Abstracts

This study focused on student achievement in remedial math through online and traditional delivery modes at Northwest Mississippi Community College. Student participants were interviewed through a semi-structured interview process to determine perceived influences and challenges that affected success in remedial math courses. The perceived influences and challenges that emerged from interview data were used to comparatively analyze online and traditional classroom modality of instruction. The acquired interview data provided for a systematic process to determine if there was a significant difference in student achievement in remedial math based on modality of instruction. A grounded theory methodology was used as a construct for this comparative study. The population for consideration was freshmen and sophomore students who attempted a remedial math course online and/or in a traditional classroom format. Participants were interviewed in a face-to-face setting. The study was guided by two research questions: 1.) what are the perceived influences that aided in your academic success in remedial math taken online or in a traditional classroom format at Northwest Mississippi Community College? 2.) What are the challenges that hindered your academic success in remedial math courses online or in traditional classroom format at Northwest Mississippi Community College? According to the perceptions of the participants in the study, there was no significant difference in student achievement in remedial math online compared with traditional classroom instruction based on influences that aided in success. Furthermore, there was not a significant difference in challenges that hindered academic success among students who attempted remedial math online and in the traditional classroom.