Data from a freshman survey instrument (CIRP) completed by the 1992 entering cohort of 500 freshmen at a Florida community college and three-year outcomes data from the college's database were analyzed to define differences in college-ready and underprepared students classified according to a computerized placement test. Based on chi square analysis of categorical variables and multivariate ANOVAs for each cluster of related interview questions, the authors describe significant differences between underprepared and college-ready students and discuss their findings in relationship to the literature on at-risk student groups and psychological theories.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abraham, A.A. (1992). They came to college? A remedial/developmental profile offirst-time freshmen in SREB States (No. 25). Atlanta: Southern Regional Education Board.
2.
Adelman. C. (1996, October 4). The truth about remedial work: It's more complex than windy rhetoric and simple solutions suggest. Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A35-A35.
3.
American College Personnel Association (ACPA). (1994). The student learning imperative: Implications for student affairs. Washington, DC: Author.
4.
Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V.S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press.
5.
Boylan, H.R., Bonham, B.S., & Bliss, L.B. (1994). Characteristic components of developmental programs. Research in Developmental Education, 11(1), 1-4.
6.
Chickering, A.W. (1990). The modern American college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
7.
Cohen, A.M., & Brawer, F.B. (1991). The American community college student (2nd ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991.
8.
Cross, K.P. (1974). Beyond the open door. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
9.
El-Khawas, E., & Knopp, L. (1996). Campus trends 1996: Adjusting to new realities (Higher Education Panel Report, No. 86). Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
10.
Florida State Board of Community Colleges. (1996). Florida Community College System accountability report 1994-1995. Tallahassee, FL: Author.
11.
Gardiner, L.F. (1994). Redesigning higher education: Producing dramatic gains in student learning. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, 23(7). Washington, DC: George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
12.
Gleazer, E.J. (1970). The community college: Issues of the 1970s. Educational Record, 51, 47-52.
13.
Grimes, S.K., & Antworth, T. (1996). Community college withdrawal decisions: Student characteristics and subsequent re-enrollment patterns. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 20(4),345-361.
14.
House, J.D. (1992). The relationship between academic self-concept, achievement-related expectancies, and college attrition. Journal of College Student Development, 33, 5-10.
15.
Illinois State Board of Higher Education. (1997). The scope and effectiveness of remedial/developmental education in Illinois public universities and community colleges. Springfield, IL: Author. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 411 008)
16.
Jessor, R., Donovan, J.E., & Costa, F.M. (1991). Beyond adolescence: Problem behavior and young adult development. New York: Cambridge University Press.
17.
King, P.M., & Baxter-Magolda, M.B. (1996). A developmental perspective on learning. Journal of College Student Development, 37(2), 163-169.
18.
Lewis, L., Farris, E., & Greene, B. (1996). Remedial education at higher education institutions in fall 1995. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
19.
London, H. (1980). In between: The community college teacher. Annals of the American Academic of Political and Social Science, 448-448.
20.
Losak, J. (1986). What constitutes student success in the community college?Community College Journal for Research and Planning, 5, 2-2.
21.
McGrath, D., & Spear, M.B. (1991). The academic crisis of the community college. New York: State University of New York Press.
22.
McKeachie, W.J., Pintrich, P.R., Lin, Y-G., Smith, D.A.F., & Sharm, R. (1990). Teaching and learning in the college classroom: A review of the research literature (2nd ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: Regents of the University of Michigan.
23.
McMillan, J.H., & Forsyth, D.R. (1991). What theories of motivation say about why learners learn. In R. Menges and M.D. Svinicki (Eds.), College teaching: From theory to practice (pp. 39-52). New Directions for Teaching and Learning,No. 45. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
24.
Olejnik, S., & Nist, S.L. (1992). Identifying latent variables measured by the learning and study strategies inventory (LASSI). Journal of Experimental Education, 60(2), 151-159.
25.
Pascarella, E.T., Whitt, E.J., Nora, A., Edison, M., Hagendorn, L.S., & Terenzini, P.T. (1996). What have we learned from the first year of the national study of student learning?Journal of College Student Development, 37(2), 182-192.
26.
Pew Higher Education Research Program. (1990). Breaking the mold. Policy Perspectives, 2(2), 1-1.
27.
Phillippe, K.A. (Ed.). (1995). National profile of community colleges: Trends and statistics 1995-1996. Washington, DC: Community College Press.
28.
Pressley, M., & McCormick, C.B. (1995). Advanced educational psychology for educators, researchers, and policymakers. New York: Harper Collins.
29.
Richardson, R., & Skinner, E. (1992). Helping first-generation minority students achieve degrees. In L. Zwerling & H. London (Eds.) First-generation students: Confronting the cultural issues. (pp. 29-43). New Directions for Community Colleges,No. 80. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
30.
Rotter, J. (1966). Generalized expectations for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80, 1-28.
31.
Roueche, J.E., & Roueche, S.D. (1993). Between a rock and a hard place: The at-risk student in the open-door college. Washington, DC: Community College Press.
32.
Roueche, J.E., & Roueche, S.D. (1999). Keeping the promise: Remedial education revisited. Community College Journal, 69(5), 12-18.
33.
Seligman, M.E.P. (1975). Helplessness: On depression, development, and death. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman.
34.
Stage, F.K. (1996). Setting the context: Psychological theories of learning. Journal of College Student Development, 37(2), 227-235.
35.
Schroeder, C.C., & Hurst, J.C. (1996). Designing learning environments that integrate curricular and co-curricular experiences. Journal of College Students Development, 37(2), 174-181.
36.
Thombs, D.L. (1995). Problem behavior and academic achievement among first-semester college freshmen. Journal of College Student Development, 36(3), 280-288.
37.
Tinto, V. (1975). Dropouts from higher education: Synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45, 89-125.
38.
Weiner, B. (1980). Human motivation. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.
39.
Weinstein, C.E., Palmer, D.R., & Schulte, A.C. (1987). The learning and study strategies inventory. Clearwater, FL: H & H Publishing Company.
40.
Weissman, J., Silk, E., & Bulakowski, C. (1997). Assessing developmental education policies. Research in Higher Education, 38(2), 187-200.
41.
Willette, L. H. (1989). Are two-year college students first generation college students?Community College Review, 17(2), 58-52.
