Preparation for the upper-division: An examination of institutionally defined equivalent course work in three community colleges and their primary-receiving baccalaureate institution.
Hart, Kathleen Ann
1994
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the equivalency of community college students' academic preparation by comparing the intellectual, procedural, and social demands made on students in institutionally-defined equivalent courses in three community colleges and their primary-receiving baccalaureate institution. During Fall Semester, 1991, course documents (e.g., syllabus, tests, assignments) from 39 faculty members teaching introductory English composition, history, political science, calculus, and chemistry in three community colleges and their primary-receiving baccalaureate institution were collected and content-analyzed. Structured interviews during and after the course clarified or expanded on information gleaned from course documents about course tasks and social performance expectations, e.g., attendance, effort, etc. Coding schemes were developed, and tests and writing assignments (tasks) were coded according to the thinking processes they required (cognitive complexity) and the item-type or written product students were expected to complete or generate (procedural difficulty). The data analysis moved through four phases: the task, the section, the course, and the lower division curriculum in an institutional setting. Baccalaureate ranges and average scores served as the standard for comparing overall course and curricular demands as well as discrete measures of the intellectual and procedural aspects of tasks and social expectations. None of the 59 community college sections was equivalent on all measures. Nine sections were equivalent on all measures of the cognitive complexity and procedural difficulty of their course tasks; however, none was equivalent on all measures of social performance expectations. Results revealed variations on the measures of task demands within institutions as well as between urban and suburban community colleges. Assuming community college students' transfer success is enhanced when the content and pedagogy of courses are equivalent, the findings of this study raise important questions for administrators, faculty developers, and faculty. In particular, the results suggest that the unit of analysis should be the course section rather than catalog descriptions or select course syllabi. The research method of this study is complex but may be modified so that individual faculty can analyze their own courses and faculty/administrator groups can compare their courses with those offered on other campuses for the purpose of establishing curricular equivalency.Other Identifiers
(UMI)AAI9513370
Subjects
Education, Community College Education, Curriculum and Instruction Education, Higher
Types
Thesis
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