The effects of combining developmental education with life skills on first semester retention and first semester grade point average
Germano, D. M. (2007). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304701607). Touro University International.
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examining138Students, gradePS
Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: July 2021
- Practice Guide (findings for Developmental success course)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
College GPA |
Developmental success course vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample - EN001 & HU105 vs. EN001;
|
2.29 |
2.07 |
No |
-- | |
|
College GPA |
Developmental success course vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample - DSC vs. EN001;
|
2.16 |
2.07 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Retention |
Developmental success course vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample - DSC vs. EN001;
|
77.78 |
47.92 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Retention |
Developmental success course vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample - EN001 & HU105 vs. EN001;
|
62.22 |
47.92 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 55%
Male: 45% -
Suburban
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New York
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Race Black 18% Other or unknown 25% White 57% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 19% Not Hispanic or Latino 81%
Study Details
Setting
The study is set at Briarcliffe College in Long Island, New York, a small, private college serving about 1,250 commuter students, most of whom are pursuing associate's degrees. The college had developed a new "developmental success course" (DSC) that combined developmental English content and life management skills to support students who entered with weak academic skills as indicated by their scores on the ACCUPLACER placement exam and a College Success survey of readiness to cope with college learning.
Study sample
Of the 138 study participants, sixty-two (44.9%) were male, and 76 (55.1%) were female. There were 106 participants under 23 years of age (77%), 27 (20%) between the ages of 24 and 34, and 5 (4%) over the age of 35. The average age of all study participants was 21.54 years (SD = 5.27). More than half (56.5%) were Caucasian, 18.1% were African American, and 25.4% were of an other race. Almost a quarter (18.8%) were Hispanic.
Intervention Group
The DSC course had 15 modules. The modules covered self-esteem and confidence building, goal setting, time management, study skills, note taking, test anxiety/test taking, critical thinking skills, listening skills, stress management, and multi-tasking. These topics were blended with the developmental English skills. The course met for 4 hours a week over 15 weeks (60 contact hours). In the existing combination - taking the two courses (EN001 & HU105) separately, the English class met for 3 hours a week over 15 weeks while the life management skills class also met for 3 hours a week over 15 weeks, for a total of 6 hours a week over the semester (90 contact hours).
Comparison Group
The developmental English course by itself (EN001) met for 45 contact hours (3 hours/week) and was grammar-focused with some reading and a lot of written homework.
Support for implementation
The courses each have clear, detailed syllabi.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).