Date of Award
9-8-2015
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
David Holman
Committee Members
Craig Johnson; Joseph Nichols; Steve Bounds
Call Number
LD 251 .A566d 2015 M25
Abstract
Colleges and Universities in Arkansas are concerned about retention and graduation rates due to an interest in improving degree attainment. Over half of students entering higher education in Arkansas require remedial coursework, and mathematics is the subject area most commonly needing remediation. Arkansas Colleges and Universities perform below the national average in first to second year retention rates, and the problem is greatest at the two-year college level. This study focused on students at a two-year college in Arkansas who attempted a developmental mathematics course during the fall 2013 semester. Mathematics faculty members nominated students who successfully completed the course and students who did not successfully complete the course during their first semester in college for participation in the study. The grounded theory process provided a systematic approach to collection, analysis, and synthesis of data. The participants in this study were asked to describe what was helpful and what was not helpful in completing their developmental mathematics course. During the interviews, participants were asked to reflect and provide additional details based on their answers to the initial questions. Participants discussed what they perceived as helpful in moving toward success and issues that hindered their ability to successfully complete the course. Successful completers identified a positive turning point toward successful completion of the course. From the responses of the participants, unconfident mathematics learner, coping skills, blockers, and meaningful connections emerged as axial categories. These entertwined categories led toward the core category persistence decisions. The emergent theory of the perceptions of developmental mathematics students regarding persistence helps to explain why some of the students were able to complete the course in one semester and why other participants did not complete the course in one semester. Understanding students’ perceptions about factors that hindered or assisted their success is critical in improving retention programs. This understanding of the nonacademic factors that influence successful completion of developmental mathematics courses can inform practice and fuel additional research.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Mayes, David M., "Factors That Affect Success in a Developmental Mathematics Course at an Arkansas Two-Year College: A Grounded Theory" (2015). Student Theses and Dissertations. 724.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/724
