Presents results from a longitudinal study of 23 college developmental students, who were surveyed regarding their educational needs and objectives. Recommends that colleges: (1) create a student advisement center with academic counselors; (2) require that all incoming freshmen enroll in learning experience courses; and (3) schedule a monthly…

States that sixty-three percent of 125 developmental students who participated in a retention study in fall of 1995 subsequently left the university, citing financial and academic problems. Recommends improving student retention through the use of early introduction of financial, academic and career counseling, and development of a freshmen…

Describes the following research-based whole language instructional strategies: predictions as a prereading activity; "webbing" words or ideas around a specific topic; shared writing; journal writing; vocabulary development; clustering synonyms as a way of approaching new vocabulary; context clues; analogies; definition maps; and reading short…

Discusses study that assessed developmental students' adjustment to college using the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). Findings revealed that student SACQ scores fell below the means of the norm sample on the Personal-Emotional, Attachment, and Social subscales. There was also a significant difference in scores, with regard to…

Explores the growing body of theory supporting the use of portfolios in student evaluations, including a review of the method's theoretical underpinnings and an account of additional supporting evidence. Suggests that portfolios provide students with a sense of ownership over their writing and creates an introspective classroom community. (18…