The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the status of developmental math courses in higher education settings, particularly community colleges, which are designed to increase the likelihood of student success in credit math classes. Non-credit remedial mathematics courses have a long curricular history in community college and university settings. The following discussion will examine the numerous contributing factors impacting the requirements of developmental education in postsecondary settings, while placing specific emphasis on the necessity for a math literate population, as most college students must take at least one course to earn a degree or credential. To improve student persistence in college, there are targeted efforts to decrease the amount of time students spend in remedial classes. The initiatives to improve the placement, retention, and success of students in developmental and college-credit math courses, along with trends in developmental education will be explored. Issues of social class, and gender in higher-education, and how these circumstances influence academic success in math courses will also be examined.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the status of developmental math courses in higher education settings, particularly community colleges, which are designed to increase the likelihood of student success in credit math classes. Non-credit remedial mathematics courses have a long curricular history in community college and university settings. The following discussion will examine the numerous contributing factors impacting the requirements of developmental education in postsecondary settings, while placing specific emphasis on the necessity for a math literate population, as most college students must take at least one course to earn a degree or credential. To improve student persistence in college, there are targeted efforts to decrease the amount of time students spend in remedial classes. The initiatives to improve the placement, retention, and success of students in developmental and college-credit math courses, along with trends in developmental education will be explored. Issues of social class, and gender in higher-education, and how these circumstances influence academic success in math courses will also be examined.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["McDuffy, Sr., Spencer A."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Mathematics","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dianna Galante, Ph.D.","J. Christopher Tweedle, Ph.D.","Addie L. Davis, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:24:36Z","subjects":["College Math","University Math","Remedial Instruction","Basic Education","Science and Mathematics Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://opus.govst.edu/theses/100","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dianna Galante, Ph.D.","J. Christopher Tweedle, Ph.D.","Addie L. Davis, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["McDuffy, Sr., Spencer A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-08-17T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mathematics"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["College Math","University Math","Remedial Instruction","Basic Education","Science and Mathematics Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://opus.govst.edu/theses/100"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the status of developmental math courses in higher education settings, particularly community colleges, which are designed to increase the likelihood of student success in credit math classes. Non-credit remedial mathematics courses have a long curricular history in community college and university settings. The following discussion will examine the numerous contributing factors impacting the requirements of developmental education in postsecondary settings, while placing specific emphasis on the necessity for a math literate population, as most college students must take at least one course to earn a degree or credential. To improve student persistence in college, there are targeted efforts to decrease the amount of time students spend in remedial classes. The initiatives to improve the placement, retention, and success of students in developmental and college-credit math courses, along with trends in developmental education will be explored. Issues of social class, and gender in higher-education, and how these circumstances influence academic success in math courses will also be examined.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Necessity of Fundamental Math in College"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dianna Galante, Ph.D.","J. Christopher Tweedle, Ph.D.","Addie L. Davis, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["McDuffy, Sr., Spencer A."],"dc:date.available":["2017-08-17T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the status of developmental math courses in higher education settings, particularly community colleges, which are designed to increase the likelihood of student success in credit math classes. Non-credit remedial mathematics courses have a long curricular history in community college and university settings. The following discussion will examine the numerous contributing factors impacting the requirements of developmental education in postsecondary settings, while placing specific emphasis on the necessity for a math literate population, as most college students must take at least one course to earn a degree or credential. To improve student persistence in college, there are targeted efforts to decrease the amount of time students spend in remedial classes. The initiatives to improve the placement, retention, and success of students in developmental and college-credit math courses, along with trends in developmental education will be explored. Issues of social class, and gender in higher-education, and how these circumstances influence academic success in math courses will also be examined.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://opus.govst.edu/theses/100"],"dc:subject":["College Math","University Math","Remedial Instruction","Basic Education","Science and Mathematics Education"],"dc:title":["The Necessity of Fundamental Math in College"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mathematics"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:24:36Z"}