Does Developmental Education Help? Findings from the Academic Performance of Adult Undergraduate Students in Community Colleges

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the association between participating in developmental education and degree attainment within 6 years for adults (age 24 and older) who entered one of 10 Ohio public community or technical colleges for the first time in 2002–2013. Degree attainment is modeled using annual data on course enrollment and completion measures. Results from both a logistic regression (with fixed effects) and propensity score matching provide different estimates of the impact of developmental education on degree attainment. The study identifies a range of intermediate educational characteristics such as credit completion and persistence that are associated with final degree completion. Based on the results of this study, educational institutions that provide adult developmental education need to design specific educational interventions that will address the barriers adult undergraduates face.

Funding

The Research was supported by a grant from the Ohio Board of Regents. The authors accept any errors that resulted from the study, and they take responsibility for any of the findings.

Additional information

Funding

The Research was supported by a grant from the Ohio Board of Regents. The authors accept any errors that resulted from the study, and they take responsibility for any of the findings.