Students enrolled in developmental college courses generally have lower levels of self-efficacy than their counterparts, and this can negatively affect their course performance, motivation, and ability to graduate. The current study focuses on the effects of a treatment course in developmental algebra on students' self-efficacy in mathematics. This course is part of a program that assists students who place into developmental mathematics, English, and reading courses with additional supports and saving students time and money. The perceived effects of the treatment developmental algebra course on students' self-efficacy in mathematics was measured with a standard instrument (the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale [MSES]), student journals, student interviews, student grades on course assessments, and the instructor's journal. The MSES was also administered to similar non-treatment students to offer further comparison. Data analysis determined that changes in self-efficacy occurred and were measurable, more so for the treatment group than the control group. Additional analysis points to the reasons that treatment students may attribute to these observed changes in self-efficacy which include opportunities of success and persistence through struggle, a course instructor who is inviting of questions and willing to help students, and peer support from the learning community. Further, data analysis illustrated the level of agreement between the results of the five data sources. Results of this analysis indicate that agreement generally existed between the data sources, but inclusion of journals potentially provides details about the student experience that might have otherwise been lost.
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