Reading improvement, college grades, and attrition

The purpose of this study was to determine if a college level developmental reading class would help the academically underprepared student to be more successful in college as evidenced by improved cumulative G.P.A. scores and/or greater persistence in completing their program. The students who completed ED.EL. 110, Developmental Reading were the experimental group and the students who did not enroll in the course were the control group. These two groups were matched by a computer on the basis of high school G.P.A. scores; type of academic diploma/track the student matriculated in during his/her high school years; ACT scores; and gender. This match generated seventy-four pairs. The independent variable for the study was the students' completion of a college level developmental reading class. The dependent variables were the students' cumulative college G.P.A. scores and the semesters in attendance. Using a t-test for matched pairs, the difference between the mean semesters in attendance and the mean cumulative G.P.A. scores were compared for the control and experimental groups when subdivided according to; gender; academic tracks relative to high school preparation programs; and categories of high school G.P.A. scores established by a .5 point range. The findings of the study confirmed that the developmental reading course for college students did not make a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in terms of persistence or the cumulative college G.P.A. scores when these were evaluated over a five year period, 1984 and 1989. Important implications are that one course in development reading is not sufficient remediation; and that in order to be successful in college, underprepared students must experience a more dramatic and pervasive type of intervention than a single course can offer. The recommendations include intervention at the high school level; at the college entry level; and within the student's major. Students must matriculate in an academic track in high school in order to be successful in college. After entering college, underprepared students need to be advised into remediation programs in the basic skills until their scores indicate they can do college-level work.