Student Outcomes and the Role of Faculty Mindset: Mixed-Method Evidence From California’s Developmental Education Reform

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Evaluation and Learning in STEM Education  and Beyond (Table 5)

Abstract

California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 705 required the state’s community colleges to use multiple measures placement to maximize the likelihood that students would enter and complete gateway English and math courses within one year. While AB 705 has led to remarkable shifts in enrollment and completion, there are still equity gaps. This study uses an interrupted time series analysis with statewide data along with survey and qualitative interview data from a purposive sample of English and math faculty to examine the role of faculty mindset in supporting or thwarting student success in gateway courses. We find that persistent equity gaps in completion of college-level math courses may be related to the fact that math faculty are likely to espouse deficit mindsets.

Authors

• Kri Burkander, Research for Action

• Taylor Stenley, Research for Action