12 JOURNAL of DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION The Effectiveness of Computer- Assisted Instruction in Developmental

ABSTRACT: This quasiexperimental study compared academic performance of students enrolled in a developmental mathematics course using traditional instruction (i.e., lec-ture) and traditional instruction supplemented with computer-assisted instruction. In addi-tion, gender differences in mathematical per-formance were also investigated. There was no statistically significant difference in the posttest scores of students receiving traditional instruc-tion and traditional instruction supplemented with computer-assisted instruction. There was a significant difference in the posttest scores of females and males, with females outperforming males in both modes of instruction. A significant number of students start college underprepared for a college-level mathematics course (National Center for Educational Statis-tics, 2003). Without intervention only 10 % will graduate, and with appropriate assistance up to 40 % of those beginning college in develop-mental programs can earn a bachelor’s degree (Brittenham et al., 2003). Success or failure in a mathematics course has a strong influence on students ’ choice of major and whether they graduate and qualify for meaningful jobs (Hall & Pontoon, 2005; McCabe, 2000). Some four-year colleges and universities and most com-munity colleges offer courses equivalent to basic arithmetic and high school algebra in an attempt to prepare these students for courses such as col-lege algebra and statistics (National Center fo