A study to determine the effectiveness of the academic development program at Tennessee Technological University

The purposes of this study were to determine the effectiveness of the Mathematics component of the Academic Development Program at Tennessee Technological University (TTU) and to contribute information to the on-going debate about the value of developmental programs at colleges and universities. The methodology consisted of a two-prong approach using two different populations. The study was accomplished by: 1) Comparing the mean final course grades of 380 former R/D students to those of 485 non-R/D students in level I mathematics courses at Tennessee Technological University (Fall 1996 - Spring 1998). 2) Conducting a pre-/post-test comparison of mean math anxiety scores, as measured by the Math Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS)for 84 students who completed one semester of R/D mathematics (Fall 1997).

The first research question was "Do R/D students at TTU perform as well in level I mathematics courses as do non-R/D students?" The major hypothesis that dealt with part I of the study was "There is no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the mean final course grade of R/D students and that of non-R/D students in level I mathematics courses at TTU" This hypothesis was accepted (not rejected): results from this study indicated that when the mean final course grade of R/D students was compared to that of non-R/D students in all level I mathematics courses combined, there was no significant difference between the mean final course grade for the two groups. Upon comparing the mean final course grade of R/D students to that of non-R/D students in each level I mathematics course individually; the only significant difference that occurred was found in Math 141 (Finite Mathematics); which indicated that R/D students performed better than non-R/D students.

The second research question was "Is there a decrease in the level of math anxiety for students completing one semester of R/D mathematics at TTU?" The major hypothesis which focused on part 2 of the study was "There is no significant decrease (p > 0.05) in the level of math anxiety for students who have completed one semester of R/D mathematics at TTU." This hypothesis was rejected; results from this study indicated that there was a significant decrease in the level of math anxiety, as measured by the Math Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS)The mean pretest score for 84 students enrolled in R/D math courses Fall 1997 was 235.77 compared to the mean posttest score of 205.63This indicated a decrease of 30.14 points on the MARS.

Although there is a need for further research, the positive results of this study, when viewed in the context of other studies that indicated a positive impact of developmental programs, suggest that these programs and investment in them are worthwhile both at Tennessee Technological University and nationally.