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TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACHIEVING THE DREAM FALL 2008 FOCUS GROUPS Overcoming the Challenges of Developmental Reading © 2009 Tulsa Community College Data Team
TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGEACHIEVING THE DREAMFALL 2008 FOCUS GROUPS
Overcoming the Challenges of
Developmental Reading
© 2009 Tulsa Community College Data Team
STUDY YEAR FOCUS GROUPS
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
Persistence (staying in school)
Developmental reading
Developmental mathematics; African-American male students
Achieving the Dream Calendar
4 – Step Process
• 68% successfully completed Reading I or II in first year
• “Successfully” = grade of “C” or better
What’s wrong?
• Student focus groups in Reading I and II
Why?
• Reading faculty design and implement the intervention
Intervene
• Did it work?• How should it be changed for greater success?
Assess
Reading I & II Student Focus Groups
Trained facilitatorsAll campuses36 groups24 facultyFull-time and part-time facultyReading I and Reading IIDay and evening classesStudents were asked, “What
barriers/challenges have you faced in successfully completing Reading I/II?”
Students named 2 kinds of barriers
Persistence Barriers(staying in school)
Reading I & II Barriers
41%
59%
BARRIER TYPES Frequency %1 Student Personal Issues 173 39%2 Services Issues 39 9%3 Student Academic Issues 38 9%4 Insufficient Reading Skills 25 6%5 Negative Student Attitudes 24 5%6 Amount/Scheduling of Work 21 5%7 Reading Lab work 20 5%8 Level/Intensity of Class Work 19 4%9 Instructor/Instructor Policy
Concerns15 3%
10 Study Habits/Skills 13 3%11 Computers 11 2%12 Instructional Issues 11 2%13 Attention/Focus 9 2%14 Readings/Textbooks 9 2%15 Format/Scheduling of Class Period 8 2%16 Placement in Courses 6 1%
441 100%
Pers
iste
nce
Bar
rier
s
59%
Rea
ding
I &
II
Bar
rier
s 41
%
Persistence Barriers – Then & Now
Student Personal IssuesTop 2 barriers: Balancing school, work, & life Attitudes
Services IssuesTop 2 barriers: Financial Aid Textbook issues
Student Academic IssuesTop 2 barriers: Not academically prepared Meeting academic workload
Instructional IssuesTop 2 barriers: Communication issues with instructors Teaching/learning styles
Top 5 barriers: Adjusting to college Balancing school,
employment, and life Textbook issues Tulsa Achieves
implementation issues Communication issues with
instructors
2007-2008 Student Focus Groups of
First-time Freshmen
2008-2009 Student Focus Groups of
Reading I & II
Similar barriers result from different populations of students.
Now, let’s focus on Reading I & II.
Rea
ding
B
arri
ers
Reading I & II Barriers
Campus
Reading I vs.
Reading II
Full-time vs.
Part-time faculty
Day vs.
Evening classes
No statistically significant differences by …
What works?What Works
? Instructors
… are good teachers
… are helpful
… are good advisers
… are understandin
g
… believe in their students
… make the class
interesting and fun
These are common examples from the Complete Reading Focus Group Data – Fall 2008
Blackboard
Syllabus
Computers at TCC
for students
Strategies
class
Lab staff
TutorsWhat Works?
These are common examples from the Complete Reading Focus Group Data – Fall 2008
Reading I & II Barriers
Most of the reading barriers (50%)pertained to
Insufficient reading skillNegative attitudes
Amount/scheduling of work Reading lab work
(Reported on all four campuses)
Learning to readReading
Barriers
Insuf -ficient read-ing
skills14%
Other bar-riers50%
Neg-ative atti-
tudes13%
Amount/
scheduling
of work 12%
Reading lab work11%
Reading I & II BarriersBARRIER TYPE Frequency %
1 Insufficient Reading Skills 25 14%2 Negative Student Attitudes 24 13%3 Amount/Scheduling of Work 21 12%4 Reading Lab work 20 11%5 Level/Intensity of Work 19 11%6 Instructor/Instructor Policy
Concerns15 8%
7 Study Habits/Skills 13 7%8 Computers 11 6%9 Attention/Focus 9 5%10
Readings/Textbooks 9 5%
11
Format/Scheduling of Class Period 8 4%
12
Placement in Courses 6 3%
180 100%
Insufficient reading skill
Reading with
purposeVocabular
y
Other reading
techniquesReading
aloud
Insufficient reading skill
• Make notes while reading• Read more often• Be engaged with your reading• Read to someone else• Get a dictionary
What students could do
• Give comprehension tests and play comprehension games
• Give assignment previews• Assign reading that students enjoy• Let students choose what they read• Have class discussions
What instructors could do
•Provide tutorsWhat TCC could do
These are just a few examples from the Complete Reading Focus Group Data – Fall 2008
Negative attitudes
Don’t like the reading class
No college credit for zero-level class
Don’t like to read
Don’t want to take a developmental reading
class
Negative attitudes
• Find out why you have to take the class• Read interesting things• Make reading a habit• Go to class and be on time• Ask for help from instructor, lab staff• Retake the placement test
What students could do
• Make the class more interactive• Offer interesting activities• Put more information on Blackboard• Have background music
What instructors could do
•Give college creditWhat TCC could do
These are just a few examples from the Complete Reading Focus Group Data – Fall 2008
Amount/scheduling of work
Too much schoolwork
Hard to schedule time for
assignments
Amount/scheduling of work
• Manage your time; make a schedule• Know the importance of each assignment• Get a tutor; go to Reading Center• Do the homework; be prepared• Read the syllabus• Break up work into smaller amounts• Set a time for schoolwork• Work in a calm setting
What students could do
• Give shorter reading assignments• Offer extra credit• Schedule textbook and vocabulary on
different days• Fewer assignments• More varied assignments• Give more time
What instructorscould do
These are just a few examples from the Complete Reading Focus Group Data – Fall 2008
Reading lab work
Lab instructions are confusing
Lab is uninteresting, a waste of
time
Doing lab work outside of class
Reading lab work
• Don’t put it off• Schedule your lab time• Know what is required• Pace yourself• Ask questions
What students could do
• Reduce the lab requirement• Let students do lab work in class• Give extra credit• Let students do lab work at home or
online
What instructors could do
•Open the lab on weekendsWhat TCC could do
These are just a few examples from the Complete Reading Focus Group Data – Fall 2008
Want more information?
Reading Barriers by Frequency, April 8, 2009Complete Reading Data – Student Focus
Groups, Fall 2008Reading Focus Group Data Report, April 8,
2009Overcoming the Challenges of Developmental
Reading, TCC video streamAchieving the Dream Fast Facts
Now, let’s focus on Reading Faculty.
Rea
ding
B
arri
ers
Reading I & II Faculty/Staff Focus Groups
Trained facilitatorsAll campuses represented1 groupAll full-time facultySeveral part-time faculty/staffReading I and Reading IIFaculty were asked, “What
barriers/challenges have you faced in helping students successfully complete Reading I/II?”?”
Faculty Barriers: Reading I & IIFACULTY BARRIERS/CHALLENGES Estimated %
Students’ poor study skills 100%Faculty not knowing all new disabilities
categories and terminology80-90%
Underprepared students to improve reading levels
60%
Students from background not valuing education
50-60%
Students’ very limited vocabulary 50%50% of students have vision problems 50%
Students not able to see well enough to read 50%Students not mature and responsible 40-50%
Teaching students with low self-esteem 50%Students with disabilities; students self-
handicappingRI 50% RII 5%
Faculty Suggestions: Academically Unprepared Students
• Teach study skills and put in syllabus
• Require Strategies for Academic Success
• Give several reading diagnostics• Vary instructional strategies by
abilities and disabilities• Use articulation with high schools to
let them know what TCC needs• Have more than one Instructional
Specialist per campus• Reading Instructional Specialists
need Reading Specialist Certificate/Special Needs/Elementary or Middle School background
What TCC could do
Faculty Suggestions: Disabilities
• Provide professional development for faculty (reading conferences; learning disabilities conferences)
• Instructor give extra credit or lab assignment for vision screening by campus nurse
• Use Level 4 nursing students to conduct vision screenings
What TCC could do
Faculty Suggestions: Student Attitudes
• Praise what students do well• Start with confidence-building work• Don’t take late work• Include contract in syllabus• Use group work• Remove $13.00 developmental fee
What TCC could do
© 2009 Tulsa Community College Data Team
