This report describes the developmental education program at Jefferson Davis Community College (JDCC) (Alabama). Approximately 59% of JDCC's student population must take pre-college, or developmental, courses in math, reading, English, and study skills. JDCC's developmental program includes computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in reading, math, and…

A study investigated whether there were significant differences between male and female basic writers, examining the writing processes and products of 19 male and female college freshmen basic writers in a university and 33 male and female freshmen basic writers in a junior college. Results indicated that both groups of students, male and female…

Analysis of the use of the skills model to teach basic writing to nontraditional English language learners in community college points out barriers to this approach, including wide variation in linguistic, cultural, and educational background and inability to help students transition to academic discourse. An academic socialization model using…

Describes two different experiments at De Anza College which illustrate coordinated teaching, a concept in which a group of faculty volunteer to work together for better instruction within the context of an existing program, maintaining their usual approaches to teaching a course, but allowing for collegial effort, some common work, and…

In order to become empowered and autonomous writers, students need to learn self-evaluation techniques to help them revise their writing instead of simply editing it. Basic writers and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writers especially need concrete aids that can guide them, at least in the initial stages of learning, to write in a mode in…

This study considered the problem of evaluation--"how do we know when a student is ready to move into the regular college writing classroom." The subjects were culturally diverse students in a basic writing course at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico. Findings suggest that: (1) students in the course do not fit neatly into any…

This is a qualitative study of four women receiving assistance through the Trade Readjustment Act (TRA) and who were enrolled in a developmental writing course. The TRA provides money to displaced workers for the purposes of retraining them to reenter the workforce. The four women in the study were nontraditional students and displaced garment…

This annual report summarizes progress on two aspects of Germanna Community College's (Virginia) Student Outcomes Assessment program: developmental education and transfer student success. The analysis of developmental education shows that a substantial proportion of students benefit from developmental coursework in writing and basic math. High…

Examines developmental/remedial programs at public two-year institutions across four geographical regions of the United States in order to investigate regional variations in these programs. Analyzes operational characteristics, institutional policies, and student participation and performance. Provides recommendations for practitioners,…

Studies the availability of writing programs at 2-year colleges. Reports that virtually all of the 236 schools that replied to a survey offer composition and most offer such courses as basic and creative writing. States that fewer schools offer advanced or sophomore composition. Concludes that both class sizes and teaching loads exceed…

A multilingual basic writing course is an ideal laboratory for language learning for both second language students and native English speakers. This latter group at Bronx Community College (New York), which is located in a poor, minority urban community, are generally English-as-a-Second-Dialect (ESD) students. What one instructor tries to do is…

The purpose of this study was to investigate student responses to a developmental writing instructor's feedback on their writing assignments in college-preparatory writing courses at a community college. Using observation, analysis of teacher responses on a writing assignment, surveys, and interviews, the research investigated how students…

Describes the design and implementation of a developmental English course for community college students still not performing at college level after a semester of remedial work. Discusses the theoretical background of the curriculum, book selection criteria, the course reading list, and classroom activities used to increase motivation and…

Teaching basic writing at an open-admissions, urban, commuter community college involves the instructor with a clientele of student writers with a wide variety and complexity of needs and abilities. According to much research, demands by some scholars for having students write more than just "themes" is inappropriate for such students.…

Argues that writing is a social practice, and as such, student writing should be thought of as part of the larger society. Reports on responses from 393 (over 50% of those solicited) students in developmental writing courses, which indicate that students want to feel they have a stake in their own learning. (Contains 26 references.) (NB)