Education Commons^™

A Narrative Inquiry Exploring How College Communication Professors Engage Students With Public Speaking Apprehensions, Derek Riedel

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how communication professors at four-year private universities help students who exhibit public speaking apprehension (PSA) learn to cope with their anxiety. The research was framed in the narrative inquiry paradigm, interviewing eight college communication professors about their experiences working with public speaking students. Each of the eight professors worked at private universities in a large southwest metropolitan city. The researcher attempted to gather critical incidents that shed light on valuable learning experiences that could be useful to professors looking for ways to help reduce their students' PSA. The researcher found three …

Gaps In Developmental Mathematics Course Sequence Impede Success In College Algebra, Hector Espinosa Gonzales

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of gaps or stop outs within the developmental mathematics course sequence on the successful completion of college algebra.

Community colleges are undergoing a transformation. Historically, they have been focused on improving access to higher education; now the focus has shifted to student success. This transformation is evident in the concerted effort to improve student graduation rates and decrease the amount of time spent to complete degrees. For community colleges, the key to this success must include reform and improvement in developmental education. Within developmental education, mathematics presents the biggest challenge …