A Remedial Skills Course for Under-Prepared College Students

This study was an attempt to determine the effectiveness on academic performance over four semesters of a remedial skills course offered to under-prepared freshmen students. Treatment and control groups were set up. The independent variable was successful completion of the course. Dependent variables included grades in the English and Speech required "core" courses, grade point average, and retention in college. The treatment group showed a statistically significant superiority over one or both control groups on the English core course variable, for two of four semesters on grade point average, on retention in college for all four semesters, and on the upward trend of GPAs for each of four semesters.