Students' Memories and Experiences: A Critical Analysis of Developmental Education

Abstract This article highlights four developmental mathematics students' reflections on the impact of their developmental coursework and services. These interviews were conducted two to four years after the participants' completion of developmental education services. This critical analysis provides insight into the long-term effects of developmental education. The purpose of this article is to present four profiles of former developmental mathematics education students from a qualitative study (Duranczyk, 2004) that explored the range of skills, experiences, and challenges developmental mathematics students face at the university level within the context of their mathematics histories and the impact of developmental mathematics education on the individual students' lives. There have been a limited number of studies addressing the impact of developmental education on special populations of university students (Contreras, 1993; Genera, 1993; Mireles, 1995; O'Hear & MacDonald, 1995; Smith, 1994; Smith, 1993). There have been studies that seek to understand the factors affecting successful developmental programs (Bonnett & Newsom, 1995; Durant, 1992; Nora, Attinasi, & Matonak, 1990). But developmental mathematics studies have typically investigated attitudes and success factors during the developmental education process (Berenson, Carter, & Norwood, 1992; Elliot, 1990; Jones, 1994; Lehmann, 1987; Mireles, 1995; Stage & Kloosterman, 1995; Wachtel, 1994). Little research on the long-term effects of developmental mathematics education has been done. The study presented in this article used a qualitative methodology to identify the shortand long-term effects of developmental mathematics education in the context of developmental students' histories (Logsdon, Taylor, & Blum, 1988; Melton, 1996; Mittler & Bers, 1994; Schoonover, 1996). It describes what happened after students completed developmental mathematics education-how the experience affected their lives. This research, because it was conducted at least 2 years after the completion of developmental classes, adds to the present body of knowledge regarding the longterm impact of developmental mathematics education. The Research Question and Subquestions This research addressed the question: What influence did developmental mathematics education have on the lives of underprepared, underrepresented, and undereducated university students? This question was explored in the context of students' mathematics history and included questions that revealed the effects of developmental mathematics on subsequent course work at the university and on subsequent experiences beyond the university. I approached the above question through the following subquestions: 1. What were students' current (i.e., two or more years after developmental mathematics course completion) perceptions of the importance of developmental mathematics courses at the university level? 2. Had students' attitudes and perceptions about the university, themselves, or mathematics changed at any time since being identified as a developmental mathematics student? 3. Had students' perceptions of the importance of developmental mathematics changed over time? 4. Did students gain any mathematical skills that were useful in subsequent university or broader life experiences? 5. Did students gain any other skills (e.g., learning skills, study skills, testing skills, interpersonal skills) that were useful in subsequent university or broader life experiences? 6. What memories and experiences did students have that give insight to their critical analysis of developmental education at the university level? Students' answers to these questions provided information to conduct a qualitative critical analysis of developmental mathematics education at the university. Research Design This study used a critical ethnographic research design based on case studies. …