Helping Underprepared Students Succeed: Minimizing Threats to Identity

ABSTRACT

Although the practice of channeling students who are labeled as academically underprepared into developmental education courses has been a ubiquitous practice among community colleges, the vast majority of these students are not completing their developmental coursework, much less their desired credential. This research illustrates the experiences and challenges that students encountered in their pre-curriculum courses. The research conducted in-depth interviews with 16 students who successfully completed or were on track to complete their developmental coursework at a two-year MSI. Framed by Schlossberg’s transition theory, findings showed that being labeled as “underprepared” generated feelings of isolation, stigmatization, and a lack of control, which we argue are threats to identity that led to strong emotional and behavioral reactions. As many colleges are looking for new approaches to address the challenge of so-called student underpreparedness, we argue that the design of developmental interventions, and indeed of all community college structures, should accommodate and support students’ fledgling identities as college students.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.