This dissertation explores student perceptions of effective teaching strategies in a developmental writing course and their perspectives of how well the course prepared them for the freshman college composition course. Three research questions guided the study. Research Question 1 asked which teaching strategies developmental writing students found most effective and why, Research Question 2 asked how confident students were about their writing abilities after completing the developmental writing course and why, and Research Question 3 asked what recommendations former developmental students had for improvement of the developmental writing course? A qualitative research methodology was used. Data were collected in three distinct phases: an online survey, one-on-one interviews, and a focus group interview. The data were analyzed using coding and microanalysis strategies to identify themes and subthemes related to the research questions. The survey revealed students were much more confident in their writing skills and in their abilities to use a variety of organizational structures and to respond effectively to other students' writings after taking the developmental writing course. Students who participated in personal interviews concurred with these findings and reported that one-on-one interaction with instructors was the most effective teaching strategy and that clear instruction in a classroom setting helped them to improve their writing skills. The focus group also agreed that their confidence levels had improved and recommended that more oral presentations and a greater focus on literature be added to the course. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]