A study to determine if remedial mathematics had an impact on retention rates and graduation rates at a four-year public historically Black university.

摘要

Remedial education has been an integral component of higher education for many years. Many historically black colleges and universities have used remedial education as a retention tool. Its focus is to raise students' basic skills to adequately perform college level work and increase the probability of academic success for high-risk students. Though many institutions offer remedial education as a tool to assist with known academic deficiencies, it is often viewed as the panacea to resolve retention and graduation problems. Research indicated that there is a need for other programs and maybe even policy changes to deal with retention challenges that confront colleges and universities today. These policy changes and practices would range from changes in admissions standards to more selectivity in the admissions process. Additionally, institutions must also deal with social and economic issues that influence students' desire to persist through the education process. The purpose of this study was to determine if remedial mathematics had an impact on retention and graduation at a four-year public historically black university. The study was designed to determine if there were any differences in graduation rates and retention rates for students who took remedial mathematics versus those students who did not. Data was analyzed through use of statistical tools such as correlation analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The data for this study were retrieved from Fall 1992 (712 students) and Fall 1993 (546 students) admission classes consisting of 1258 students. Study criteria were that students had to be African Americans, high school graduates, and enrolled in remedial mathematics during their first year of attendance. Variables used in the study included high school grade point average, high school class rank, SAT math score, SAT verbal score, residence, gender, enrollment status in remedial mathematics, retention status, end of the first year grade point average, and graduation status. The dependent variable used in the study was the end of the freshman year grade point average. Independent variables used I assessing performance were retention status, enrollment status in remedial mathematics, and graduation status. The performance of remedial students was compared with the performance of non-remedial students. The study found that enrollment in remedial mathematics may have contributed to academic success but did not appear to have assisted with improving retention rates and graduation rates. The study suggests that retention will continue to be a major concern of higher education administrators and that remediation coupled with other tools could make a difference in academic and performance and ultimately, retention and graduation. Until remedial efforts are considered in concert with other programs, administrators will continue to have difficulty assessing the effectiveness of remedial programs and their impact on persistence.