation (1-14-15B)
December 30, 2015
Remedial English: Teacher input student output
• About half of American college freshmen will require remedial English (Howell, 2011;
McCormick, Hafner, & Saint Germain, 2013)
• The difference between “low-skill” and “high-skill” remedial student success in math is
related to completion of requirement at first attempt (Bahr, 2012)
• At the secondary level, students educated by teachers with higher levels of degree
completion were less likely to require remediation (Howell, 2011)
• Students taught remediation by full-time teachers with advanced degrees showed
greater success in subsequent coursework (Moss, Kelcey, & Showers, 2014).
Remedial English: Teacher input student output
• Historical context
• Social context
• Theoretical context
• Problem statement
• Purpose statement
• Significance of the study
• Research questions
• References
Historical context – early years
• Early American colleges expectations (Arendale, 2011).
– Latin, Greek, and high mathematics.
– Preparatory schools or tutors were the norm
• High school as preparation for life, or college (Sana & Fenesi, 2013)
• Vassar preparatory department of mid-1800s and University of Wisconsin
Department of Preparatory studies 1849 (Arendale, 2011)
• University of Minnesota “General College” of 1932 (Glessner, 2015)
Historical context – mid-20th century
• World War II and the GI Bill (Stanley, 2003)
• Huge increase in matriculation from 1935-1945 (Bannier, 2006)
• Community college and remediation flexibility (Bahr, 2013)
• Developmental education and the learning enrichment program 1970s to
present (Arendale, 2011)
Social context
• Students who begin college with remedial English are less likely to succeed
than those who begin with freshman English (Hendrickson, 2012).
• Calarco (2014) details how parents imbue children with their own problem
solving abilities as dictated by class socialization yet teachers tend to view
all children through middle class morays.
• Schnee (2014) found the development of learning communities for students
of like-abilities resulted in greater achievement regardless of attitude upon
entry.
Theoretical context
• Constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978)
• Cognitive learning theory (Moghaddam & Araghi, 2013)
• Transformation theory (Harris, Lorey-Moore, & Farrow, 2008)
Problem statement - basis
• Students who begin college with remedial English are less likely to succeed
than those who begin with freshman English (Hendrickson, 2012)
• There is a direct relationship between the qualifications of the instructor
and the success of the student (Kidron & Lidsay, 2014).
• Ability grouping directly impacts success rates among remedial math
students (Bahr, 2012).
Problem statement
• The problem is that in a time of fiscal constraint, remedial
programs are frequently reduced in staff, particularly senior staff
with higher degrees and students are grouped heterogeneously
providing no differentiation amongst skill levels.
Purpose statement
• The purpose of this quantitative study is to determine the
relationship between teacher education (independent
variable) and completion affects (dependent variable) on
varied entry level students (as measured by the covariant
placement tests) in remedial English at a small four-year
university in rural Appalachia.
Definitions
• Placement – Students are placed into remedial English by ACT/SAT/Compass
scores.
They are placed heterogeneously into basic writing courses.
• Grouping – for purposes of this study, however, the student placements will be
allocated by the following groups:
– High (H) - Within 10% of the placement cutoff score
– Medium (M) – Between 10 and 25% of the placement cutoff score
– Low (L) – Below 25% of the placement cutoff score
• Teachers will be groups by degree achievement – Bachelor/Master
Significance of the study
• While students who require remedial English may start the program at varied ability
levels indicated in placement exams, the impact of the instructor’s education level
on those students ability to increase skill levels and progress from remedial to
college coursework can be measured by the placement and exit exams and
warrants study.
• Null Hypothesis – There is no significant correlation on the successful completion
(criterion) of students placed in remedial English by ACT Compass ® test scores
(covariant) regardless of level of placement (H/M/L) when evaluated against the
level of teacher education (predictor).
Research question 1
• Is there a statistically significant correlation between the degree of the
instructor and the exit scores (COMPASS) for three groups of students
based on entrance scores (COMPASS/ACT/SAT) after one semester of
remedial English at a small four-year university in the foothills of
Appalachia?
Research question 2
• Is there a statistically significant correlation between the degree of the
instructor and the exit scores (COMPASS) for three groups of students
based on entrance scores (COMPASS/ACT/SAT) after multiple attempts at
remedial English at a small four year university in the foothills of
Appalachia?
References
Arendale, D. R. (2011). Then and now: The early years of developmental
education. Research & Teaching in Developmental Education, 27(2), 5876.
Bahr, P. (2012). Deconstructing remediation in community colleges:
Exploring associations between course-taking patterns, course
outcomes, and attrition from the remedial math and remedial writing
sequences. Research in Higher Education, 53(6), 661-693.
doi:10.1007/s11162-011-9243-2
Bahr, P. (2013). The aftermath of remedial math: Investigating the low rate
of certificate completion among remedial math students. Research in
Higher Education, 54(2), 171-200. doi:10.1007/s11162-012-9281-4
Bannier, B. (2006). The impact of the GI bill on developmental education.
Learning Assistance Review (TLAR), 11(1).
References (continued)
Glessner, K. (2015). Only the best need apply? Journal of College
Admission(226), 30-33.
Harris, S., Lowery-Moore, H., & Farrow, V. (2008). Extending transfer of
learning theory to transformative learning theory: A model for promoting
teacher leadership. Theory Into Practice, 47(4), 318-326.
doi:10.1080/00405840802329318
Hendrickson, K. A. (2012). Student resistance to schooling: Disconnections
with education in rural Appalachia. High School Journal, 95(4), 37-49.
Kidron, Y., & Lindsay, J. (2014). Stated briefly: What does the research say
about increased learning time and student outcomes? REL 2015-061
(ED547261). Retrieved from Alexandria, VA:
References (continued)
McCormick, J., Hafner, A. L., & Germain, M. S. (2013). From high school to
college: Teachers and students assess the impact of an expository
reading and writing course on college readiness. Journal of Educational
Research & Practice, 3(1), 30-49. doi:10.5590/JERAP.2013.03.1.03
Moghaddam, A. N., & Araghi, S. M. (2013). Brain-based aspects of cognitive
learning approaches in second language learning. English Language
Teaching, 6(5), 55-61.
Moss, B. G., Kelcey, B., & Showers, N. (2014). Does classroom composition
matter? College classrooms as moderators of developmental education
effectiveness. Community College Review, 42(3), 201-220.
References (continued)
Plank, S. B., & Jordan, W. J. (2001). Effects of information, guidance, and
actions on postsecondary destinations: A study of talent loss. American
Educational Research Journal, 38(4), 947-979.
Sana, F., & Fenesi, B. (2013). Grade 12 versus grade 13: Benefits of an extra
year of high school. Journal Of Educational Research, 106(5), 384-392.
doi:10.1080/00220671.2012.736433
Stanley, M. (2003). College education and the midcentury GI bills. The
Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(2), 671-708.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: the Development of Higher
Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univeristy Press.