Predicting Performance in a Community College Content-Area Course from Academic Skill Level

Abstract

Binary logistic regression analyses were performed on institutional data from a large urban community college in order to identify predictors of performance in a content course (psychology) that had high literacy demands. It was found that students who completed college English were more likely to pass the content course than students with developmental-level English skills. Also, academically underprepared students who completed developmental English passed the content course at the same rate as students who entered the college with college-level skills. Thus, once students' current level of literacy skill, measured by the highest English course completed, was considered, their initial literacy level upon entry in college was not predictive of achievement in the content course. This finding suggests that the English courses completed by students between the time of college entry and content course enrollment may have had a positive effect on their achievement in the content course.