A comparison of learning outcomes for dual-enrollment mathematics students taught by high school teachers versus college faculty - Statistical Data Included

Community College Review, Winter, 2001 by Laura Hebert

Method

This study examines learning outcomes for students who enrolled in dual enrollment mathematics courses during a five-year period at a large multicampus community college in Florida. Two groups were followed in the study: one containing subjects who had high school teachers as instructors for college-level dual enrollment mathematics courses and the other who had college faculty as instructors for college-level dual enrollment mathematics courses. The study is retrospective in that all subjects have completed high school as well as subsequent mathematics coursework at one of Florida's 10 state universities. Existing data determined whether the treatment (who taught the dual enrollment courses) made a significant difference in outcomes regarding subsequent coursework in mathematics.

Among the disciplines offered through dual enrollment with the participating community college, mathematics offers the greatest opportunity to compare learning outcomes of students taught by college faculty with those taught by high school teachers. Each year there are numerous sections of mathematics courses taught through dual enrollment at the community college's district high schools. Both high school teachers and college faculty are utilized equally in these courses. This similar allocation of high school teachers and college faculty among the dual enrollment mathematics courses provided for adequate numbers of subjects in each group.

Comparison groups in a quasi-experimental study such as this are considered nonequivalent groups because they are not formed by random assignment. There exists, however, a reasonable basis for comparison of the two groups in this study. Specifically, dual enrollment participants in Florida must have a cumulative unweighted high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. Additionally, students in college-credit mathematics courses must demonstrate adequate precollegiate preparation on a basic computational skills assessment (SAT, ACT, or CPT) before being permitted to enroll. These prerequisites assure that students placed in dual enrollment mathematics courses are academically prepared for the material being covered. Both groups in the study, therefore, have similar academic credentials. Finally, regardless of who teaches a college-credit mathematics course for the community college, the approved course outline must be used, as Florida's common course numbering system demands uniformity. These outlines set the minimum competencies necessary for satisfactory performance in the course. Thus, students successfully completing dual enrollment mathematics courses meet the same entrance and exit criteria regardless of the instructor's status as college faculty member or high school teacher.

Limitations

There are several limiting factors that the writer has identified that may be of significance here. The first limitation is that only dual enrollment students that continued their education at one of the 10 state universities in Florida will be tracked in this study. Realistically, this will encompass the vast majority of this community college's dual enrollment students. Those dual enrollment students that continued their education at private universities within Florida or public or private universities outside the state will not be included in the study. This could potentially eliminate some of the brightest students from the sample (those attending highly selective institutions). Furthermore, there is no way of determining if these students will be eliminated in equal numbers from both groups.