Degree Name
EdD (Doctor of Education)
Program
Educational Leadership
Date of Award
8-2016
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Dr. W. Hal Knight
Committee Members
Dr. Donald Good, Dr. Keith Johnson, Dr. James Lampley
Abstract
Every year thousands of students make preparations to pursue a college degree. Many are high school seniors, but a large percentage of the population are nontraditional age students who are years removed from a formal classroom setting. Included in the list of preparations is an examination whose results will be used to determine each individual’s readiness to be academically successful at the collegiate level. These examinations assess student’s abilities in the areas of reading, English composition, and mathematics. The results of these examinations show that at the community college level more than half of these students will need remediation in one of these subject areas. Mathematics is most often the area where deficiencies are identified. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if there are significant differences between 4 mathematics learning support models based on student performance in 2 college level mathematics courses at a 2-year community college in Tennessee.
The subjects of this study were students who were enrolled in MATH 1530, Probability and Statistics, or MATH 1630, Finite Mathematics, from the fall 2011 semester through the spring 2016 semester. Students with ACT, SAT, or ACT Compass exam scores meeting or exceeding established benchmark scores were excluded from the study. Each record also included the learning support model each student participated in, the final letter grade for the course, grouped ACT mathematics subscores, age grouping, and enrollment status.
The results of the study indicated significant differences in student success between learning support models for all research questions involving MATH 1530, Probability and Statistics. Comparisons between ACT mathematics subscore groupings, age groupings, and enrollment status also indicated significant differences in student success. In each case, the current corequisite learning support model proved to be the least successful in preparing students for success in MATH 1530.
Three of the 8 research questions involving MATH 1630, Finite Mathematics, also indicated significant differences in student success between learning support models, with the current corequisite learning support model proving less successful in preparing students for success in MATH 1630.
Document Type
Dissertation - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Dixon, Bobby Allen Jr., "Mathematics Learning Support Models and Student Success at a Tennessee Community College" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3104. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3104
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Other Education Commons