Using a review of survey responses from developmental reading students at a residential two-year college, this article reports that great emphasis should be placed on student/faculty interactions and positive peer group interactions in the college experience. Suggests that faculty members participate in academic advising, offer study skills…

Argues that many developmental students succeed in college regardless of their basic academic ability and high school records. Presents data that suggest that, as a predictor of academic success over time, conscientiousness combined with metacognitive study skills is superior to ACT test performance. Suggests that proper developmental learning…

Offers answers to 20 questions most frequently asked by faculty concerning supplemental instruction (SI) programs. Explains that SI instructors are usually students who have successfully completed a course that has been targeted as high-risk. States that students who attend SI sessions have a high course success rate overall, and that they persist…

States that cooperative learning in developmental mathematics classes has greater success rates than do traditional remedial courses. Discusses learning communities--in which instructors work with other instructors to help students connect mathematics with other disciplines, and in which there is an increased level of peer interaction--as an…

Reports that most of 13 developmental algebra students interviewed preferred constructing tables of values, or the combination of prose with tables, as symbolic models for additive and unit-rate functional relationships. States that these students achieved greater success rates than those who used only prose in their symbolic modeling attempts.…

Reports that developmental freshmen taking a one-credit remedial learning skills course did not receive grades significantly better or worse (either during or immediately after taking the course) than non-participating students. States that these results are consistent with other studies indicating that developmental freshmen need time to respond…

Contends that developmental students can become more self-regulated in learning, appraising need for further study, deploying strategies to meet needs, and assessing their learning progress by using self-monitoring assignment record sheets developed by teachers. States that systematically tracking their performance helps students take ownership…

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…

Asserts that almost all U.S. colleges and universities offer some form of developmental education, if one considers tutorial and learning assistance programs in addition to formal courses. Presents an historical analysis of developmental programs, stating that they, in some form, have been a part of postsecondary education since Harvard was…

Describes a follow-up study on student performance that investigated whether students' lack of success in an introductory psychology course was specific to the class or part of a general pattern of failure. Finds that 9.5% of the students did not finish the course successfully and that academic intervention did not help. Contains 14 references.…

Assesses the effectiveness of teaching metacognitive thinking strategies through modeling to college students. Compares the reading test performance of students who had the strategies modeled to them, of students who only had the strategies taught to them, and of control group students. Teaching the strategies without modeling was ineffective.…

Describes ARC (Associate=Prereading, Read=Guided Reading, Connect=After Reading), an instructional reading technique employing cognitive mapping or networking, based on the ability of students to utilize prior knowledge and assimilate new material. Describes the ARC procedure, provides a rationale for the technique, and reports observed results.…

Assesses the effects of interspersed-adjunct summary questions (i.e., questions appearing regularly throughout reading text requiring students to summarize the main points of previously read material) on reading comprehension and comprehension monitoring (i.e., awareness of level of understanding during reading tasks) of high-ability and…

Describes a study of the cultural literacy of developmental, nondevelopmental, and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) college students and their high school preparation to determine whether high school was a significant factor in accumulation of cultural literacy. Offers suggestions for improving the cultural literacy of developmental students.…

Presents preliminary results from a continuing study of academic locus of control (ALOC). Describes ALOC differences between development/nondevelopmental students, males/females, and based on class status and number of developmental courses taken. Reveals a more highly developed sense of internal control among nondevelopmental students. Includes…