Instructional Effectiveness; Remedial Programs

A study investigated whether differences exist in the freshman-level course grades between the "high-risk " college freshmen enrolled in a linked-course developmental program and the other freshmen who were not required to participate in the developmental program. Subjects, 286 "non-developmental " freshmen and 71 freshmen identified as either "high developmental " or "low developmental" through a combination of test scores and a written essay, all took the same three Freshman Studies Module Exams during a fall semester at St. Edward's University in Texas. Semester grade point averages (GPAs) were based on all courses taken, while cumulative GPAs were based on degree-credit-bearing courses only--developmental course grades were not included. Exam grades, final course grades, semester GPA, and cumulative GPA were used as variables in an analysis of variance. Results indicated no significant differences between th