Date of Conferral
2016
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
George McMeen
Abstract
Attrition for entry-level, non-traditional college students taking developmental reading courses is a concern for higher education institutions. Students need to complete basic developmental reading courses in order to progress in their vocational or collegiate studies. This phenomenological study followed a social constructivist approach to attempt to understand what developmental reading students and faculty experience regarding persistence. The key research question examined the perceptions and understandings of college students and faculty involved in college entry level, non-traditional developmental reading classes regarding the factors impacting student persistence at a local community college. Using interviews, surveys, and participant journals, data were collected from 3 non-traditional, developmental reading students, who were over 24 years of age, and 3 of their instructors. Interview data were transcribed and all data were analyzed using open coding and thematic analysis. The themes discovered from both student and instructor perspectives were that student-centered instruction, experiential learning, and critical reflection were all methods for improving developmental reading student persistence. Implications for positive social change include providing research findings to the local site that might be used to improve student retention in developmental reading courses.
Recommended Citation
Aofrate, Lisa H., "Perceptions of Community College Students and Faculty on Persistence in Developmental Reading" (2016). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 2516.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2516
Included in
Community College Education Administration Commons, Community College Leadership Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Other Education Commons, Reading and Language Commons
