Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Katherine Garlough

Abstract

The problem addressed in this study was the absence of a clearly defined pathway to Composition I for Hispanic non-native English-speaking students (HNNESS) testing below college level English at the study site. The purpose of the study was to identify an optimal pre-college English pathway for HNNESS using the college assessment of basic skills (CABS) and the pre-college English pathways (English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) pathway vs Developmental English pathway) on grade point average (GPA) in Composition I. Language acquisition theory framed the study. The research question focused on the effect of CABS performance and type of pathway on Freshman Composition I GPA of HNNESS. In this quantitative, cross-sectional, comparative study, data from 815 students were analyzed with a two-factor ANOVA. Based on analysis of archival data from the research site, the findings showed that HNNESS in the English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) pathway achieved a significantly higher mean Composition I GPA than those in the Developmental English pathway. The variable of CABS performance caused no simple main effects and there was no significant interaction between pathway and CABS performance on Freshman Composition I GPA for HNNESS. To improve access to education and promote positive social change, a white paper was created based on the findings that discusses policy recommendations for mandatory English language assessment by the ESOL program for all HNNESS, better use of institutional data, and greater collaboration between the ESOL and Developmental English programs.

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