Faculty Attitudes Toward Students Enrolled in Developmental Coursework

Abstract

A transcendental phenomenological approach was used to explore faculty attitudes toward students enrolled in developmental coursework. This research was conducted at a mid-sized, urban community college in the southwestern United States. Participants were six residential faculty members, all of whom had taught developmental coursework for at least three years. The interview data were transcribed and analyzed to discover themes within faculty perceptions. The results of this analysis were used to develop a description of faculty attitudes toward students enrolled in developmental coursework. Five themes were identified within the data: Diversity, Gaps, Barriers, Community, and Extra Work. These themes were examined in the context of previous work in this area. Finally, implications for practice were discussed and recommendations for future research were made.