| The role and function of developmental education at the American community college has been a source of controversy for many years. One primary source of conflict is the role that remedial education plays. One view supports the notion that developmental education promotes a meritocratic system of rewards, whereby even the most unprepared are afforded an opportunity to access postsecondary education and the promise of social mobility. A contrasting view supports Clark's (1960) cooling out theory, in which developmental students are moved out of higher education pathways as a mechanism for balancing America's ideal of achievement for all with the reality of limited economic need. The alarming lack of student success within developmental education programs on a national level may be seen to support both schools of thought, but neither includes the student perspective.;Thus, this qualitative study sought to understand how community college students view themselves and their futures within the construct of developmental math. Interviews were conducted with developmental math students and faculty during the spring 2010, fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters.;Through analysis of the data, three findings emerged that reflect the varied and somewhat contradictory perspectives developmental math students hold: Math Hatred; Magical Thinking and Logical Fallacies; and Doom and Resistance. In each case, parallels drawn between the findings and key concepts from Giorgio Agamben's (1998) state of exception theory were examined. The findings from this study may provide a foundation for future research designed to explore Agamben's state of exception theory within an education framework. Implications for practice are also included. |
