Chemistry education in two-year colleges of the SREB region: A survey of the nature of developmental/remedial course

Chemistry faculty at many colleges and universities have responded to the underprepared chemistry student by offering a specialized, Developmental/Remedial (D/R) chemistry course that a student could complete prior to enrollment in a general chemistry sequence.;The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of these Developmental/Remedial chemistry courses as taught in two-year colleges of Southern Regional Education Board states. The study had four main components: (1) the nature of the course itself; (2) the background of teachers of D/R chemistry courses; (3) the nature and performance of students in these kinds of courses; (4) the advising and support activities available to the underprepared chemistry student. Data for the study were gathered by means of a survey of faculty at 127 institutions.;Results of the study suggest that these courses generally include content, instructional materials, and teaching methods that should provide the student with an adequate preparation for general chemistry. Although teachers of these courses are generally well-prepared in the content area and show great initiative by the design of their courses, they do not, as a group, either coordinate the D/R chemistry courses with other D/R courses at their institutions nor attend conferences or workshops for teachers of D/R students to any great extent.;Students are placed into D/R chemistry courses largely based on their own feelings about their preparedness for general chemistry as well as whether or not they have completed high school chemistry. Over three-fourths of the respondents cite inadequate mathematics background and poor study habits as the main contributors to lack of success in chemistry. More than half identify poor reading ability, whereas almost half attribute the lack of success in chemistry to lack of confidence, fear of chemistry, and lack of motivation. Relatively few cited inadequate chemistry background as a reason for students' lack of success.;Responsibility of counseling D/R chemistry students rested primarily with faculty advisors chosen on the basis of a student's career goal or with non-faculty staff counselors.