Date of Award
2001
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Richard Cardinali
Committee Member
Ellen Clymer
Committee Member
Martin Parks
Keywords
analysis, basic skills, CAI, capacity, Chi square, client capacity, client enrollment, client remediation, client success, clients, collection, committee, completion rates, computers, criteria, data, data collection, design, dissemination, effectiveness, enrollment, ESL software, evaluation, external funding agencies, federally funded job training programs, formative committee, funding, grade level gain, instructional software, investment, job training completion, job training programs, Learning Center, literature, math remediation, methodologies, One Stop Career Center, OSCC, performance, positive evaluation, post-test scores, pretest scores, problem-solving methodologies, procedures, program participation, project, reading remediation, recommendations, remediation, research, research questions, results, reviewing literature, software, significance, success rates, summative committee, training programs, transfer rates, use, validation
Abstract
The problem for investigation encompassed three domains that identified the One Stop Career Center's (OSCC) remedial programs, the ability of its clients to enter federally funded job training programs, and clients' success in the programs they entered. Another facet of the study examined whether OSCC was using its current instructional software effectively in client remediation. The purpose of the project was to evaluate the use and effectiveness of computer assisted instruction (CAI) in basic skills remediation.
Four research questions guided the study. First, "Does the center's basic skills remediation program prepare clients to enter federally funded job training programs?" Second, "Do clients who complete basic skills remediation also complete the designated training programs they enter?" Third, "Is the current instructional software being used effectively in client remediation?" Fourth, "What criteria should be used to determine success rates of One Stop Career Center clients?"
The research and evaluation problem-solving methodologies were employed for this project. Five procedures were used to evaluate the data: (a) reviewing related literature; (b) collecting data from OSCC regarding client enrollment, completion rates and transfer rates; (c) convening a formative committee to help develop the criteria for evaluation; (d) convening a summative committee to validate the criteria established; and (e) disseminating the results to external funding agencies.
Data collection for the ex post facto design consisted of pretest and post-test scores of all clients who were served by the remediation process from July 1, 1999, to June 30, 2000, as well as data on total client 4 enrollment and completion rates for the same period. Analysis of the data revealed an overall grade level gain in reading remediation of 1. 95 and an overall gain in math remediation of 2. 01. The job training program completion rate for the clients in this study was 95. 14%, which exceeded the 80% established criteria for completion. A Chi square calculated to test the significance of the relationship between basic skills program participation and job training completion rates (X2 (dfl) = . 142) failed to attain significance (criteria for significance is 3. 84).
Because grade level averages in both math and reading were raised, it was concluded that OSCC's instructional software was being used effectively, that it did contribute to OSCC clients' remediation in these subjects, and that the basic skills remediation program was meeting and exceeding the criteria established for performance. Almost all the clients who completed basic skills remediation also completed the designated training programs they entered. The positive evaluation of the use of CAI in basic skills preparation implies that it can play an important role in helping adults in need of remediation to enter job training programs.
Several recommendations for action followed from this study. These recommendations included suggestions for an investment in more computers, funding additional ESL software, allocating additional funds to increase the client capacity within OSCC's Learning Center, and continued research to determine the overall effectiveness of CAI in basic skills remediation.