Entry level into developmental studies: Does it affect student retention?
Abstract
This study compared the retention rate of nondevelopmental students to developmental mathematics students over a 6 year period from the fall semester of 1992 through the spring semester of 1998. For the purposes of this study, a retained student was defined to be a student who graduated or was still enrolled at the end of the specified time frame. The population consisted of first-time freshmen entering Middle Tennessee State University in the fall semester of 1992. A series of Chi Square statistical tests were run on data gathered from university records. Findings from the study revealed that nondevelopmental students (59%) were retained at significantly higher rates than developmental mathematics students (45%). When comparing the retention rates of nondevelopmental students to developmental mathematics students according to their entry level into developmental mathematics, the results indicated a significant difference in the retention rates of the four groups: Nondevelopmental (59%), Basic Mathematics (38%), Elementary Algebra (42%), and Intermediate Algebra (52%).
Subject Area
Mathematics education|Higher education|School administration
Recommended Citation
Marva Sullivan Lucas,
"Entry level into developmental studies: Does it affect student retention?"
(1999).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI9943848.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI9943848