Faculty perceptions of under-prepared students in community college

Post-secondary education is experiencing increasing numbers of incoming freshman who are academically under-prepared for college level work. California Community Colleges have more academically under-prepared students than any other institutions in the state, with 60-90% of incoming freshman in need of some form of remediation. The California Community College System Office is addressing this influx into its colleges with the Basic Skills Initiative which provides resources for colleges to support the under-prepared population.;The purpose of this study was to determine what community college faculty think about the growing population of under-prepared students, how they are addressing these students in their classroom, and how they feel their institution is doing to support this population. The study further investigated differences of opinion between basic skills faculty and non-basic skills faculty.;Study participants were full-time instructional faculty who participated in focus groups and a written survey which explored faculty awareness and perceptions of under-prepared students, current classroom practices addressing the under-prepared population, and recommendations for improvement. The response rate of 71% for the survey results paints a fairly accurate picture of the community college classroom as it pertains to under-prepared students at American River College. The results portray community college faculty as a flexible group doing their best to accommodate under-prepared students entering their classroom. Virtually all faculty recognize the under-prepared students in their classroom and most stated up to 50% of the students in transfer level classes are academically under-prepared. Many faculty have adjusted their course requirements to address issues associated with under-prepared students. Faculty believe the institution could be doing a better job to support their work with under-prepared students and a more focused effort is needed to ensure the success of under-prepared students at the institution. Most faculty believe the reason for the growth in under-prepared students is due to student motivation rather than the student's background or available resources. Although current practices in the classroom truly demonstrate progress with academically under-prepared students, they reveal additional work is necessary before all students, regardless of their level of preparation, can achieve success at the community college.