Influence of a Community College Developmental Education Writing Course on Academic Performance and

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Influence of a Community College Developmental
Education Writing Course on Academic Performance
and Persistence

• Denise Crews
• John A. Logan College
• Steven Aragon
• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

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Purpose of the Study

• To examine the relationships between
  participation in a CC developmental writing
  course short- and long-term academic
  performance, persistence, goal attainment
• Higher grades
• Complete more credits
• Enroll for more semesters
• Complete degree/certificates and/or transfer at
  higher rates

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Question 1

• Do students who participate in a community
  college developmental education writing course
  differ from nonparticipants in regard to age,
  gender, ethnicity, high school experience,
  writing test score, initial enrollment status,
  and goal intent (degree/certificate and/or
  transfer to a four-year college)?

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Results for Question 1

• Initial participants did not differ from
  nonparticipants in regard to age, gender,
  ethnicity, high school experience, writing test
  score, initial enrollment status,
  degree/certificate intent or transfer intent

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Question 2

• Is there a difference between cumulative grade
  point average for participants of a community
  college developmental education writing course
  and nonparticipants? Is there a difference
  between grades earned in a required college level
  course (English 101), for participants of a
  community college developmental education writing
  course and nonparticipants?

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Results for Question 2

• Initial participants had a significantly higher
  cumulative grade point average
• Initial participants had significantly higher
  mean English 101 grades

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Question 3

• Do students who participate in a community
  college developmental education writing course
  tend to pass a greater percentage of their
  courses than nonparticipants?
• Initial participants had a significantly higher
  credit hour completion percentage compared to
  nonparticipants

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Question 4

• Do students who participate in a community
  college developmental education writing course
  tend to persist for more semesters than
  nonparticipants?
• Initial participants did not persist for more
  semesters

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Question 5

• Do students who participate in a community
  college developmental education writing course
  tend to complete degree/certificates and/or
  transfer at higher rates at the community college
  than nonparticipants?

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Results for Question 5

• No significant association was found for initial
  participation regarding completion of
  degree/certificates and/or transfer completion

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Implications for Policy and Practice
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Advisement

• Place students in developmental writing course
  before college level coursework
• Share the results of this study with students

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Community College Administrators

• Implement policies procedures that ensure
  students take developmental writing during their
  initial semester
• Share with others the financial benefits of
  developmental writing
• Consider placing more emphasis on high school
  coursework pattern grades a writing sample,
  rather than on 1 test score

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Faculty and Students

• Support policies procedures that best prepare
  students for their courses

• Support initiatives that aid with sustaining
  long-term academic momentum

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Implications for Future Research

• More research is needed that reveals the reasons
  why participants are not completing
  degree/certificates and/or transferring at higher
  rates

• Replicate the study at a community college that
  delivers the course in different formats

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Future Research (continued)

• Investigate short- long-term academic
  performance persistence using alternative
  assessment methods
• Investigate the cut-off score that is used to
  determine need for the course

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Future Research (continued)

• More research is needed that provides insight
  into the reasons why particular students enroll
  in a developmental writing course during a later
  semester

• Satisfaction levels of initial participants as
  well as those who dropped the course, stopped
  attending or failed the course should be examined

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Future Research (continued)

• This study should be replicated measuring data at
  semester intervals rather than cumulatively

• Investigate the potential stigma associated with
  taking developmental writing