An Exploration of the Differences in Characteristics between Passing and Non- Passing Developmental English Students from a Kansas Community College Noreen L. Templin B.B.A., Wichita State University, 1998 M.A., Wichita State University, 2000 Submitted to the Graduate Department and Faculty of the School of Education of Baker University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Date Defended: April 16, 2018 Copyright 2018 by Noreen L. Templin Abstract Some students come to community colleges when they are underprepared for college-level work and must enroll in developmental education courses. The developmental English course at a Kansas community college was a co-requisite of the college-level English Composition I (EG101) course. This combined program of a developmental course paired with a college-level course is known as the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP). Almost 70% of English developmental students passed EG101 in the ALP model during the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 academic year. This study focused on the students enrolled in the first complete academic year of full-scale ALP implementation at a Kansas community college. The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in characteristics of these community college students who successfully passed EG101 compared to those students who did not pass EG101. A quantitative research method was utilized in this study using a descriptive research design. The study of students in P101 (students who passed) and NP101 (students who did not pass) included personal characteristics of sex, age, ethnicity, and residency. The academic characteristics were current credit hours taken in the same semester and including ALP, previous credit hours completed before the semester of ALP, degree declared, and co-enrollment in a remedial reading course with ALP. The results showed current credit hours taken in the same semester and including ALP were higher for P101 students than for the NP101 students. The P101 students had more previous credit hours completed before the semester of ALP than the students in NP101. Regarding sex, the data showed males in NP101 were 21.1% higher than the males in the P101 group, and females were 21.1% higher in the P101 group than the ii females in NP101. Also, the data in the ethnicity group showed that Blacks were 8.6% higher in NP101 than in the Blacks in the P101 group, and Whites were 9.9% higher in P101 than the Whites in NP101. To increase the passing rates of developmental students with these personal and academic characteristics, it is recommended institutions change assessment and placement to multiple measures, curriculum to include intrusive academic advising, and instruction to relational instructional strategies. iii Dedication This study is dedicated to all the community college students enrolled in developmental education yet working hard to earn a degree. This study is also dedicated to the faculty, staff, and administration who are determined to make a difference in the lives of students every day by helping all students learn and reach their goals. iv Acknowledgements The journey of this dissertation completion would not be possible without the help and support of many individuals. My family has been supportive when I decided that this was a journey that I wanted to begin. Specifically, I’m thankful for my husband, Trey, and children, Andrew, Braeden, and Alyson, who gave me unconditional love and support throughout this process. They were always interested in my progress and helped to give me time to work. In addition, my parents taught me how to work hard to reach a goal. Thank you to my extended family, including my parents, in-laws, sisters, and brother, who encouraged me to keep going on my journey and by calling to check on my progress. I would not have been able to complete this study without the support and help of the faculty, staff, and administration at my institution. The faculty in the English department gave me the idea for the topic and then continually stayed interested in my work. They accepted me into their meetings, let me go with them to conferences, and discussed their knowledge and experiences to answer my questions. Because of their help, I was able to learn about a topic in which I previously knew nothing. The staff and administration took an interest in my dissertation and helped me when I needed something. Thank you to my institution for granting me a semester sabbatical to finish my dissertation. Thank you to my dissertation advisor, Dr. Miller, who continually pushed me to do my best through her comments and ideas. Also, thank you to my classmates in Wichita, Sarah and Miya, who become great friends as we worked together to complete this process. We learned to draw on each other’s strengths and laugh, cry, and celebrate v together. Without the help and support of so many people, this dissertation would not be possible. vi Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................v Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. vii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... x List of Figures .................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Background ..............................................................................................................4 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................8 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................9 Significance of the Study .........................................................................................9 Delimitations ..........................................................................................................10 Assumptions ...........................................................................................................11 Research Questions ................................................................................................12 Definition of Terms................................................................................................12 Organization of the Study ......................................................................................14 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature ...................................................................................15 Historical Background of Developmental Education ............................................16 Current Status of Developmental Education..........................................................20 Objectives of Developmental Education ...................................................21 Criticisms of Developmental Education ....................................................26 Recommendations for Developmental Education .................................................33 vii Academic Restructuring of Developmental Education..............................34 Placement Testing Policies ........................................................................38 Accelerated Developmental Education ..................................................................41 Further Research Needed ...........................................................................47 Summary ................................................................................................................48 Chapter 3: Methods ............................................................................................................50 Research Design.....................................................................................................50 Selection of Participants ........................................................................................50 Measurement ..........................................................................................................51 Data Collection Procedures ....................................................................................53 Data Analysis and Hypothesis Testing ..................................................................53 Limitations .............................................................................................................56 Summary ................................................................................................................57 Chapter 4: Results ..............................................................................................................58 Descriptive Statistics ..............................................................................................58 Hypothesis Testing.................................................................................................61 Summary ................................................................................................................68 Chapter