IllllllllllllllllHIHHHIIUIWIHIIIIIIIHHIUIIHIHI 31293 0008_2 2985 Fix-w may This is to certify that the dissertation entitled A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A LEARNING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IN A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE presented by BEVERLY HOGBERG MORRISON has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for PH.D. degreein HIGHER EDUCATION Y 7' t l «(A 1 Major professor Date éZ/5'57T MSU is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution 0-12771 “swings remove this checkout from your record. FINES will be charged if book is returned after the date stamped below. MSJ RETURNING MATERIALS: Place in book drop to A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A LEARNING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IN A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE BY Beverly Hogberg Morrison A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Higher Education 1984 ABSTRACT A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A LEARNING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IN A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE By Beverly Hogberg Morrison The Academic Support Program at Calvin College was originated to provide supportive services to academically "high risk" students. The purpose of this study was to as- sess the effectiveness with which the Academic Support Pro- gram provided these students with skills needed to be suc- cessful in subsequent academic work and with support in both the cognitive and affective domains. The Academic Support Program was evaluated by hypo- theses generated from the following research questions: 1. Do academically "high risk" students who accept the invitation to participate in the Academic Support Program have significantly higher grades in related college courses than do similarly "high risk" students who were invited to participate in the program but chose not to do so? 2. Do the academically "high risk" students who par- ticipate in the Academic Support Program have a positive cor- relation to retention in Calvin College? 3. Do former participants of the Academic Support Pro- gram who are still enrolled in the college after five Beverly Hogberg Morrison semesters exhibit internal motivation and goal directed be- havior and express a positive relationship to the program? The population studied included the 1980-81 freshmen who had been invited to participate in the Academic Support Program and were categorized based on participation/lack of participation in the program. Hypotheses tested were related to the dependent variables: English grammar exam scores, mathematics course grades, first semester grade point aver- ages, and numbers of semesters enrolled at Calvin. The E-test was applied to the hypotheses related to academic suc- cess and differences were tested for significance; the chi- square value and coefficient of contingency were calculated to test correlation of participation in the program and re- tention. Descriptive data, obtained through a questionnaire, provided a profile of program participants who had remained at Calvin at least five semesters and indicated participant perceptions of program effectiveness. Participation in the program yielded significant dif- ferences in English scores and grades but none for first semester or mathematics grades, nor did participation corre- late with retention. The descriptive data, however, revealed participants had perceived the components as helpful and recommended them to others. The program also was consistent with characteristics literature had equated with program SUCCESS . ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my appreciation to the following: My major advisor -- Dr. Richard Gardner who allowed me to set the di- rection of my study, continuously supported me throughout my program, skillfully guided me through the dissertation, and graciously met with me at my convenience in the manner of a friend. My committee members -- Dr. James Costar who originally inspired me to set the goals which have led to this dissertation and continually provided the counsel and direction which stimulated me to attain these goals. Dr. Max Raines who encouraged me academically through an independent study and frequently direc— ted me to resources appropriate to this disserta- tion. Dr. Louis Romano who provided insights into the relationship of evaluation and administration and has motivated me to continue to develop the skills acquired in the evaluation process util- ized in this dissertation. Professionals who personally encouraged me through their expressions of appreciation for the worthiness of my contributions in the classroom and at work -- Dr. Keith Goldhammer, former professor at Michigan State University. Dr. Charles Miller, Academic Dean at Calvin College. My family -- Bill who in tangible ways made possible the inde- pendence necessary to pursue my studies and as a supportive husband has always encouraged the stewardship of my talents. Heather who often gave willingly her help in the home, provided understanding and companionship, ii and greeted each of my accomplishments with en- thusiasm. Hans who has done his best to keep my work on this dissertation in proper perspective. iii LIST OF Chapter I. II. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLES THE STUDY Introduction . . Purpose of the Study Context of the Study . . Rationale for the Study Scope of the Study Generalizability . Assumptions Limitations Definitions of Terms Terms Related to the Program Terms Related to Research . Organization of Subsequent Chapters REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Research Pertaining to Learning Assistance Programs . Development of Learning Assistance Programs Theoretical Foundations for Learning Assistance Programs Participants in Learning Assistance Programs Professionals in the Learning Assistance Program Research Investigating Retention of College Students . Literature Examining Program Evaluation Development of Program Evaluation Function of Program Evaluation Frameworks for Evaluation Current Definitions of Evaluation Evaluation of Learning Assistance Programs Studies Related to the Evaluation of Learning. Assistance Programs Overview of Remaining Chapters it Page vii 19 19 20 23 24 26 30 31 32 36 39 4O 42 45 Chapter Page III. METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Description of the Sample . . . . . . . . . . 47 Description of the Treatment . . . . . . . . . 50 Design of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Research Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Procedures . . . . . . . . . . 52 Description of the Instruments . . . . . . . . 53 Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 IV. PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA . . . . . . 59 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Statistical Analysis . . . . . . . . . 60 Effects on Grammar Exam Scores . . . . . f 60 Effects on English 100 Grades . . . . . 62 Effects on First Semester Grade Point Averages . . . . . . 63 Effects on Mathematics Grades . . . . . . 65 Effects on Retention . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Descriptive Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 V. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Summary of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Major Results and Discussion . . -. . 81 Participation in Academic Support and Academic Success . . . . . . . 81 English Grammar Exam Scores . . . . . 81 English 100 Grades . . . . . 82 First Semester Grade Point Averages . 83 Mathematics Grades . . . . 85 Participation in Academic Support and Retention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Descriptive Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Background Profile . . . . . . 90 Original Purpose and Intended Length of Stay . . . . . . . . 91 Schools Originally Considered . . . . . . 92 Declared Major . . . . 96 Participant Perceptions of the Academic Support Program . . . . . . . . . 97 Study and Academic Patterns . . . . . . . 100 Preferred Learning Style . . . . . . . . . 101 Chapter VI. CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary of the Study . . . Conclusions and Implications . Program Effectiveness Related to Research Questions . Program Effectiveness Related to Institutional Goals Program Effectiveness Related to Literature Review Recommendations Appendix A. COVER LETTER FOR QUESTIONNAIRE B ENGLISH 100 GRAMMAR EXAM . C. QUESTIONNAIRE D LETTER OF PERMISSION FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL CORPORATION . . I'fi DESCRIPTIVE COMPOSITE OF RESPONDENTS F. RESPONDENT PERCEPTIONS OF THE ACADEMIC SUPPORT PROGRAM . . . . . . G. PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS REPORTING USE OF APPROPRIATE STUDY SKILLS AND TIME MANAGEMENT . . . . . H. RESPONDENT LEARNING STYLE PREFERENCES I. FIRST SEMESTER REPORTS FOR CONDITIONALLY ADMITTED FRESHMEN . . . . . . BIBLIOGRAPHY vi Page 104 105 105 111 112 115 123 124 131 135 136 138 139 140 141 142 Table 10. 11. 12. 13. LIST OF TABLES Frequency distributions of invitational groups by sex and race Description of English invitational students Description of mathematics invitational students Comparison of mean grammar exam scores for 1nV1tationa1 groups Comparison of mean English 100 grades for invitational groups . Comparison of mean first semester grade point averages for invitational groups Comparison of mean mathematics core course grades for invitational groups Correlation of participation in the Academic Support Program with retention for four semesters Correlation of participation in the Academic Support Program with retention for six semesters Comparison of mean number of semesters persisted for invitational groups Summary of research findings for null hypotheses Breakdown of Academic Support Program participants by area of study Comparison of the 1980-81 Academic Support participants with those who remained after five semesters vii Page 48 48 49 61 63 65 66 68 69 70 80 91 94 Table Page 14. -- Respondent perceptions of academic support program . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 15. -- Percentage of respondents reporting use of appropriate study skills and time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 viii CHAPTER I THE STUDY Introduction Learning assistance as a field of study is still an evolving chapter in higher education. Many of the learning assistance programs which had their inception in the late 1960's have transcended beyond their original remedial pur- pose of attracting and retaining those formerly denied admis- sion to higher education; a few have emerged as developmental programs with multiple, related support services. The actu- ality, however, of what colleges are doing to help students remedy academic deficiencies is part of a developing process. Even though many such programs have existed in essen- tially their same forms long enough for valid research to have been conducted, many institutions, in attempting to maximize their students' educational development, still ig- nore many critical issues relating to evaluation or attend to them with an unsophisticated level of practice or in an in- effectual manner (Astin, 1982; Grant and Hoeber, 1978). Operating as innovative programs in settings in which the "traditional" is often valued regardless of its productivity, learning assistance program administrators must respond ag- gressively to improve current levels of practice and become increasingly aware of the value of evaluation in managing 1 2 programs and of the importance of feedback in an action ori- ented view of quality assessment. The importance of evalua- tion to learning assistance programs is reinforced by Boylan who attributed the relevance of any learning assistance pro- gram to the degree to which the value of the program is de- termined, measured, and reported (1981, p. 14). In acknowledging the paucity of data to substantiate the success or lack of success of individual programs, lit- erature relating to learning assistance is calling not only for individual program accountability as to what constitutes program effectiveness but also for the sharing of information among the community of learning assistance professionals (Grant and Hoeber, 1978; Obler, 1983; and Roueche, S., 1983). According to Majer and Myers (1981), such sharing would have two major purposes: the helping of learning assistance di- rectors to make decisions about the kinds of programs or particular components of programs they may wish to implement and the forming of a concensus among such educators about appropriate evaluation models for learning assistance pro- grams. This study reflects a professional response to such challenges; provides information about the relative success of the Academic Support Program at Calvin College; and re- ports a framework for the routine, systematic collection of data, the conducting of a program evaluation, and the publish- ing of the results. 3 Purpose of the Study The purpose of this evaluative study”wasto assess the Academic Support Program at Calvin College in terms of the effectiveness with which it provided academic support and skills to those who weneadmitted to the institution as aca- demically "high risk” students. The study recognized the re- search of Mulka and Sheerin (1974, p. 145) who posed that a lack of basic skills for successfully achieving the benefits of higher education is a far more critical barrier to educa- tional opportunity than any other single factor and that reading, writing, and mathematics are the most common compon- ents of the basic skills curriculum. The study addressed the ability of the program's components to meet these needs for underprepared students in both the cognitive and affective domains and provided data concerning the persistence of such students in subsequent academic work. The study had additional purposes of providing data which could: (1) be utilized as part of a management tool to imple- ment informed decisions about the continuation or modification of the Academic Support Program. (2) clarify the relationship of the Academic Support Program to the broader mission of the college and act as a tool for articulating the Academic Support Program as a support for faculty in their particu- lar courses. Bringing this relationship to the foreground expandadconcern for a "quality" program 4 to an enlarged understanding of "quality" in a com- munity of learning. (3) supplement the data base being developed to help provide answers to broad concerns that are profes- sionally shared by those associated with learning assistance. Context of the Study Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Calvin College, which serves 4000 students, is a four-year liberal arts col- lege of the Christian Reformed Church, a century-old denomin- ation with roots in the Protestant Reformation. The Academic Support Program of the college was initiated in 1977 and based its operational rationale in the policy of the college that admits all students for whom there is some reasonable prospect that they will be able to complete the college pro- gram.' The program operated from the premise that since stu- dents were admitted with condition and were retained on pro- bation, the college had an obligation to provide supportive services to these students who were judged to need them be- cause of past academic performance or because of current dif- ficulties with their academic programs. The Academic Support Program included four courses designed to review pre-college work. These did not carry credit for graduation but were recognized by the registrar and the Office of Financial Aid as registered units. A student normally participated in the Academic Support Program as one- fourth of the academic load with the rest of the course work 5 being in the traditional core curriculum. The mathematics classes met four times a week for an hour each and were pre- liminary to college math courses. The English grammar lab was held three separate hours a week as a structured class and was taken simultaneously with English 100, the college freshman writing class. The study skills class met two hours a week and utilized the textbooks of either history, psychology, sociology, or religion for application of skills. Having developed since 1977 in a rather serendipitous manner, the Academic Support Program had reached a fairly stable stage, perceived by the institution to be serving more of a remedial function than developmental. Those profession- ally involved in the program, however, exhibited a holistic concern for their students and realized their responsibilities for frequent monitoring of student progress. They recorded the services that students had received and the results that had occurred, provided academic advising, and enhanced the academic self-concept as a means of achievment motivation and a means of becoming ones own "locus of control". Rationale for the Study This study evolved out of a professional responsibility on the part of this researcher, who recognized evaluation to be an essential component of any program's development, and out of an attendant concern for the value of the program in terms of data to make its worth credible. The judgment of such a need is professionally shared. Roueche and Snow conducted a study which concluded. that 'Wflue most 6 successful developmental educational programs are generally those that evaluate themselves and use a number of indices on which to evaluate those efforts" (1977, p. 107). Based on similar counsel from Akst and Hecht (1980) who suggested, in addition, that long-range methods should be used to assess students' performance after they 'had left the learning as— sistance program, this study has a three part methodology. Each of the three segments was aimed at collecting data that would relate dependent variables to intervention goals and result in the practical benefits of informed decisions re- lated to the program. While all of the components focused on evaluation, they combined quasi-experimental and contextual methodologies. Post-facto studies were used to assess the effectiveness of program components as it was assumed that these components represented the implementation of well-defined program goals; the inductive methodology of contextual research was imple- mented through a questionnaire revealing descriptions of pro- gram participants and their interactions with the program. These provided an analysis of the program context which was iterative, with the descriptions becoming the basis for future questions and concerns. The rationale for this studyvuusnot limited to provid- ing an assessment of one particular program, for in develop- ing the design for this evaluation of a learning assistance program in a liberal arts college, the study couldlxeutilized as a response to an eminent concern expressed:hidevelopmental 7 educational journals and at conferences. Capsulatedlanoylan (1981), is this need for the reporting of evaluation models and learning assistance program outcomes through the profes- sional communication network so that learning assistance educators, most of whom are practitioners and not researchers, can understand better what is being done, how what is being done can be improved, and how value for what is being done can be established. It is especially appropriate, according to Boylan (1981, p. 13), for evaluation models to be shared among developmental educators as these models can assist in the formation of a consensus on major theoretical issues and help to develop appropriate evaluation models which can, through modification, be generalized for use in assessing other programs. Fitz-Gibbon and Morris also acknowledged that.aproject may be limited to a unique audience but that it is not beyond the scope of an evaluator's job to educate others in the community about what constitutes good and poor evidence of program success and to set forth the particular study as an additional criteria against which another study may evaluate its results (1981, p. 14). The challenge has come also to educators in the basic English and writing skills from Mina Shaunnessy (1973) to commit themselves to extending their ac- countability by adopting the techniques of evaluation and close, systematic observation of the social sciences and by pooling of research. In addition, an accumulation of studies indicating the worth of learning assistance programs in 8 various liberal arts colleges could be used to combat attacks not unfamiliar to the learning assistance program evaluator that developmental education is a threat to the real purpose of a college. Such criticism (Wagner, 1976) is an extension of a longstanding debate that has focused on the presumably inherent and irreconcilable differences between a liberal arts education and professional or vocational training. Reality, however, must be faced. Underpreparedness is a relative matter; every institution has students whose cre- dentials putthem in the lowest percentiles of the total class in terms of academic readiness, and institutions of higher education are serving greater percentages of the total insti- tutional enrollment (Noel, 1983; Roueche, J., 1983). Inves- tigation into the isolated studies which are forthcoming in the learning assistance network could eventually lead learn- ing assistance programs in higher education to focus their overall goals not on changing students to fit the institu- tions better but on changing programs to fit the more diverse student body, thereby becoming more humanistic than institu- tionalistic (Alschuler, 1981). Scope of the Study The focus of this study was the evaluation of a learning assistance program in a liberal arts college, specifically of the Academic Support Program at Calvin College. The effec- tiveness of the Academic Support Programvunsassessed by hypo- theses generated from the following research questions: 9 1. Do academically "high risk" students who accept the invitation to participate in the Academic Support Program have significantly higher grades in related college courses than do similarly "high risk" stu- dents who were invited to participate in the pro- gram but chose not to do so? 2. Do the academically "high risk" students who par- ticipate in the Academic Support Program have a positive correlation to retention in Calvin College? 3. Do former participants of the Academic Support Pro- gram who are still enrolled in the college after five semesters exhibit internal motivation and goal directed behavior and express a positive relation- ship to the program? The components of the study were designed to address: (1) the short term goals of the program--the equipping of "high risk" students with conceptual skills needed for academic studies and managing and order- ing of life experiences. (2) the long-range institutional and program goal-- retention of students until they reached anticipated or reasonable academic goals. In addition, the components ofthe studyfbcused directly upon the elements which professionals in the field of learning as- sistance concur are those that contribute to program effec- tiveness and to further planning for or refinement of such programs. 10 One section of this study addressed the relative suc- cess of Academic Support students in successfully completing the related courses in the core curriculum. An informal survey conducted by this researcher, of six private liberal arts colleges, confirmed that the most frequently expressed purpose of learning assistance programs is the provision of basic skills needed for academic studies. A comprehensive study commissioned by the Council for Advancement of Exper- iential Learning of skills programs across the country col- lected data which determined the features of learning assis- tance programs considered by learning center staff and ad- ministrators to be critical to program effectiveness. Results of that study indicated thatthere is agreement as to the focus of such programs on skills needed for the academic de- mands of college courses: reading/study skills, writing/ grammar, and mathematics (Gruenberg, 1983, p. 2). Another segment of the study addressed program effec- tiveness through the outcome measure of persistence rates of participants. Astin (1982) recorded retention as a tradi- tional mode of assessment, and literature verifies that re- tention studies continue to be encouraged, motivated by pos- sible institutional benefits which might impede enrollment declines (Dallam and Dawes, 1981). Retention is perceived as a particularly valid measure of learning assistance programs since a primary goal of such programs is to help students gain the skills, motivation, and perseverance necessary to continue their education (Hoban, 1983). It is apparent that 11 the more students learn, the more likely they are to persist toward graduation; therefore, if programs are productive in delivering student learning, they might also have higher per- sistence rates. Learning assistance professionals realize that to increase retention of "high risk" students an indi- vidualized feedback system about classroom tasks and perform- ance is vital. Therefore, such programs emphasize the role of the advisor as one who not only helps in selecting courses but also provides the reinforcement necessary to develop self-directed individuals. ‘White and Bigham (1982) stressed such a need for an individualized feedback system about the classroom tasks and perceived performance as the key to suc- cess in college retention. In this study, then, attention directed toward retention'wasa means of investigating the possible effects of instructors' roles as advisors as well as the provision of an outcome measure valued by administrators. The final section of the study utilized a questionnaire as the means of investigating the effectiveness with which the Academic Support Program, through the teaching of study skills, helped itsparticipants to assimilate the strategies of successful learners. Efforts of the Academic Support Pro- gram which integratedaffective with cognitive efforts and at- tempted UJenhance theacademic self—esteem and internal locus of control of its participants could be categorized as "in- trusive advising". Such counseling fits partially under the holistic definition of Boylan (1981, p. 5) in that it seeks to direct the skills effort at the whole person and hsgaining 12 acceptance as a service which may well be that most urgently needed to complement the skills courses. The questionnaire also provided descriptive data about its participants which indicated.theways the participants perceived.theeffects of the program and its process and pro- vided insights into unintended results of the program. De- scriptive data, such as preferred learning style and study patterns, provided a basis for informed decision making re- lated to modification of the Academic Support Program and its system of delivery. Isaac and Michaels (1981, p. 128) citedsurveys as the most widely used technique in education for the collection of data and verified surveys as an appropriate means of gathering descriptive data and obtaining frequencies of attitudes and opinions. Attitudes, viewed as meanings or beliefs notmerely expressions of approval or disapproval, are prominent among the outcomes program developers are concerned with; therefore, the questionnaire can be used as a valuable tool for measuring attitudes if not trusted blindly (Cronbach, 1963). Although the questionnaire is of a retrospective nature which intro- duces memory errors and contamination because of intervening events and biasing factors, Cronbach (1963) assures that questionnaires are appropriate for evaluation because a stu- dent has little motive to distort and the evaluation report compares average frequencies rather than individual scores. A mailed questionnaire was selected over the interview in 13 this study because it allowed for uniformity of response, anonymity of respondents, and relative ease in distribution. Generalizability Although this study was designed around components es- sential to most learning assistance programs, with respect to external validity, it is applicable in its exact form only to learning assistance programs similar to the Academic Support Program at Calvin College. Such programs (1) (2) (3) (4) The exist in a four year liberal arts setting, exist as a separate department within a traditional framework, teach skills primarily through classes rather than tutorials, incorporate the role of advisor into faculty job descriptions. Assumptions study was based on the following assumptions: Evaluation involved measurement of the results, ef- fects, or performance using a formalized instrument for collection of data and providing results which can be replicated. Evaluation containedjudgments of worth regarding the program and process based on interpreted com- parisons between performance data and objectives. Evaluation wasalso performed in the service of de- cision making. .10. 14 The design and structure of the learning assistance program were secondary in importance to the manner in which services were delivered to academically under- prepared students. The professionals in the program communicated a be- lief that academically underprepared students could become persisters and effective learners without sacrificing academic standards. The professionals in the program provided both af- fective and cognitive support as a common denomin- ator for all components. There were no extreme differences in the abilities or personalities of the two groups of invitational students studied. The program components were delivered as intended, and the instruction for specific components was uniform. A semester of course contact was sufficient to be a critical parameter. Findings which suggested a positive relationship be- tween participation in the Academic Support Program and academic achievement and persistence for acad- emically underprepared students who were invited to participate in the program would intimate a posi- tive relationship as well for the conditionally admitted students who were required to participate. 15 Limitations The major limitations of this study were: 1. The impact of the Academic Support Program on stu- dents who were admitted to Calvin on probation with participation in the program a requirement could not be studied through experimental design as there was no sample available to be utilized as a control group. Internal validity was contaminated by effects which confounded the experimental variable, such as mat- uration and the John Henry effect. A significant relationship between the criterion and participation in the program did not necessarily establish that participation was a causal determin- ant of the criterion. Also, there was a tendency to assume that relationships were linear when they might instead have been curvilinear or interdependent. It was practically impossible to isolate all fac- tors that might have affected grades independently of whatever services were provided; other variables external to the program itself also had to be taken into account, such as the strengths and varying styles of professors in the college classes. The impact of variables, such as motivation and per- sistence, upon retention and academic performance needed to be considered. Also attrition might have been unrelated to the success of the program to provide 16 academic support but attributed instead to such variables as financial or personal circumstances or original goals which precluded attaining a degree. 6. There was no control for the variability in student usage of the program. 7. The questionnairewwassubject to bias on the part of the respondent, and responses‘wereapt to reflect quality of the experience, not quality of learning. 8. The questionnaire was reactive in nature and by eliciting a reaction might have produced answers that arose from "response sets" or that were vul- nerable to over-or-under rater bias. Definitions ofTerms Terms Related to the Program Conditionally admitted students are those who are ac- cepted at Calvin on the condition that they must participate in the Academic Support Program. These students have a high school grade point average below 2.3 or a composite ACT below 10, based on Calvin norms. High risk students are those who score low on standard- ized achievement tests, generally cope poorly in traditional educational structures, and have poor records of past academ- ic performance (Chickering, 1969; Cross, 1976). Invitational students are those who are accepted at Calvin with regular admission status but are invited to par- ticipate in the Academic Support Program. These students 17 have ACT quantitative test scores below 13 or verbal ACT scores below 15, based on Calvin norms. Learning assistance programs are those that through a blend of instructional resources remediate the academic defi- ciencies of learners so they can participate in the core cur- riculum and address the psychological and affective needs of learners in ways that provide the reinforcement necessary for them to develop into self-directed individuals. Terms Related to Research Assessment is the process of gathering data and fashion- ing them into an interpretable form; judgments can then be made on the basis of this assessment (Anderson, et a1., 1975, p. 27). Concern is a matter of interest about which the program professionals feel threatened or are anxious to substantiate. Evaluation is both a judgment on the worth or impact of a program, procedure, or individual and the process whereby that judgment is made (Dressel, 1976, p. 1). Organization of Subsequent Chapters The content of Chapter I has included the background and context of the study and its purpose: namely, to assess the Academic Support Program at Calvin College in terms of the effectiveness with which it provided academic support and skills to those who were admitted to the institution as aca- demically "high risk" students. Rationale for the need for evaluation of learning assistance programs was included and 18 substantiated with pertinent research. The scopecxfthe study was specified, the research questions were listed, and the generalizability of the study, its assumptions, limitations, and definition of terms were presented. Chapter II reviewedresearch and literature relevant to the content and methodology of this study. Chapter III describes the sample, the treatment, and the design of the study. It includes the research questions, explains the procedures of the evaluationprocess, and de- scribes the data gathering instruments and process of data analysis. Chapter IV contains the presentation and analysis of the data. Chapter V provides an interpretation of the data. It also includes a summary of findings, implications, and recom- mendations for further research. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The review of the literature is divided into four major areas which are pertinent to this study: (1) research per- taining to learning assistance programs, (2) research inves- tigating retention of college students, (3) literature exam- ining program evaluation, and (4) studies related to the evaluation of learning assistance programs. Research Pertaining to Learning ‘ Assistance Programs Development of Learning Assistance Programs The 1960's plea for relevance in American higher educa- tion and the shift in the American belief espousing elitism in higher education to a belief promoting egalitarianism have turned the attention .05. There wasno statistically significant difference in first semester grade point averages; p > .05. The null hy- pothesis wasaccepted. Effects on Mathematics Grades Hypothesis Four. There is no difference between the grades received in the required mathematics course by invita- tional students who participated in an Academic Support math- ematics lab and invitational students who chose not to do so. Rationale for the Hypothesis. The mathematics labs were structured so that course content emphasized the skills and concepts needed for the subsequent mathematics courses. Since the lab reviewed and taught the material assumed to have been mastered prior to the college mathematics course, a semester of review in these areas shouldhave given academically "high risk" students the background needed to succeed in the subsequent class. Cronbach (1963) recommends such 66 means of assessment by endorsing formal study designed primar- ily to determine the post-course performance of a well- described group with respect to many important objectives. Findings. To determine the possible effect of partici- pation in an Academic Support mathematics lab, the indepen- dent variable, on the subsequent college mathematics course grade, the dependent variable, two-tail E-tests were computed on the mean mathematics course grades for both samples of in- vitational students. The statistical decision was based at a probability level of .05, the p-test was applied to deter- mine the statistical level of significance, and results were analyzed using the pooled variance estimate and two-tail probability. Table 7 presents the findings. Table 7. -- Comparison of mean mathematics core course grades for invita- tional groups. N 7 50 Standard F df t-value Error - Took Academic Support mathematics class 19 2.00 1.25 0.29 Did not take 2'31 36 '92 Academic Support mathematics class 19 1.68 .082 0.19 p >.05. Note. Missing observation = 1. Thereiwusno statistically significant difference in the mathematics course grades received by participants of the Academic Support mathematics labs and similarly "high risk" 67 students who had not participated hithe labs; p > .05. The null hypothesis wasaccepted. Effects on Retention Hypothesis Five. There is no correlation between re- tention and participation in the Academic Support Program for invitational "high risk" students. Rationale for the Hypothesis. Based on the belief that learning assistance programs help underprepared students stay in college through the provision of academic monitoring and support systems and through the provision of needed skills, it is a common research practice to use retention as a valid measure of a program's success and as one to which adminis- trators respond (Astin, 1982; Donovan, 1975; Hoban, 1983; Martin, Blanc, and DeBuhr, 1982; and Sullivan and Wilson, 1980). Findings. The chi-square and the coefficient of con- tingency tests of statistical significance were used to de- termine whether there wasa systematic relationship between participation in the Academic Support Program and retention. The decision point for rejection of the null hypothesis was set to reject H0 at p < .05. The same procedures were used to test the correlation for four semesters retention and for six semesters. Table 8 presents the findings correlating participation in the Academic Support Program with retention for four semesters; Table 9 depicts the findings for six semesters . 68 Table 8. -- Correlation of participation in the Academic Support Program with retention fer four semesters. Did not remain Did remain four semesters four semesters Invitational students a b who participated in 22 30 52 = a + b Academic Support Invitational students who did not participate 14 37 51 = c + d in Academic Support a + c = 36 b + d = 67 103 = N x2 df o 4 C 1.89 1 0.17 0.16 0.15 The analysis of these data revealed no statistically significant correlation between participation for invita- tional ”high risk" students who participated in the Academic Support Program and persistence in college for four semesters. (x2 = 1.89; C = 0.15; p > .05.) A statistical decision was made to accept the null hypothesis., 69 Table 9. -- Correlation of participation in the Academic Support Program with retention for six semesters. Did not remain Did remain fOur semesters fOur semesters Invitational students a b who participated in 29 23 52 = a + b Academic Support Invitational students who did not participate 24 27 51 = c + d in Academic Support a + c = 53 b + d = 50 103 = N x2 df p q, c 0.47 l 0.49 0.09 0.09 Examination of a standard table of chi-square revealed that these results were not significant at the .05 level. There appeared to be no statistically significant correlation between participation for invitational "high risk” students who had participated in the Academic Support Program and per- sistence in the college for six semesters. (x2 = 0.47; C = 0.087; p > .05.) A statistical decision was made to accept the null hypothesis. An alternative methodology testing the same relation- ship between participation of invitational students in the Academic Support Program and the number of semesters students remained at Calvin utilized the p-test on the mean number of 70 semesters retained and stated the null hypothesis as one of difference rather than one of association. Restatement of Hypothesis Five. There is no difference between the mean number of semestesr enrolled at Calvin Col- lege by students who participated in the Academic Support Program and the mean number of semesters enrolled by those invitational students who chose not to participate. Findings. The effects of the independent variable, participation in the Academic Support Program, on the depen- dent variable, retention at Calvin, was measured by calcula- ting the p-ratio for the two group means. The decision point for the rejection of the null hypothesis was set at a level of .05, and a E-test of significance was applied to determine the statistical significance of the difference in group means. Findings are reported in Table 10. Table 10. -- Comparison of mean number of semesters persisted for invita- tional groups. -— Standard two-tail N X SD Error F Efvalue probability Participated in Academic Support 52 3.96 2 0.28 Glasses 1.28 -1.52 0.13 Did not participate in Academic Support 51.14.53 1.77 0.25 Classes p > .05. 71 There was no statistically significant difference in the number of semesters retained for invitational students who had participated in the Academic Support Program and those who had chosen not to do 50. Therefore, the null hypo- thesis was accepted. Descriptive Data The Research Question. Do former participants of the Academic Support Program who are still enrolled in the col- lege after five semesters exhibit internal motivation and goal directed behavior and express a positive relationship to the program? Rationale for the Questionnaire. Qualitative research provides supplementary evidence of program quality and through the inductive method provides data ranging from fre- quencies maattitudes and opinions. According to Isaac and Michael (1981) information obtained from questionnaires may be used to (1) answer questions that have been riased, (2) assess needs and set goals, (3) determine whether specific objectives have been met, (4) establish baselines against which future compari- sons might be made, (5) describe what exists and in what amount. The questionnaire of this study was designed to provide a descriptive profile of former participant51du>had persisted 72 at Calvin for at least five semesters and to provide partici- pant feedback as to their perceptions of the program's suc- cess in meeting its goals. Astin (1982, p. 7) has cited the importance of feedback in an action oriented view of quality assessment, and Broadbent, Kennebrew, and Rachavong concur in Boylan (1981, p. 7) that student satisfaction is an indic- ator of program success. The information obtained from the questionnaire was analyzed for implications as to whether the program had con- tributed to the academic success of these former participants. The descriptive data was also assessed from the perspective of current learning assistance literature which has encour- aged attending to individual learning styles and methodolo- gies of skill building beyond the traditional. Findings. Responses to the questionnaire are summar- ized in the following narrative. They are presented graphic- ally in the Appendix as follows: Appendix E. Descriptive Composite of Respondents: Original purpose and intended length of stay, Schools originally considered, Reason selected Calvin, Declared major. Appendix F. Respondent Perceptions of Academic Support Program Appendix G. Percentage of Respondents Reporting Use of Appropriate Study Skills and Time Manage- ment. Appendix H. Respondent Learning Style Preferences 73 Categorization of respondents by length of stay and Academic Support components they had participated in deter- mined that almost equal numbers of respondents had been at Calvin three years as four (4 years = 30; 3 years = 31). Al- though 71 percent of the respondents had participated in the grammar and study skills and 29 percent in the math labs, the breakdown of respondents for years of retention was similar (30 percent of four year respondents were math lab partici- pants; 29 percent of the three year respondents were math lab participants). Participation in the Academic Support Program had been required for 67 percent of the respondents. Responses to the questionnaire are summarized as they relate to questions which were implicitly addressed in the questionnaire. 1. What was the purpose for coming to Calvin origin- ally, and what was the anticipated length of stay? When respondents checked their original purposes for coming to Calvin, "to obtain a B.A." degree was checked most frequently (31 percent of the total). The second highest reason given in both groups was "to discover career inter- ests" (23 percent of total group). Other reasons were checked much less frequently. Responses to the question about original intended length of stay showed that 74 percent of the total number had originally intended to study at Calvin for four years. How- ever, 18 percent had intended to stay for only one year. 74 2. Was enrollment at another college originally an option? More often than not respondents checked that they had applied only to Calvin (67 percent of the total). Of the complete number of respondents, only 8 percent indicated that Calvin had not been their first choice. 3. What determined the choice to attend Calvin? When the question was asked as to what determined the final decision to come to Calvin, 34 percent of the total checked "family and friends had attended"; 33 percent checked "parental influence". 4. Was there a particular major chosen more frequently than others by respondents? Most respondents (64 percent of the total) had never changed their majors once they had been declared. By asking for the respondent's major, the questionnaire was attempting to determine if students who had participated in the Academic Support Program chose one major field of study more than others. No one choice was predominate although respondents in both groups selected business and elementary education more frequently than the other fields. 5. What were the respondents' perceptions of the Aca- demic Support Program in terms of relevance to previous needs and contribution to academic success? With regard to each component of the program, the major- ity of participants conveyed that the course had been helpful: 75 Study skills 006 -- 68 percent Grammar 007 -- 95 percent Math 004 -- 63 percent Math 005 -- 51 percent Of the total number of former participants, 63 percent had actually recommended the Academic Support Program to another student. Two aspects of the Academic Support instructor's advis- ing role appeared frequently as having been most helpful. "Assistance with time management" was checked by 46 percent of the total number of respondents and ”assistance with study skills” by 35 percent. This was followed by 21 percent who checked personal tutorials. 6. Were the respondents presently incorporating the content of study skills classes and the concepts of time management into their academic roles? On the whole former Academic Support participants in- dicated improved study habits and time management. In each category of responses but one, more students indicated ap- propriate behaviors than did not; an equal number checked that they did/did not keep up work regularly. 7. What was expressed as the preferred learning style of the majority of respondents? In terms of preferred learning styles, former grammar students expressed a preference for listening (42 percent of the time) followed by direct experience (41 percent of the time). Similarly, former mathematics students preferred 76 listening 40 percent of the time and direct experience 39 percent of the time. Second choice responses were more evenly distributed although listening had noticeably fewer checks. Almost twice as many respondents in each category in- dicated a preference for receiving specific directions for projects and papers than being allowed the freedom to deter- mine their own goals. No predominant pattern was indicated, however, to suggest that former Academic Support participants usually anticipated that their scores would be higher or lower than those actually received. Summarv Chapter IV presented the research questions, the null hypotheses and rationale for each hypothesis and summaries for the findings of each hypothesis. The first two hypo- theses were rejected; the latter three were accepted. De- scriptive data were summarized with relationships being made to questions implicit in the questionnaire. Chapter V will discuss the findings summarized in Chapter IV and interpret them in the context of this study and related literature. A post hoc analysis of the data re- lated to retention is included, and its implications discus- sed. The chapter will also present problems encountered in the research, implications for the Academic Support Program, and recommendations for further study. CHAPTER V DISCUSSION OF RESULTS Introduction This study assessed the effectiveness of the Academic Support Program by addressing short and long term goals of the program: (1) the equipping of academically "high risk" students with the skills needed to complete the related college class, (2) the equipping of "high risk" students with concep- tual skills needed for academic studies and the managing and ordering of life experiences, and (3) the retention of students until they reach reason- able goals. To facilitate such evaluation of the program, hypotheses were generated from the following research questions: 1. Do academically "high risk” students who accept the invitation to participate in the Academic Support Program have significantly higher grades in related college courses than do similarly "high risk” stu- dents who were invited to participate in the program but chose not to do so? 2. Do the academically "high risk" students who par- ticipate in the Academic Support Program have a 77 78 positive correlation to retention in Calvin Col- lege? 3. Do former participants of the Academic Support Pro- gram who are still enrolled in the college after five semesters exhibit internal motivation and goal directed behavior and express a positive relation- ship to the program? A questionnaire was utilized to gather information for: (l) investigating the perceived effectiveness with which the Academic Support Program assisted its participants in assimilating the strategies of ef- fective learners, (2) providing descriptive data about participants which indicated the ways the participants perceived the effects of the program, (3) obtaining descriptive data from participants which provided a basis for informed decision making re- lated to modification of the Academic Support Pro- gram and its system of delivery. Summary of the Study The population of the study included the 103 students who were invited as freshmen in the fall of 1980-81 to par- ticipate in the Academic Support Program at Calvin. These invitational students were categorized on the basis of their participation or lack of participation in the Academic Sup— port Program. This population was then described based on 79 mean performances on the standardized ACT and high school grade point averages. The two groups of fall of 1980-81 invitational students were studied for differences in specific college course grades, first semester grade point averages, and numbers of semesters persisted at Calvin. Null hypotheses were con- structed for all dependent variables and the level of signifi- cance set at .05. Hypotheses related to academic performance were measured by calculating the E-ratios for group means; the hypothesis correlating participation in Academic Support with retention was tested using chi-square. Findings for these hypotheses are summarized in Table 11. 80 Table 11. -- Summary of research findings for null hypotheses. Null Hypotheses Findings Hypothesis One: Hypothesis Two: Hypothesis Three: Hypothesis Four: Hypothesis Five: Restatement of Hypothesis Five: There is no difference in the English grammar scores of in- vitational students who par- ticipated in the Academic Support Program and of invita- tional students who chose not to do so. There is no difference in English 100 semester grades between those invitational students who participated in the Academic Support grammar classes and those invitational students who did not. There is no difference in first semester grade point averages of invitational "high risk" students who participated in study skills labs and of simil- arly "high risk" students who chose not to do so. There is no difference between the grades received in the re- quired mathematics course by invitational students who par- ticipated in an Academic Support mathematics lab and invitational students who chose not to do so. There is no correlation between retention and participation in the Academic Support Program for invitational "high risk" students. There is no difference between the mean number of semesters invitational students who par- ticipated in the Academic Sup- port Program remain at Calvin College and the mean number of semesters of those invitational students who chose not to par- ticipate. Rejected, p .001 .027 Rejected, p Failure to reject Failure to reject Failure to reject Failure to reject 81 A questionnaire was sent to a group of 97 former par- ticipants of the Academic Support Program who had enrolled in Calvin in 1980 or 1981 and still were retained. The ques- tionnaire was utilized for the purpose of obtaining descrip- tive data about former Academic Support Participants who had remained at Calvin for at least five semesters. Major Results and Discussion The results of each of the hypotheses tested are pre- sented and discussed separately. These are followed by a discussion of the findings from the questionnaire. Participation in Academic support and Academic Success The academic performance of a program's participants has been a traditionally accepted means of studying the suc- cess of isolated components of a program (Boylan, 1981; Noel and Saluri, 1983). Developmental programs which offer structured courses that provide course content and strategies for negotiative content designed to reflect the reading, writing, and mathematical demands that subsequent courses will make on these "high risk" students have been reported as those that have the most encouraging retention data (Suanne Roueche, 1983, p. 3). English Grammar Exam Scores The difference in performance of the two invitational groups on the English grammar exam was significant. The mean score on the one hundred point objective exam for those who 82 had participated in the Academic Support grammar classes was 76.15; the mean score for those who had chosen not to par- ticipate was 67.15. It would appear that students who had a weak background in English grammar and usage did become more proficient in these areas through participation in the grammar classes. These students, in fact, performed above the mean of the total group of English 100 students who were enrolled that semester (N = 366, X = 72.43, SD = 10.25). English 100 Grades These same invitational students who participated in the Academic Support grammar classes received English 100 grades that differed significantly (p < .027) from those re- ceived by the invitational students who had not participated. The mean English 100 grades were 2.35 and 1.67 respectively. While it is realized that knowledge of grammar does not nec- essarily make one a good writer, such knowledge can facili- tate the writing process. Because the grammar classes at- tempted to make a relationship between knowledge of grammar and an application of these concepts in writing, it was as- sumed that the students who participated in the grammar classes would incorporate the skills taught into their own writing. Although the fact that the English 100 classes were taught by numerous professors could account for grade differ- ences, an investigation into student schedules determined that all Academic Support Program participants were in 83 English 100 classes taught by three different professors, each of whom had additional sections taught with similar standards which included students from the invitational group that did not participate. The difference in English 100 grades suggested that students who had participated in the Academic Support grammar classes were more effective writers in their English 100 classes than were their counterparts. First Semester Grade Point Averages The study by Martin, et a1. (1982) is representative of many which find a positive correlation between participation in supplemental instruction and higher first semester grade point averages. The Academic Support Program study skills courses emphasized practical skill building directly related to core courses, provided metacognitive and cognitive informa- tion processing strategies, illustrated techniques of effec- tive study skills and time management, and attended to affec- tive development. These courses, therefore, provided the means for academic success which could be reflected in grade point averages higher than those of similar "high risk" stu- dents who did not participate in the study skills courses. This study, however, did not find a significant difference between the means of the two sets of grade point averages. The lack of difference might have been produced by variations in the mean course loads carried by the comparison groups. In this study it was assumed that students who dropped courses that might have negatively affected the grade 84 point average would have done so in fairly equal numbers for each group. That the possible effects of the number of courses related to grade point average was not determined was a limitation of this component of the study. The lack of differences for these groups might also have implied that "high risk" students in this invitational category inherently possessed some of these skills which had not been called forth in high school. Perhaps an increase in maturity or motivation toward academic success had now caused these invitational students who had not participated in the Academic Support Program to strive toward their full academic potential. It might be implied that the study skills class had a more positive relationship to grade point average forstudents who had been admitted on probation. Because there was no con- trol group for comparison, it can only be assumed, however, that a contribution was made. Research such as that done by Landward and Hepworth (1984) indicated that such students not only benefited from support services but performed academic- ally beyond their predicted levels of performance. It was of value to note that while studies have emphas- ized the impact of learning assistance programs on grade point averages, studies are finding the apparent success of learning assistance programs to be short lived (Landward and Hepworth, 1984). The short-range potency of such programs is attributed to the withdrawal of the academic support and as- sistance that had been provided during the first quarter. 85 Kulik, et a1. (1983) also cautioned in his own quantitative research on developmental programs that by the standards of social science research effects may appear slight but for the "high risk" students enrolled the benefits seem real enough. Mathematics Grades The Academic Support Program mathematics classes had their origin in a principle similar to one expressed at a 1984 conference for learning center professionals by John Roueche, "Placement tests should be used to exclude students from courses until they are ready to succeed in that course-- otherwise you are asking for them to commit academic suicide." The course content of the mathematics classes, taught at two levels of mathematical competence, was drawn from materials which instructors of mathematics-related core courses assumed students should have mastered prior to course enrollment. In this study participation in an Academic Support mathematics lab appeared to make no significant difference in the grade received in subsequent core related mathematics courses. The mean grade for those who had taken an Academic Support class was 2.0, slightly higher than the mean of 1.68 for those who had not participated; however, no statistically significant difference in these means was determined. This finding was not inconsistent with complaints fre- quentlyregistered by students who had taken the Academic Sup- port mathematics labs and stated that these courses did not help with subsequent mathematics requirements. The December 1983 Report to the Dean for Academic Administration on the 86 Academic Support Program alluded to this problem: The range and diversity of student weaknesses in mathematical competence is too great to be dealt with in a one-semester course at either the elem- entary or intermediate level. In addition, stu- dents who are placed in review courses all too often fail to see the need for mastery of concepts; they view math courses as obstacles to achievement. This perception and the frequently expressed trait of "math anxiety” made a difference as well in the data which could be collected for this study. There were no mathematics-related core grades for twelve students. Invitations to participate in the Academic Support Program mathematics had originally been extended to 50 freshmen; 26 had participated in the classes. In gathering the data needed for this study, how- ever it was discovered that seven of those who had taken Academic Support mathematics and five of the invitational students who had chosen not to had never taken the required mathematics-related core course, even though they had been enrolled in school during subsequent semesters. Participation in Academic Spppprt and Retention Many evaluators perceive student attrition as one valid measure of program success; programs productive in delivering student learning are assumed to have higher persistence rates as well (Hoban, 1983). Furthermore, outcome measures, such as higher retention figures, have been considered indispens- able for verifying the worth of a program to administration that needs to be convinced of a program's worth (Silverman, 1983). The belief has traditionally been that the more 87 students learn the more likely they are to persist toward graduation. A major finding of a study by Steele (1978) placed stu- dents' perceptions of their progress toward academic and career goals as the area most highly correlated with reten- tion. In the Academic Support Program each participant had an advisor who made explicitly clear what was expected and provided a systematic evaluation of student progress. Spe- cifically at mid-semester, the instructor/advisor met with the student to discuss academic progress, to reassess the student's semester goals, and to formulate a plan for attain- ing these goals. In this study, neither the E-test nor chi-square ap- plied to retention data yielded any evidence to indicate that participation in Academic Support had a positive effect on retention for invitational students. The chi-square and the coefficient of contingency tests showed no significant rela- tionship between participation in the Academic Support Pro- gram and the number of semesters students remained atCalvin-- either for four semesters of retention or six semesters. Be- cause of the small N studied, the study also included the E-test of difference. This, however, gave no indication either of any effect of participation in Academic Support on retention. In light of the research cited emphasizing retention as an outcome measure both of the program's effectiveness and worth of the advising component, the findings of this study 88 were puzzling. As mentioned previously, the Academic Support Program placed a high priority on evaluation of student prog— ress and improvement of the student's self-concept with a basis in graded academic achievement; Academic Support also used as advisors the classroom instructors who were concerned with both the cognitive and personal sides of the student. This according to Cross (1976, p. 42) constituted the ideal. In this program two of the five instructors had counseling certification as well. One dimension of support counseling has not been emphas- ized in retention literature although it was attended to by Cope and Hannah (1975). That dimension considered times it might have been appropriate to facilitate dropping out. These times included the counseling of a student out of the college when a realistic assessment of the student's academic ability did not indicate the possibility of attaining a de- gree within reasonable time limits or when it revealed a career interest better served in other than a liberal arts college. The Academic Support Program worked closely with the career exploration services of the Broene Counseling Cen- ter and assisted students frequently in the search for insti- tutions which would better provide the preparation needed for their career goals. Another factor which might have helped to explain the lack of significance in the differences of retention of the two invitational groups was the fact that retention studies usually refer to the retention of all participants while the 89 retention component of this study compared only the invita- tional students who participated or did not participate in the program. An inquiry into retention statistics for all participants found the following enrollment pattern: -- Most recently, 60 percent of fall 1982 Academic Sup- port Program enrollees returned to college for a second year. (An informal survey this 1984 school year given to all Academic Support Program enrollees revealed only 36 percent expected to obtain a degree from Calvin, 17 percent definitely planned to trans- fer after one or two years.) -- An examination of first semester reports for condi- tionally admitted freshmen from 1980 through 1983 showed a large percentage of these students each year had returned second semester in good standing (Appendix 1). During the same four-year period, the number of regularly admitted students returned on probation had decreased from 49 to 25; the number subject to dismissal had decreased from 25 to 10. These findings were also put into perspective when one con- sidered that more than one-fourth of the freshmen at a four year college failed to return the next consecutive year (Astin,l975; Pascarelli and Terenzini, 1980). The percentage of those expected to become part of attrition statistics is even greater for "high risk" students with developmental lag. 90 Descriptive Data The questionnaire provided a descriptive profile of former participants who had persisted at Calvin for at least five semesters, feedback as to respondents' perceptions of the program's success in meeting its goals, and data indicat- ing the possible contribution of the program to respondents' academic success. Findings are discussed related to the questions implicitly addressed in the questionnaire. Background Profile The number of respondents was 61 which represented 67 percent of the total group of former Academic Support Program students who had participated during 1980 or 1981 in the program and still remained at Calvin. (The total number of students admitted in the fall of 1980 through the spring of 1982 who had participated in the Academic Support Program was 461.) Almost equal numbers of respondents had been at Calvin three years as four (4 years = 30; 3 years = 31). Although 71 percent of the respondents had participated in the grammar and study skills and 29 percent in the mathematics labs, the breakdown of respondents for years of retention was similar (30 percent of four year respondents were mathematics parti- cipants; 29 percent of the three year respondents were math- ematics lab participants). In the original grOUps, a much larger percentage of mathematics participants was represented. 91 Table 12. -- Breakdown of Academic Support Program participants by area of study. 1980-81 1981-82 N. Percentage N_ Percentage Mathematics 104 43 105 47 English 135 57 117 53 Total 239 100 222 100 These findings suggested that either more students who experienced the English components rather than mathematics components had persisted toward graduationcn‘that more former mathematics participants were included among the non- respondents. A breakdown of students to whom the question- naire was sent categorized 65 percent as former English par- ticipants, 35 percent mathematics; these data indicated that both possibilities were true. Original Purpose and Intended Length of Stay That the majority of respondents had career related in- terests as an original purpose for coming to Calvin was evi- denced by the indication of 31 percent that their original purpose was "to obtain a B.A. degree" and of 23 percent "to discover career interests". A finding of related but greater consequence was that 74 percent of the respondents had orig- inally intended to study at Calvin for four years. Although participation in the Academic Support Program may have facil- itated academic progress toward reaching this goal, external 92 variables such as motivation and persistence related to an original goal may have also contributed to retention. Although a causal statement cannot be made relating par- ticipation in Academic Support to retention for at least five semesters for the 18 percent who indicated that they had in- tended to stay for only one year, the Academic Support Pro- gram may have made a positive contribution to their decisions to stay by providing the skills, background, and emotional support necessary to take on an academic goal not originally perceived as desirable or realistic. Schools Originally Considered In the Christian Reformed denomination,e1major emphasis is placed upon Christian education received specifically from schools sponsored by the denomination. For that reason Cal- vin College has traditionally been considered a college for mainly Christian Reformed students of Dutch heritage. Recent years have brought larger numbers of non-Christian Reformed and minorities to the campus. A profile of the 184 students currently enrolled in Academic Support courses (37 are volun- tary participants) showed that both international students and American ethnic minorities participated in the Academic Support Program four times more frequently than they occurred in the student body, and together these groups comprised 11 percent of the Academic Support enrollment. The Academic Support Program also served a higher proportion of students from denominations other than Christian Reformed; 39.1percent 93 were in Academic Support courses as opposed to 26.5 percent in the college as a whole. In view of this background then, the fact that 67 per- cent of the respondents had applied only to Calvin was not surprising. Only eight percent of the respondents had not indicated that Calvin was not their first or only choice. Identification of the non-respondents allowed for data to be retrieved from records and a comparison to be made of the original group who had participated in the Academic Support Program with those of the same group who still remained after five semesters. This comparison is presented in Table 13. 94 Table 13. -- Comparison of the 1980-81 Academic Support participants with those of that group who remained after five semesters. Percent 100 -- 95 ——- ————-= Those remaining; 90 __. N = 97. 85 ___ ---- = Original group; N = 461. 80 -—- 75— 7o— 65— 60—— 55— so— 45-— 4o— 35— 30— 25-— 20— 15— 10— 5— o Christian Reformed Non-Christian Reformed Female Minority Cond1t1onal Invitational Male White 95 By comparing the group of former Academic Support Pro- gram participants to whom the questionnaire was sent to the larger group of which it was originally a part, the following observations were made: (1) The percentage of non-Christian Reformed who re- (2) (3) (4) mained enrolled for at least five semesters dropped from 34 percent to 16 percent. This change had significant implications for the college as well as the program in that recruitment of minorities and non-Christian Reformed has been an emphasis of Calvin's advertising for the past two years. At- tention must be paid to appropriately serving these groups once they enroll. Part of these data could reflect the fact that for many of the Christian Re- formed students transferring to another institution is not an option. (Often strong parental pressure required attendance at a denominational school.) Fewer female than male students were retained; this reflected the traditionally expected retention pat- tern. Minority students were more apt to leave Calvin than white students; again this had implications related to current recruitment literature. Within this grouping a larger number of foreign born than American minorities were retained. The percentage of conditional students changed from 64 to 56 percent. It appeared that many who had 96 been given conditional admission with required par- ticipation in the Academic Support Program were persisting in their academic efforts. Students' expressed reasons for coming to Calvin re- lated directly again to the Christian school emphasis within the denomination. Thirty-four percent of the respondents in- dicated they had chosen Calvin because "family and friends had attended", 33 percent because of "parental influence". Four persons had chosen Calvin because of academic offerings; two of these specified the program as pre-seminary. None of the respondents indicated that the availability of the Aca- demic Support Program had influenced selection. This was of consequence in terms of program evaluation; successful pro- grams are known to attract students. This fact was, however, curious when one remembered that in reality it was only be- cause the Academic Support Program was available that many of the respondents were given admission. (All students admitted on probation were required to participate in the Academic Support Program.) Declared Major Purposive original educational goals were characteris- tic of a large number of the respondents. Once a major had been declared, 64 percent never changed it; 24 percent changed majors only one time. Again strong career goals or original motivation to attain a B.A. degree might have contributed to retention. 97 The variety of majors declared by former participants illustrated that the Academic Support Program was not giving opportunity to pursue career goals in one area more than others; twenty-four majors checked represented thirteen dif- ferent departments in the college. Slight preference of major was given to business (15 percent) which was congruent with a national trend. Next in rank was elementary education (10 percent); this was not disproportionate to the number of education majors in the college as Education was one of the larger departments in the college. Participant Perceptions of Academic Support Program The success of a program is partially determined by the degree participants perceived it to be effective. (For 30 percent of the respondents, Academic Support had not been re- quired.) (l) the 34 students who had taken study skills reported the following: -- 68 percent indicated study skills taught had contributed to academic success in other college courses, -— 74 percent found the material appropriate, -- 68 percent would recommend the course to others. Four students added statements that the course would have been helpful had they as students been motivated to apply the skills and concepts taught. 98 (2) The 39 students who had participated in grammar classes responded as follows: -- 95 percent felt the course helped in English 100, -- 82 percent perceived the materialzusappropriate, -- 97 percent would recommend the course to others. Five students recorded that the material was inap- propriate because it was the same grammar content that had been covered in high school. (3) The 14 students who had taken the elementary math- ematics review as preparation for the general math core indicated the following: -- 64 percent had found the class prepared them for Math 100, -- 50 percent felt the material was appropriate, -- 63 percent would recommend the course to others. (4) The nine students who had enrolled in the algebra review of mathematics-related core perceived the course as follows: -- 66 percent felt the course had prepared them for their related core course, -- 44 percent thought the material covered was ap- propriate, -- 88 percent would recommend the course to others. The fact that the majority of students who had partici- pated in the Academic Support mathematics labs perceived them as helpfulinusespecially important, for a frequently expressed complaint made wasthat these labs do not prepare for the 99 subsequent mathematics courses. It could have been that many .former participants who had not been successful in mathemat- ics core were no longer enrolled at Calvin. Five of the re- spondents added written statements, however, to the effect that the Academic Support mathematics course had only served to put them a semester behind; one expressed extreme resent- ment at having to pay for a course which did not give gradua- tion credit. (It was surprising that no other request for credit bearing courses was received as this is a common con- cern of students while they are enrolled in the program.) Overall responses suggested that former participants perceived the Academic Support Program as having been effec- tive in providing their needed academic support. Active ap- proval was represented by the fact that 63 percent of the respondents had actually recommended the program to another student. Respondents had checked that most helpful of the advising services was assistance with time management, fol- lowed by assistance with study skills and then personal tut- orials. In ten incidents respondents added notes of apprec- iation for the program. Some comments were directed toward specific instructors; several thanked generally for the pa- tience ofthe staff. Four recorded as the greatest benefit of the program a factor not listed on the questionnaire-—"a boost given to self-confidence" and "a belief expressed in my ability”. 100 Study and Academic Patterns Questions 12-21 were drawn from the Brown-Holtzman Sur- vey of Study Habits and Attitudes, Form C, 1965. The stated purpose of this survey was the identification of students whose study habits and attitudes differed from those of stu- dents who earned high grades. The responses to the question- naire in this study categorized the student as to appropriate and effective study and academic patterns opposed to ineffec- tive ones. These particular questions were especially per- tinent for the students in this study as each question had a direct relationship to one of the primary skills or concepts taught in the study skills classes. Students who reported use of these techniques or expressed little difficulty with academic skills were assumed to have made transferrence of the study skills content to their own academic roles and methods. Descriptive data related to study skills are sum- marized in the following statements. -- In every instance but one, the majority of students reported to have the study habits and techniques of effective students. -- An equal number indicated assignments were done/ not done on a regular basis; a slightly different number in each category reported organization of time as routine, yet 90 percent did notperceive pro- crastination as normal for them. --The fact that 93 percent expressed a willingness to talk to professors about academic concerns was 101 encouraging. Because ”high risk" students are often hesitant to confront professors, the Academic Sup- port components emphasized the acceptance and appro- priateness of doing so. -- Skills related to reading the text and recalling material were lacking for only a few. -- Organization of material in preparing for and in the writing of an exam was represented as a challenge for a somewhat larger number. This skill, however, is also closely tied to understanding of content and preparation as well. Former participants of the Academic Support Program who are persisting toward graduation reported, for the most part, that their study habits and academic patterns were those of effective learners. Preferred Learning Style Question 21 of the questionnaire addressed preferred learning style of the respondents. Literature pertaining to learning styles, the means by which a student best receives and processes information, has had important implications for learning assistance programs (Brown, 1982; Dunn, 1978; Grant and Hoeboer, 1978; and McCarthy, 1980). Such research has characterized students in developmental programs as over- whelmingly concrete in their learning. These concrete learn- ers benefit from educational experiences that include simula- tion and exploration ann correspond to the learner with a right hemispheric preference who is analytic rather than 102 global in processing information. Because Calvin, like most liberal arts colleges, has continued to use the traditional teaching methods of lecture and assigned readings, (the pre- ferred learning styles of left-hemispheric students who pro- cess readily in the abstract, reflective manner) students in learning assistance programs may not have experienced suffi- cient concrete experiences to have opportunity for success. The Academic Support Program acknowledged a need to be- gin working with developmental guidelines using instructional modes and materials that best complement the learning style of each student and recognized a weakness in this area of program delivery. Question 21, therefore, was included to determine how closely Calvin's "high risk" students coincided with characteristics literature associates with developmental students and to provide data that could become the impetus for attending to the preferred learning styles needs develop- mental students bring into the classroom and for implementing subsequent professional development sessions related to ad- justing/expanding teaching methods. Respondents ranked preferred learning style similarly to the developmental students in the research of Lee (1980): listening was preferred by most, followed by direct experi- ence. The same pattern characterized former participants of Academic Support English classes (43 percent preferred lis- tening, 41 percent direct experience) as of mathematics labs (40 percent preferred listening, 39 percent direct experi— ence). Lee explained that reading usually wasnotzapreference 103 because these students have had difficulty extracting meaning from what they have read. He also described developmental students as having a preference for following specific direc- tions rather than having the freedom to set their own goals and be self-directive. As anticipated, in this study a pref- erence :fiyr following specific directions was checked by 71 percent of the respondents. Questions 22 and 23 asking for the student's predicted level of performance attempted to gain data which could be interpreted in relationship to self-concept and locus of con- trol. Respondents were equally divided between the two cate- gories. Nevertheless, developmental education research has had much to say about ”locus of control” and its relationship to motivation and the assumption of responsibility for ones own academic success. Staff in the Academic Support Program must become more cognizant of the social learning theory de- veloped by Rotter (1966) which has attributed control over payoffs as completely outside the individual's control (ex- ternal) or controlled by ones behavior completely (internal) if the program is to provide the experiences which might help students to overcome "learned helplessness" and internalize "locus of control”. CHAPTER VI CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary of the Study The Academic Support Program at Calvin College was as- sessed by the effectiveness with which it provided academic- ally ”high risk" students with skills needed to be successful in subsequent academic work and with support in both cogni— tive and affective domains. The evaluation addressed the impact of participation in the Academic Support Program on academic success and retention in the college; italso yielded descriptive data which provided a profile of former program participants who had remained at Calvin five semesters and indicated participant perceptions of program effectiveness. Participation in the program yielded significant dif- ferences in English scores and grades but none for first semester or mathematics grades, nor did participation corre- late with retention. The descriptive data, however, revealed participants had perceived the components as helpful and recommended them to others. The program also was consistent with characteristics literature had equated with program SUCCESS . 104 105 Conclusions and Implications Program Effectiveness Related to Research Questions The apparent overall effectiveness of the Academic Sup- port Program is summarized in relationship to the general research questions. 1. Do academically "high risk" students who accept the invitation to participate in the Academic Support Program have significantly higher grades in related college courses than do similarly "high risk" stu- dents who were invited to participate in the pro- gram but chose not to do 50? Test results indicated that invitational students who had participated in the Academic Support English classes had higher grammar exam scores and higher English 100 grades than did the comparison group. The study implied that the extra time spent on study of grammar and usage did have a positive effect on the writing skills of invitational students; this had implications for academic advising and administrative decisions related to number of invitational students to accom- modate in the program. Invitational students should be en- couraged to participate in this component, as the brief re- view of usage in the writing class did not seem to be suffi- cienttun'did the personal motivation to do ones own review bring enough response to meet expected levels of success. There was no significant difference in mathematics course grades based on participation in the Academic Support 106 mathematics classes. Perhaps this may have been partially attributed to the range and diversity of student weaknesses in mathematical competence which often were too great to be dealt with in one semester. These findings, however, reflected a need to examine all a5pects of the mathematics component to explore options that might lead to greater academic success in math-related core courses for those who had participated: (1) The curriculum should be investigated to determine whether course content does relate to concepts and skills assumed to be prerequisite to the related core course and whether the material assumed to be covered is in actuality taught in its entirety. (2) The breakdown of courses should be examined to de- termine if diverse student needs might be better met by the reorganization of courses into smaller components with allowances for independent work. (3) The instructors should be evaluated related to sub- ject matter competency, appropriateness and effec- tiveness of teaching methods, relationships with students, and willingness to devote time to stu- dents beyond the classroom. (4) The materials and texts being used should be re- viewed to determine whether they are relevant to student needs and of an appropriate level of dif- ficulty. 107 (5) Interaction between the instructional staff in the Academic Support mathematics classes and those in the mathematics department should be encouraged to help form mutually supportive relationships. (6) The need for award of credit for the courses should continue to be addressed. Credit might bring in- creased motivation in student effort which could lead to greater understanding of the material. (7) The deficiencies in mathematics background for many students who are admitted to Calvin should be ad— dressed. The Admissions Committee should assess whether it is realistic to admit a student with only one year of high school mathematics and expect the deficiency to be remediated sufficiently through the provisions of the Academic Support Pro- gram. Invitational students who had participated in study skills labs did not have significantly higher first semester grade point averages than did those who had chosen not to participate in the labs. The impact of various course loads and extraneous variables, such as maturation and motivation, on the impact of this study has been discussed. Findings related to first semester grade point averages of conditionally admitted freshmen suggested a more positive outcome. These data are included in Appendix I. In the last semester, fall of 1983, 56.3 percent UV=74) of the condition- ally admitted students returned second semester with a grade 108 point average of 3 2.0. Only 18 of these had had a high school grade point average above a 2.5. Returned on good standing were 75.6 percent (N = 99). It would appear that the Academic Support Program has had a broader effect on grade point averages than the research related only to invi- tational students has indicated. 2.. Do the academically "high risk" students who par- ticipate in the Academic Support Program have a positive correlation to retention in Calvin College? Retention as a tangential outcome for the Academic Sup- port Program was addressed in three ways. First, a study of invitational students who had remained at Calvin for at least five semesters applied both the p-test and chi-square to re- tention data. No statistically significant relationship to retention was cited for invitational students who had partici- pated in the Academic Support Program. Secondly, an investigation into status of conditionally admitted freshmen found encouraging numbers being returned second semester with an academic status of good standing. Although decreasing percentages were being returned on proba- tion, increasing percentages were subject to dismissal after one semester as well. The Committee on Probation and Reten- tion attributed this finding to the fact that as the program had become better known it had attracted more students at the lower end of the academic continuum. Finally, a questionnaire sent to all former partici- pants of the Academic Support Program who were still enrolled 109 at Calvin after at least five semesters yielded a descriptive composite ofthose high risk students who were persisting to- ward graduation. Of the respondents (N = 61), 18 percent in- dicated an original intent to remain only one year at Calvin. Perhaps, for some of these, the Academic Support Program had provided sufficient cognitive and affective support to en- courage them in their persistence in the college; for the 67 percent of the respondents who had originally been condition- al admits, it was the very existence of the Academic Support Program which allowed them the opportunity to enter the col- lege and initiate their studies. Results which showed no significant differences in re- tention for invitational students who had participated in the Academic Support Program might have implied ineffectual ad- vising of a nature that imparted empathy without a course of action. Or the findings might have indicated that what took place was thorough intrusive advising. Such advising would not have precluded the counseling of a student out of the college when a realistic assessment of the student's academic ability did not indicate the possibility of attaining a de- gree within reasonable time limits or when it revealed career interest better served by other than a liberal arts college. Exploration in the area of counseling techniques should be encouraged as an appropriate option for the professional de- velopment of Academic Support instructors. 3. Do former participants of the Academic Support Pro- gram who are still enrolled in the college after 110 five semestesr exhibit internal motivation and goal directed behavior and express a positive rela- tionship to the program? Through the use of a questionnaire, this study addres- sed the effectiveness of the Academic Support Program as per- ceived by former participants and defined the study habits of the respondent group. Responses to the questionnaire suggested that these students were employing the methodolo- gies for time management and study habits utilized by success- ful students. Although assessment through self-report was not necessarily reliable, there would have been no advantage to the student to misrepresent usual habits. The majority of respondents recorded that each compon- entluuibeen helpful in attaining academic success of a rela- ted nature and assessed the content of the course to have been appropriate. While 83 percent indicated they would recommend the Academic Support Program to other students, 63 percent conveyed they had actually done 50. While respon- dents gave positive feedback about all areas of the advising component, an unanticipated outcome of the questionnaire gave additional insight into students' perceptions of the program. Numerous unsolicited notes were written on the questionnaire thanking for the emotional support the program had given be- yond academic support. Several students expressed encourage- ment to persist had come from attitudes conveyed by Academic Support staff who had indicated a confidence in the students and the probability of their being able to learn skills 111 necessary for academic success. Many students turned in questionnaires personally as though an excuse had been legit- imately provided to come back and convey a message of apprec- iation. The Academic Support Program was apparently per- ceived as a program offering high levels of facilitative con- ditions and content and services possessing relevance to stu— dent needs. Program Effectiveness Related to Institutional Goals Central to this study of the Academic Support Program was an assessment of the effectiveness with which the program was facilitating the mission statement of the college and in- stitutional goals. The Academic Support Program had been given a specific mandate to aid in the achieving of institu- tional goals by assisting students to gain the skills needed to cope with the work requirements of the curriculum and to achieve a level of competence which would enable them to master regular course offerings. This study presented the program as accountable in carrying out this specific task. The program appeared to be reaching the specified target of "high risk" students, and intervention efforts were conducted as specified in the program design. Outcomes of the study suggested the program was accomplishing its intended goals-- academic success and retention--for a sufficient number of its participants to encourage continuation of the program. Success rates, however, were not so high that efforts to 112 monitor effectiveness and identify potential areas for modif- ication should not be continued. Program Effectiveness Related to Literature ReVIew Current literature related to learning assistance pro- grams is consistent in identifying characteristics of pro- grams that correlate with program success. The Academic Sup- port Program had many elements in common with those of the successful programs reported in the national study of Suanne Roueche (1983). Namely, the Academic Support Program had strong administrative support and shared a responsibility with its students for professional service in initial assess- ment, placement, and interventions to improve academic per- formance; it incorporated mandatory assessment and placement of "high risk" students as another indication it was sharing responsibility with the students for their academic success; it provided structured curriculum with content material rele- vant to the students' needs and goals; and it had integral systems for the monitoring of those student behaviors that contribute to failure. More specifically, the program pro- vided a supportive learning climate and an holistic approach to counseling which attended to affective considerations and improved self-concepts as well as to academic monitoring and advising. This holistic approach to counseling, often re- ferred to as "intrusive advising", has been reported to re- cent national studies of learning assistance programs as 113 essential to their success (Donovan, 1977; Haughney, 1983; Jackson, 1979). The Academic Support Program, however, did not perceive itself as a static venture nor did it ignore recognized weak- nesses. While acknowledging that most successful programs are credit-bearing, the Academic Support Program remained in the midst of a long-standing debate on the awarding of credit for remedial work. Similarly, the need for administrative faculty appointments was being addressed. Such appointments in similar programs have contributed to the credibility of the department and increased perception of the instructors as professionals. The Academic Support Program realized its need to inter- face more with other departments. During the last semester of the study, the program attempted to bring training in critical thinking and higher order reasoning into reading/ lecture courses which freshmen typically take through an ex- perimental model similar to the Supplemental Instruction model introduced by Martin at the University of Missouri- Kansas City (1983). The review of related literature in this study had im- plications for the Academic Support Program as well. Atten- tion focused upon concerns increasingly addressed by learning assistance professions made the Academic Support Program cognizant of a need to accommodate students individually through flexible completion strategies and attention paid to ' various learning styles. Theories of motivation and "locus 114 of control" had direct implications for learning assistance programs, and research such as that by Roueche and Mink (1982) which specified practical applications of theory for those working with students who have learned "helplessness” and ex- ternalized their "locus of control" must be taken seriously by practitioners, such as the Academic Support instructors, if the program is going to provide optimum opportunities for students to realize self-directed success. This study, if shared with other learning assistance professionals, would have implications beyond the scope of the Academic Support Program. By acquainting others with evidence of program effectiveness/or ineffectiveness, the study could assist other administrators in their own program planning and development and through program description alert other administrators to components and procedures they might wish to implement. While literature frequently has cited the importance of evaluation for learning assistance programs, it also has re- minded that evaluation must be tailored to the specific pro- gram (Rossi and Freeman, 1982). This study, therefore, can- not be used as an evaluation model for another learning assistance program without modification, but it could provide a representative framework for the routine, systematic selec- tion of data, for conducting of a learning assistance program evaluation in a liberal arts college, and for publishing evaluation results. 115 In addition, this study has responded to the frequent requests that program evaluations be professionally shared. Such exchange could help not only to formulate a concensus of what constitutes program success and to provide models which could be an encouragement to implement evaluation as a com- ponent essential to program development but also could con— tribute additional theory and practice to the research which is accumulating and forming the basis of learning assistance as a field of study. A forum for the sharing of strategies and evaluations of individual programs has been provided through the many national and regional conferences for learn- ing assistance professionals held yearly. Special interest groups also have become available as vehicles for communica- tion of ideas; this researcher is a member of one such or- ganization, The Academic Excellence Leadership Project, which has encouraged interaction among its network of members through a bulletin published six times yearly. Recommendations for Further Study 1. An evaluative study of the Academic Support Program should continue to be done at yearly intervals to encourage program evaluation as an essential component of the program's development. The focus of each evaluation should center on current Academic Support participants as the population to be followed through their semesters at Calvin; the framework might be altered as the results of one study might dictate a change for another. In addition, to ensure systematic and ongoing program evaluation, processes need to be developed 116 for the collection and organization of information about par- ticipants during their Academic Support experience. 2. This study should be replicated in other environ- ments. Replication of the study in liberal arts colleges which are not church-related might give a more realistic assessment of the impact of the program upon its participants when other academic opportunities are an acceptable option. 3. The focus of the study should be expanded to in- clude the assessment of academic outcomes of "probational students" as well as "invitational students". The attention paid to "invitational students" in this study was necessi- tated by the fact that no control group existed to serve as a comparison for the "conditional students", all of whom are re- quired to participate in the program. Research investigating the methods used in other program evaluations to determine the effects of the program on all participants would decrease this limitation of the study. 4. The design of this study should be enlarged to in- clude the assessment of other program concerns. One such concern is the cost effectiveness of the structure. By view- ing the Academic Support Program as an income generator and by examining credits accrued outside the learning assistance program, one could determine whether the program is a finan- cial asset or liability. This could be accomplished through the use of retrospective comparative analyses such as that used by Cicco and Associates (1979). 117 5. Another aspect which future evaluations of the Aca- demic Support Program should address is the perception of the program by faculty members in other departments. A question- naire sent to faculty for this purpose would be appropriate. At the time of the present study, however, interaction of the Academic Support Program with other departments was limited to the degree that the number of potential respondents who could provide the requested data was too few. 6. A response should be made to the request of the net- work of learning assistance professionals for the sharing of such studies as this. By circulating the findings of this study to others in the field, this researcher could contribute to knowledge of what constitutes evidence of good program suc- cess and provide additional criteria against which another study could plan its design and/or evaluate its results. 7. Efforts should be made to increase the visibility of the Academic Support Program within Calvin College. Find- ings of this study should be published among the faculty of Calvin College to clarify the relationship of the Academic Support Program to the broader mission of the college and to provide a basis for presenting the Academic Support Program as a program that is a support not only to students but in- directly to most departments of the college as well. 8. Additional studies should be conducted which assess the program using as criteria--not the traditional variables of academic success and retention--but variables which relate to the program's commitment to meeting the needs of the whole 118 person. While congruence was evident between the college goal for the program, specifically the provision of skills for "high risk" students so that they might complete subse- quent core courses, and program goals, the Academic Support Program professionals emphasized meeting affective needs as well as cognitive. The findings of this study indicated that the effects of the program on participants might not be ar- ticulated by goals that are easily quantified or that relate to short term correction of deficiencies. Instead effects often relate to goals such as greater student independence, self-confidence, and responsibility through the development of a range of academic skills. Assessment using such var- iables as the following would be especially appropriate in a church related institution where the students and faculty feel a part of a community that has some cohesion and care about each other and the college and would assess the learn- ing assistance program according to the effectiveness with which it-- Reflects a concern for the growth and development of potential. The frequent contact of the instructor/counsellor with the student allows a relationship to develop which puts attention on the learner not the subject matter, reflects the instructor's personal concern over the student's inappropriate approaches to academic success, and could ultimately result in an understanding by the student that he/she is an accep- table human being whatever his/her academic standing. Self- esteem could be enhanced as strengths and interests are 119 revealed and valued. Although such understanding is communi- cated systematically by professionals in the program, program services need also to be translated to meet these defined, varied interests. Imparts in students a sense of self-confidence. Through the diagnosis and careful management of the learning process, an environment is created that helps students learn and re- wards achievements. The increased contact provides opportun- ity for frequent monitoring and assistance and later occa- sional reinforcement, thus helping the student to become a self-directed learner. Through a well-defined instructional approach to learning, geared toward success not failure, a curiosity about capabilities is frequently created in students which creates a willingness to take risks and discover new knowledge and skills through their own efforts. Characterizes improved "motivation” as a consequence of improved academic performance. By showing what good learners do and teaching the skills of good learners, instructor/ counsellors provide students with the skills which often have the consequence of improved performance and increased aca‘ demic motivation. The skills emphasized--such as, critical thinking skills, time management, processing of information, and organized study methods--are those which, when assimil- ated, translate as well to life skills students can apply outside their academic roles. Assists in making decisions about life and its purposes. As students achieve success in the components of the program 120 and learn to commit themselves to short-term goals, they fre- quentlybecome more confident in their abilities, reassess or establish goals, and stretch toward careers not originally considered possible. In conjunction with the Broene Counsel- ling Center, the Academic Support Program has encouraged stu- dents to conduct a thorough exploration of abilities and in- terests, goals, and future plans. As a result of the decision making process, a conclusion might be drawn that career goals could be better served in other than a liberal arts institu- tion, or a realistic assessment of academic abilities might indicate competencies should be built on strengths which do not require academic preparation. In such situations attri- tion should not be viewed as a loss of funds or wasted effort on the part of staff but as the outcome of services rendered which facilitate another aim of Calvin College--the equipping of students to effectively live Christian lives in a contem- porary society. Provides emotional support pyygiving insights into aca- demic strengths and weaknesses through the knowledge of learn- ing styles. Developmental students include large numbers who are concrete learners and do not learn as effectively from traditional lecture and assigned readings. Therefore, parti- cipants of learning assistance programs could benefit emo— tionally as well as academically from an increased awareness of their own learning styles. Students could gain a perspec- tive which would allow them to perceive themselves as learners who could be as capable as their peers if they learned to 121 adapt traditional teaching methods to their unique learning style preferences. Utilizes a holistic approach related to coping with developmental tasks. An emphasis of a program not on short term correction of deficiencies but on the extension of human developmental theory supports personal well—being beyond that of assessment of aptitude or academic achievement. For ex- ample, the Academic Support Program frequently has counselled concerning test anxiety and stress management. An under- standing of the means for dealing with these constructively contributes to a sense of total "wellness" often emphasized by the college. Establishes within students an internal "locus of con- trol". The developmental student often has acquired a learned helplessness developed from a reinforcement history of past behaviors. Counsellors through the learning assistance pro- gram provide conditions essential for establishing an internal "locus of control”: potential for learning; consistent rein- forcement; valued, relevant reinforcers; and favorable psycho- logical situations (Roueche and Mink, 1982). Participation in the Academic Support Program for some could result in a belief that the outcome of most situations depends upon their behaviors and personal characteristics not on those external to themselves. Assessment of the Academic Support Program using these less traditional variables could present the program as one which provides the commitment to and capacity for serving the 122 needs of the institution. In addition, the program could be presented as a positive medium for accomplishing one of the specific goals of Calvin College--the development of students to become leaders or perceptive followers in the task of pro- moting Christian culture. APPENDICES APPENDIX A COVER LETTER FOR QUESTIONNAIRE APPENDIX A COVER LETTER FOR QUESTIONNAIRE February 3, 1984 Dear The enclosed questionnaire is part of an evaluation of the Academic Support Program at Calvin College and, when tested, took approximately five minutes to complete. The completed questionnaire will provide data that will help the Academic Support Program better understand characteristics, such as preferred learning style, of students who participate in our program and enable the Academic Support Program to more effectively provide its services. All data will be assured anonymity. In addition, the study is being conducted as part of my dissertation research and will contribute to my work related nothe evaluation oflearning assistance programs. Some of you who were in my 007 classes might be interested to know I have reached this final stage in meeting my Ph.D. requirements. Many of you have questioned me occasionally about my progress, and I wish to thank you for your encourage- ment and support. I am particularly desirous of obtaining your responses because the study is concerned with present Calvin students who participated in the Academic Support Program in 1980- 1981. Since you are one of the 32 percent of this total group who is still a Calvin student, it is especially impor- tant that your responses are included, and I appreciate your taking time to complete the questionnaire. Please return the survey in the enclosed envelope through Inter-Campus-Mail by February 17, 1984. Sincerely, W Academic Sup ort Instructor 123 APPENDIX B ENGLISH 100 GRAMMAR EXAM APPENDIX B ENGLISH 100 GRAMMAR EXAM INSTRUCTIONS: Fill in your name, the date, your instructor's name, and 10. 11. 12. the letter of your section (in the blank marked "Grade or Class"). 00 not write on the test and make no stray marks on the answer sheet. Turn in both when you are finished. PARTS OF SPEECH: a. noun b. verb c. adjective d. adverb e. pronoun Vhile taking this test, you can learn about a popular American author. The first major writer to define and fully express the national ideal was Mark Twain. Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. John Marshall Clemens, the author's father, was a layyer. Samuel Clemens was born on November 30, 1935, the fifth of six children. His hometown in Missouri was Florida, located on the Salt River, a tributary of the Mississippi. When Sam was four, the Clemenses moved to the more thriving town of Hannibal. The poverty of the family apparently caused young Sam no deep anxie- ties. Sam had a happy and reasonably carefree boyhood. The happy memories he dwelt on later were not those of his father's house, however, but of his summer vacations at the farm of an uncle. Sam Clemens soon became a leader in the juvenile deviltries of the village. His favorite playmate was Tom Blankenship, the son of the town drunkard. 124 B. l3. 14. 15. 16. l7. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 125 PARTS OF SPEECH: a. preposition b. conjunctive adverb c. subordinating conjunction d. coordinating conjunction He saw two of his playmates drown ithhe Mississippi and several times nearly drowned himself. The great excitement of village life was the coming and going of steamboats. It was out of the memory of such boyhood experiences, played over py- a vivid imagination, that Mark Twain created his novels. For a decade Sam worked at the printer's trade; however, he did learn to write during these years. His models were not books but the literary journalism to which he had access. When he began to write similar pieces himself, he soon found them printed in his brother's paper. He was only seventeen when he published these sketches, a significant achievement; nevertheless, they hardly indicated the magnitude of his talent. Sam enjoyed writing, yet in the spring of 1857 he was dazzled by a new fantasy. He became interested in a cocoa-hunting scheme; consequently, he took passage on a steamer to New Orleans, as the first stage of the journey. While traveling down—river, he became acquainted with the pilot, Horace Bixby. SENTENCE ELEMENTS: a. subject b. simple predicate c. direct object d. indirect object e. subjective complement In the presence of a ”lightning pilot" like Horace Bixby, Sam's boyish ambition quickly revived. He gave up his scheme of going to the Amazon and paid Bixby $500 for privilege of becoming his cub pilot. Mark Twain spent less than four years on the river, about half of it as cub pilot. He later maintained that he loved the profession of piloting better than any he'd had since. C. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 126 SENTENCE ELEMENTS (continued): a. subject b. simple predicate c. direct object d. indirect object e. subjective complement Although he was famed on the river for his reading, he was so busy learning the river that he had no time for writing. After he got his pilot's license, he wrote and published much in the New Orleans newspaper. Piloting on the river was brought to a close by the outbreak of the Civil War, which shut down most river traffic. Twain now joined a company of Confederate volunteers in much the same spirit of play-acting as in his boyhood. Sam Clemens's hasty retreat from rebel soldiering shows that he had no real commitment to the Southern cause. His brother Orion was more zealous and campaigned vigorously for Lincoln. Through his friendship with Republican politicians, he secured appointment as Secretary of the newly-organized Nevada territory. Orion gave Sam the invitation to come along as secretary to the Secretary. The journey by stage was delightful to footloose Sam Clemens. VOICE: 3. active b. passive Tendencies displayed earlier were now confirmed. Sam preferred motion to quiet, novelty to tradition, virility to culture, venture to prudence, luck to labor, and extravagance to moderation. Quick to seek diversion, he was filling himself with the animation and excitement of Western life. With another young man, he went to Lake Tahoe where a timber claim ygs staked out. After starting a forest fire, both returned to Carson City to seek fresh diversions. Presently he was smitten with the silver fever and tried prospecting and mining. E. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. SO. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. S6. 127 PHRASES AND CLAUSES: a. independent or main clause b. dependent or subordinate clause c. phrase d. sentence fragment But Sam Clemens never struck it rich enough £o_pay his living_ eypenses. Once more he had recourse to journalism, this time not as a printer but as a writer. His journalistic effusions were sporadic, but they were indicative of his natural bent. When he took the offered job on the Entegprise, a newspaper, he entered upon the literary career he would pursue —the rest of his life. Sam Clemens's two years op_the Enterprise were the making of Mark Twain. A man of note and influence, which Twain enjoyed. PUNCTUATION: a. correct b. incorrect Virginia City boomed, the Enterprise prospered, and Twain had at last found his true calling. The ex-printer, ex-pilot, ex-miner, thus became a writer. His colleagues on the Enterprise taught him much about writing; especially Goodman, his editor, who told him ”to go all over town and ask all sorts of people all sorts of questions." He also learned much from another reporter, William Wright, who wrote under a pen name. It was perhaps the example of deQuille, a master of the literary hoax, that induced Twain to add this form of humor to his repertory. His burgeoning popularity prompted Twain to adopt a pen name as well; therefore, (on February 2, 1863) he signed a piece written for his paper with "Mark Twain." That name soon became so famous, that it virtually extinguished the public identity of Sam Clemens. Mark Twain was not a responsible journalist; he was more interested in stirring up the public than informing it. It was May, 1864, when Mark Twain fled the Comstock area. F. 57. S8. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 128 PUNCTUATION (continued): a. correct b. incorrect He now went to San Francisco,--a city he had long wanted to see. He spent the next two years in what he thought was "the most cordial and sociable city in the Union". For four months he worked on the Morning Call; enjoying the life of city more than the drudgery on the paper. When Mark's best friend, Steve Gillis, got in trouble with the law, the police began to harass the pair. Mark sought refuge with Steve's only brother, Jim Gillis; this was in December 1864. Jim Gillis's mining camp was in the middle of a ghost town on Jackass Hill. Mark joined in the prospecting activities of Gillis and his partner in Calaveras County. The example of Jim's story telling had taught him to make use of his own best literary gift: the ability to appreciate and express the humor of character, of individual differences and peculiarities. Twain's story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog," a humorous classic, was based on a story told by an old miner at Angels Camp. He got a delightful assignment as a result of his recently gained fame as author of this story. It was to go down to the Sandwich Isalnds and write some letters for the Sacramento Union, an excellent Journal. He arrived in Hawaii in mid-March and his letters to the Union, pub- lished irregularly, beginning in April, were very popular. In addition to his 24 letters to the Union, Mark furnished it a sensational news scoop. Eleven sailors had drifted across the Pacific in an open boat, four thousand miles in forty three days, after surviving the destruction of the clipper ship Hornet. He used the Hornet story, as the subject of a public lecture in San Francisco, on October 2, 1866. This was his first of many appearances as a professional lecturer; in his lectures he frequently mocked those suffering from an idee fixe. Mark Twain embarked on an excursion for the Holy Land, and wrote letters, containing a running report of his tour, to two newspapers. F. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 129 PUNCTUATION (continued): a. correct b. incorrect Later he revised these letters for publication in the book, The Innocents Abroad. One observation he made was: "Human nature is very much the same all over the world." The year of publication of The Innocents Abroad, 1869, was a crucial year in Mark Twain's career. In the same year, the private life of Sam Clemens changed when he became engaged to Olivia Langdon. USAGE a. correct b. incorrect He had met her brother, whom carried Olivia's picture, while he was on his trip to the Holy Land. This picture had such affect on him that he decided he would marry her. He was invited to the Langdon's home when he returned to America. When it was time to leave, he arranged to fall off of the carriage seat. He acted as if he were hurt. So they put him to bed where he was going to lay for two weeks. Of course, he was really alright; he also enjoyed Olivia's tender care. Twain and she were married in 1870. At the end of everyday, Twain would set his day's work on Olivia's nightstand. He excepted her correction without argument. He helped to establish a publishing firm, but it went bankrupt. He was in debt more than $100,000. His family and he went to Paris, where they could live more cheaply. He then went on a world-wide lecture tour on which he was real well received. G. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 130 USAGE (continued): a. correct b. incorrect Everyone offered their business proposals to the now well-known author. - When he was seventy, he decided he was old enough to do exactly as he pleased. Thus he ordered fourteen white suits and 100 white ties. He'd entered the world with Halley's comet in 1835; hopefully, he would also leave with it. The day after it's appearance, he fell into a deep sleep from which he never awoke. Mark Twain wrote very well. Many of his readers can't hardly decide which book they like best. Between you and I, the best book is Huck Finn. Some think Tom Sawyer is as good, if not better, than Huck Finn. APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRE Q1. Q 2. Q 3. Q4. Q5. Q6. APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRE Background and Calvin experiences -- Circle the number which corresponds to the most appropriate answer. A few questions require a written response. All information will be kept confidential and be used only for research related to the Academic Support Program and improvement of its services. How many semesters have you been registered as a Calvin student? 1) 8 2) 7 3) 6 4) 5 5) 4 What is your declared major? Have you ever changed your declared major: 1) No 2) Once 3) Twice 4) More than twice When you enrolled in Calvin, which of the following best described your original purpose? 1) No definite purpose 2) To take some courses on a trial basis 3) To obtain a bachelor's degree 4) To eventually transfer to a technical school 5) To discover career interests 6) To make friends and meet people 7) To increase knowledge and understanding in a specific academic field 8) To study in a Christian atmosphere 9) Other: At the time you enrolled, how long did you plan to attend Calvin? 1) One year 2) Two years 3) Three years 4) Four years and graduate 5) Other: When you enrolled in Calvin, had you applied for entrance to other colleges? 1) I applied only to Calvin College. 2) I applied to several colleges, but Calvin y3§_my first choice. 3) I applied to several colleges, but Calvin was po£_my first choice. 4) Other: 131 Q7. Q8. Q9. Q 10. 132 Which of the following best describes the reason you originally decided to attend Calvin College rather than another college? 1) Academic or professional programs available 2) Academic Support Program available 3) Christian college 4) Contacts with admissions office 5) Family or friends were attending/had attended 6) Location of Calvin 7) Parental influence 8) Size of Calvin 9) A campus visit 10) Other: Were you required to participate in the Academic Support Program? 1) Yes 2) No, but I chose to do so. Have you ever recommended any of the Academic Support Services to others? 1) No 2) Yes If so, which ones? Which ASP course(s) did you take? (Please circle the course and answer the sqeuence of questions fo each course taken.) 1) 004 Math Did 004 prepare you for the math-related core courses? Yes - Was the material of appropriate difficulty for your needs? Comments: Yes - Would you recommend the course to others? Comments: Yes 2) 005 Math - Did 005 prepare you for the subsequent math course in your program? Yes - Was the material of appropriate difficulty for your needs? Comments: Yes - Would you recommend the course to others? Comments: Yes 3) 006 Study Skills Did 006 improve your performance in your other courses? Comments: Yes Was the material covered appropriate to your needs? Comments: Yes Would you recommend the course to others? Comments: Yes I‘ No No No No No No No No No 133 4) 007 Grammar Lab - Did 007 help you to succeed in English 100? Yes No - Was the material of appropriate difficulty for your needs? Comments: Yes No - Would you recommend the course to others? Comments: Yes No Q 11. Which aspects of the advising provided by the Academic Support instructors did you find most helpful as a freshman? (Circle as many as apply.) 1) Assistance with course selection 2) Assistance with time management 3) Assistance with study skills 4) Personal tutorials related to course content 5) Direction to other support services, i.e. career counseling or tutoring 6) None of value 7) Other: 11. Study and academic patterns —- Circle the answer that best describes your present study and academic patterns. Q 12. I ask my professors for clarification of assignments and assistance with problem areas of course work. 1) Never 2) Occasionally, but I am not comfortable doing so 3) Frequently, without hesitation as the need arises Q 13. I keep up my assignments by doing them in a regular, planner manner rather than by focusing singularly on the most immediate assignments. 1) Never 2) Occasionally 3) Frequently 4) Always Q 14. I procrastinate over papers and projects until there is insufficient time. 1) Never 2) Occasionally 3) Frequently 4) Always Q 15. I have difficulty recalling what I have just read when reading assignments. 1) Never 2) Occasionally 3) Frequently 4) Always Q 16. Q 17. Q 18. Q 19. Q 20. Q 21. Q 22. Q 23. 134 I have difficulty isolating important points when reading assignments. 1) Never 2) Occasionally 3) Frequently 4) Always When I refer to my notes, I find they are unorganized and include irrelevant information. 1) Never 2) Occasionally 3) Frequently 4) Always When I study for an essay exam, I organize the material in some logical order rather than study isolated facts. 1) Never 2) Occasionally 3) Frequently 4) Always I receive poor test grades because in a short period of time I have difficulty thinking clearly and organizing my answers. 1) Never 2) Occasionally 3) Frequently 4) Always I organize nottime daily and make efficient use of my study time. 1) Never 2) Occasionally 3) Frequently 4) Always I prefer learning through the following general modality: Circle (1) for your first choice and (2) for your second choice. 1 2 Listening: hearing information through lectures, tapes, etc. 1 2 Reading: reading texts, pamphlets, etc. 1 2 Iconic: viewing illustrations, movies, graphs, etc. 1 2 Direct expereince: handling or performing in labs, practice exercises, etc. I prefer assignments which give me 1) the freedom to set my won project objectives. 2) specific detailed directions to follow. My actual test grades are usually 1) better than I expect them to be. 2) not as good as I expect them to be. APPENDIX D LETTER OF PERMISSION FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL CORPORATION O THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CORPORATION 7500 OLD OAK BLVD., CLEVELAND. OH 44130 (216) 234-5300 CABLE: HARBRACE January 17, 1984 Ms. Beverly Morrison 310 Carnoustie, S.E. Grand Rapids, MI 49506 Dear Ms. Morrison: Enclosed please find one fully executed c0py of a Permission Agreement authorizing you to include items from the Survey Habits and Attitudes in the survey you are deveIOping as part of your doctoral research. I am pleased that we were able to be of assistance. Sincerely, Kat/£4141“ [‘qL/V 7‘ Karen Kray, Supervisor Rights and Permissions Kszgk 1269B Encl. 13S HARCOURT snA'ce Jowwovucw. pususwens APPENDIX E DESCRIPTIVE COMPOSITE OF RESPONDENTS APPENDIX E DESCRIPTIVE COMPOSITE OF RESPONDENTS Frequencies Took Academic Took Academic Support English/ Support Study Skills Mathematics N = 43 18 Number semesters registered: eight 18 9 seven 2 1 six 18 7 five 5 l Declared major: accounting biology business CAS computer science chemistry criminal justice elementary education engineering English fine arts German history math music nursing - BSN physical education psychology recreation religion seminary sociology special education speech HHmHHHMAHMHAOHNHAHHHO-AHH OONOOOHHOOOHHHOONNOOHU‘IOH 136 137 Frequencies Took Academic Took Academic Support English/ Support Study Skills Mathematics Changed major: never 24 15 once 12 3 twice or more 7 0 Original purpose: No definite purpose 2 2 Try courses 1 0 Obtain B.A. degree 12 7 Transfer to technical 3 1 Discover interests 7 7 Make friends 3 0 Increase knowledge in specific field 8 0 Study in Christian atmosphere 5 1 Other: Get away from home 2 0 Original intended stay: One year 7 4 Two years 8 0 Three years 0 0 Four years/graduate 28 14 Application to: Only Clavin 28 13 Others, but Calvin first choice 11 4 Others, and Calvin not first choice 4 1 Reason attended Calvin: Academic programs available 1 3 Academic Support Program 0 0 Christian college 5 1 Contacts with admissions 0 0 Family/friends attended l4 7 Location of Calvin 5 1 Parental influence 15 4 Size of Calvin l 0 A campus visit 2 1 Other: Michigan Financial Aid 0 1 APPENDIX F RESPONDENT PERCEPTIONS OF THE ACADEMIC SUPPORT PROGRAM APPENDIX F Table 14. -- RESPONDENT PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT PROGRAM Percent O 10 20 30 4D 50 6O 7O 80 90 100 1 l l l l l 1 Lil I I L l l I l l Ill Study Skills (N = 34) - Improved performance - Material was appropriate - Would recommend class Grammar Lab (N = 39) - Helped in English 100 - Material was appropriate - Would recommend class General Review of Mathematics (N = 14) - Prepared for Mathematics 100 - Material was appropriate - Would recommend class Algebra Review (N = 9) - Prepared for related class - Material was appropriate - Would recommend class Advising Component Most Helpful Course selection assistance Time management assistance Study skills assistance Personal tutorials Direction to other services Note. Frequencies # 61; some respondents took more than one component. Percentages # 100; checked multiple helpful components. 138 APPENDIX G PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS REPORTING USE OF APPROPRIATE STUDY SKILLS AND TIME MANAGEMENT APPENDIX G Table 15. -- Percentage of respondents reporting use of appropriate study skills and time management. Frequently ask professor for clarification of assignment Regularly keep up on papers and assignments Only occasionally procrastinate Only occasionally have difficulty recalling what was read Only occasionally have difficulty isolating important points Notes are rarely disorganized Regularly organize study material for exams Only occasionally have difficulty organizing test answers Regularly organize time IIIHIIIHIIIIHIH o 10 20 30 4o 50 60 7o 80 90 100 100 percent = 61 139 APPENDIX H LEARNING STYLE PREFERENCES APPENDIX H LEARNING STYLE PREFERENCES Took Grammar Took Percent of Preferences Lab/Study Mathematics Total Skills Lab Respondents First choice: Listening 18 8 43 Reading 3 11 Iconic 0 6 Direct experience 17 7 40 Second choice: Listening 6 3 13 Reading 12 4 26 Iconic l4 8 36 Direct experience 11 4 25 Prefer setting own 12 6 30 prOJect objectives Prefer following specific directions 31 12 70 Test grades are usually: Better than expected 21 8 48 Not as good as expected 22 10 52 For each category of preference N = 43 N = 18 100 140 APPENDIX I FIRST SEMESTER REPORTS FOR CONDITIONALLY ADMITTED FRESHMEN .oH on mm Scum commopoov HammMEmwv on poonnam one: oz: Hones: one ”mm on av 209m commouoow :owumnona no vo:H:uou mucovsum wouuwevm xfiumfiamon mo Hones: may .vOMHom uwoxnnsom 05mm onu mcwhao .ouoz ooH Hm“ ooH oHH ooH mm so“ am m444