Predictive Factors Associated with Newly Graduated High School Students’ Enrollment in A Remedial Course at A Community College

Author(s)

John WhitonFollow

Date

2-2016

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Nathan Putney

Keywords

College Readiness, Community College, Cultural Capital, Human Capital, Social Capital

Disciplines

Community College Leadership | Curriculum and Instruction | Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Methods

Recommended Citation

Whiton, John, "Predictive Factors Associated with Newly Graduated High School Students’ Enrollment in A Remedial Course at A Community College" (2016). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 1136.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/1136

Abstract

The large number of students who graduate from high school inadequately prepared for college is a national problem. For this reason, this study examined the relationship between individual student-level factors during high school and students’ enrollment in a remedial course in community college. A correlational design, binary logistic regression analysis, was used. Analysis involved a correlation matrix of predictors, and tests for multicollinearity. A convenience sample of participants readily available to the researcher was employed. The sample consisted of 327 diverse students enrolled on a selected campus. All participants were first time enrollees at the community college and within one to three years of their high school graduation. Two groups of students were surveyed: about half were enrolled in at least one remedial course and the remainder was enrolled in non-remedial-only courses. A questionnaire was administered to the two groups to gather information on their human, cultural, and social capital resources and to gather demographic and socioeconomic data. The instrument employed followed the U.S. Education Longitudinal Study of 2002. Three significant predictor variables were negatively correlated with the criterion variable: taking high school math above Algebra 2; household income above $50,000 in the final year of high school; and the cultural capital variable, discussing community, national and world events. Findings will help school administrators, teachers, and parents to understand significant factors influencing students’ enrollment in a remedial course, and have the potential to inform schools’ decisions regarding course enrollment patterns and strategies. Recommendations for future research are provided.