Date

6-2019

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)

Chair

Steven A. McDonald

Keywords

College Readiness, Developmental Math, College Success, College-level Math, Transition Theory, Persistence

Disciplines

Education | Higher Education

Abstract

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the shared experiences of former developmental-math students who have successfully completed a college-level math course at a college in the U.S. The theory guiding this study is Schlossberg’s transition theory as it explains the transitions the students make when entering college-level math, taking the college-level math course, and successfully completing the college-level math course (Schlossberg, 1981). The data was drawn from interviews, an online discussion group, focus groups, and questionnaires. The modified Moustakas method was applied to analyzing the data. The data was examined first by horizonalizing the data, giving equal weight to all of the ideas and topics presented in the interview. The data was analyzed to identify and organize the meaning units and then cluster them into common themes. These themes were distilled into the essence of the phenomenon (Moustakas, 1994). The data was carefully examined to discover common themes and arrive at the essence of the phenomenon. Participants in this study were college students who were enrolled in developmental math and continued on to successfully complete a college-level math course. The main question framing the study was: What are the shared experiences of former developmental-math students who have successfully completed a college-level math course? Sub-questions sought to explore the students’ experiences in math classes that preceded enrollment in college-level math courses, their experiences in the college-level math course, and their expectations for the future now that the students have successfully completed a college-level math class.

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