Enhancing Students’ Basic Math Skills: Preparing
Community College Graduates to Meet Employer Needs
K. Paul Knott
pknott@abtech.edu
NCCCS BioNetwork/WCU doctoral student
Russ Yelton, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community
College
RYelton@abtech.edu
Celeste Oprean, Blue Ridge Community College
celesteo@blueridge.edu
Mike Stewart, Western Carolina University
stewart@email.wcu.edu
Deborah Porto, North Carolina State University
Deborah_Porto@ncsu.edu
In preparing for its SACS reaccredidation, Haywood Community
College (HCC), a small rural community college located in Clyde, North
Carolina, sought to determine the math skills employers felt HCC graduates
being hired as entry level employees needed to possess. HCC requested
assistance from the Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations at
Western Carolina University (WCU) in Cullowhee, NC. In response, a team
of doctoral students under the supervision of Dr. Meagan Karvonen
provided the requested research assistance.
After determining the appropriate focus for study in consultation with HCC
officials, the research project converged on determining the math skills
employers are seeking from HCC graduates, the level of employer satisfaction
with HCC graduates they had recently hired, and the math skills employers
believe future students will need to have in order to perform successfully.
The team developed a survey instrument and completed telephone interviews among
22 employers. The survey responses, consisting of both quantitative and
qualitative data, were coded and analyzed. Results included a ranking of basic
math skills by perceived importance, employer suggestions for skill development
needs, and identification of programmatic improvements for HCC to consider.
Several recommendations for further research and program implementation were
also suggested, laying the groundwork for HCC officials to use in preparation
for their reaccredidation efforts.
Objectives of the Study:
The study was undertaken to provide support for Haywood Community College’s
development of its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for SACS reaccredidation.
The QEP’s chosen emphasis is on math skills. HCC sought to obtain information
from businesses that typically employ HCC graduates, about math skills their
entry level employees need to be successful
In consultation with HCC’s Coordinator of Research and Institutional
Effectiveness three research questions identified were:
1. What math skills are
employers seeking from HCC graduates?
2. What math skill abilities
and deficits are employers observing when they hire
HCC
graduates?
3. What different math skills,
if any, do employers believe future students will
need to have in order to perform
successfully?
Theoretical Framework/Perspective:
Knowledge of basic math skills may be considered important for the successful
transition of students into the workplace. Technical math skills may also be
required for specific jobs, but there are some additional skills, often coined
‘soft skills,’ that are necessary for bridging the gap between book knowledge
and work application. Ginsburg, Manly & Schmitt (2007) associate the
term numeracy with the study of mathematics and other aspects of human
interaction. When numeracy was isolated as the source of the disconnect, the
challenge for community colleges has become finding ways of molding a diverse
population into a successful workforce through numeracy based educational
programs.
Methodology or Design:
A survey instrument originally used as a mail survey and previously used by Dr.
Donna Redmann at Southeastern Louisiana University
was adapted for use as a structured telephone interview instrument to suit the
approach chosen for this project. The “Basic Math Skills Questionnaire”
contained a 36-question section on basic math skills that was selected to serve
as the core of the skills-related questions for the project’s draft survey
instrument. These 36 questions asked respondents to rank the importance of
basic math skills along a three point scale which included “Not Important,”
“Somewhat Important,” or “Very Important.” For purposes of accurately capturing
responses, the project team equated each of these points on the scale in terms
of the frequency of use, defining “Not Important” as being used on the job once
a year, “Somewhat Important” as needed once a month, and “Very Important” as
once a week.
In addition several additional questions were developed and included in the
survey protocol. One, an open-ended question, was developed to identify
and explore any math skills requirements not identified by the survey. Another
solicited responses from employers’ about their general satisfaction with HCC
graduates as employees. The respondents were also asked to provide and explain
their assessment of math skills among the HCC graduates they had employed
during the past five years. A final open-ended request for any other comments
or suggestions was included. Two additional questions about the employer’s size
and industry were inserted at the end of the instrument to aid in the analysis
and understanding of the results.
The draft survey instrument was reviewed by a research expert and revised
according to the suggestions received. The research team then pilot tested the
telephone survey among a group of five employers, not included in the
population identified by the college. Feedback from the pilot test group
suggested that only minor modifications to a few questions were needed. These
results were discussed among the project team and minor editorial changes were
made to several of the survey questions to facilitate an accurate response.
Data Sources:
The population for the study, 64 Haywood County companies, was selected by the
institution and provided to the research team by the HCC Director of Community
and Economic Development. For several very large employers, team members asked
to conduct additional interviews across multiple business departments, in order
to get a wider range of data. Counting these additional interviews the team had
the potential to complete 72 interviews among the population of employers.
To implement the survey, the group divided the business listings provided to
them so that each member could contact an equal number of businesses. Team
members then contacted the businesses to complete the survey or to schedule
call back times to do so. Of the 72 potential employer subjects provided by the
college, 11 were eliminated because the telephone numbers provided were
disconnected or had changed. The team collected 22 completed surveys, or 35%
percent of the population with valid telephone numbers.
Results:
The 22 completed surveys yielded responses to forced-choice items which
included quantitative data and open-ended questions which provided qualitative
information. The responses to the 36
forced-choice questions were coded numerically with 1 = Not Important, 2 =
Somewhat Important, and 3 = Very Important. These data were analyzed to develop
an understanding of the respondents’ rankings with regard to the importance of
various basic math skills.
The ability to add and subtract whole numbers was perceived to be the most
important workplace skill, followed by multiplying and dividing whole numbers,
reading a ruler, and adding or subtracting decimals. The next group of
important math skills included multiplying and dividing whole numbers and
decimals by ten. A group of nine skills from rounding whole numbers to
interpreting graphs and tables completed the listing of basic math skills that
were considered to be the most important math skills for the participating
employers. In contrast to those very important skills, twelve of the 36
basic math skills on the survey were considered to be less important than most.
This grouping’s skills are generally more complex and required greater
mathematical skill and experience than those skills deemed to be most important
by the survey respondents. Several of the skills involved the calculation of
area or volume, converting fractions, or determining squares and square roots.
The data were examined further to seek an understanding of the differences in
perceived importance. Two survey items asked about the employer’s size and
industry sector. An analysis of the data comparing responses by employer
size indicated that those employing 1 to 10 people had the highest need for
basic math skills. For those employing over 100, more complex math skills
were needed in order to be successful. They also had a higher need for
employees to be able to have problem solving skills involving length, width, height,
time and conversion.
Qualitative Data:
Responses to open-ended questions were noted and recorded verbatim. Team
members reviewed the responses to identify themes and response patterns.
Completed survey forms were coded and data were entered into a database for
analysis. A thorough review of the responses showed that respondent’s
general comments fell into one of three areas. These areas are:
- Basic math skills needs
- Math skill applications
- Other workforce attributes.
Respondents’ comments were more focused on the importance of application and
integration of math skills into workplace needs, as was supported by the
reviewed literature research. Some basic math skills that respondents felt
graduates needed included mathematical problem solving skills, use of
fractions, graphical math and graphing skills.
A recurring theme was the importance of the ability to understand and organize
the logic of mathematical computations; critical awareness and thinking in
terms of math and its application to solution finding. Several other responses
pointed to the importance of working more with practical problems, operating
CAD programs, utilizing software like Excel and payroll systems, and
understanding unique business applications such as cost accounting.
A number of respondents offered descriptions of other, non-math skills which
they felt were important in the workforce of the future. These attributes
beyond the math skills area included people skills, showing-up for work,
demonstrating a drive to succeed and more ambition and specific skills, such as
the ability to sell or communicate in front of a group.
An analysis of the data and the literature indicates a strong need for students
to have applied, hands on experience with math applications. Respondents
specifically wanted graduates to have strong problem solving, Excel software
application and graphing skills. Skills that were repeated more than once were
strong computer skills relating to the use of Excel, finance and Cost
Accounting level 2. Overall, respondents who employ or who had employed HCC
graduates were pleased with their math skills, but expressed concern with the
upcoming workforce’s ability to apply classroom skills to real life situations.
Conclusions/Implications:
The study discovered a strong
need for hands-on practice for math skills among HCC students. Employers
are expecting graduates to come well-prepared to read charts, solve problems
and use workplace tools while working in a group setting. Graduates are
also expected to have a high level of math-related computer skills for
application on the on the job. Although employers expressed overall
satisfaction with current HCC graduate employees, there was broad concern about
the skills of the future workforce including areas beyond basic math. HCC
should continue to focus on the math skill needs and other requirements of the
various industry sectors they serve as a response to the interests and
expectations of employers identified in this survey.
Recommendations:
The project team has identified several issues, approaches and observations as
the basis for recommendations for consideration by HCC officials. Those
recommendations include:
1. Based on the information gleaned from the
literature review and responses to the phone interviews, HCC should focus on
strengthening their basic math program by developing a numeracy approach in
their delivery of basic math content.
2. Conduct focus groups with local businesses
based on the types of products or services provided to establish a better
understanding of specific math needs based on industry type. No strong
correlation has been established between basic math needs and present skill
requirements in this study. The focus groups will help HCC address more
specific needs of the local businesses.
3. Identify opportunities to integrate
practical application of basic mathematical skills for solving workplace
challenges into each math course.
4. HCC may consider establishing an advisory
group consisting of employers in the school’s service area to work with faculty
and Career Services on providing the skills and support services that best meet
the needs of the employers.
5. Since several employers discussed the
ability of employees to work in groups they should have students complete some
problem solving questions in teams to enhance their communication and group
skills.
6. More work in graphing should be required of
students.
7. An overall concern was student’s preparedness
for a work environment. The college should research ways to integrate
workplace preparation into their math program, for example, discussion of job
skills and attitudes, integrated into the math curriculum.
8. The diversity of the businesses addressed in
this study may be refined to better serve the needs of the various
organizations. Larger companies’ needs may differ in comparison to small
companies. This study did not interpret the data based on organizational size.
HCC may consider looking at the results based on organization size.
References:
American Institute of Research (2006). A review of the literature in adult
numeracy: Research and conceptual issues. Condelli,
Larry Retrieved
November 10, 2007, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ (ED495456)
Ginsburg, L., Manly, M., & Schmitt, M. J., (2006). The
Components of Numeracy. NCSALL Occasional Paper National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) (ED495440)
Redmann, D.H. (1988, April 5). Job-related basic math
skills: An analysis of employees and employers/supervisors’ perception of
needed math skills for office occupations. Paper presented at the
Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Abstract
retrieved September 25, 2007, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ (ED292993)