Beyond College Access: An Exploration of the Short-Term Impact of a Dual Enrollment Program

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to gain insights into the activities and outcomes associated with participation in the Temple Education Scholars (TES) dual enrollment program, an initiative for seniors attending high school in a large city in the Northeast region of the United States. The objectives of this study are twofold: (1) to inform the design and implementation of dual enrollment programs as a model for facilitating students’ transition from secondary to postsecondary education and supporting their future success in college; and (2) to describe the short-term impact of participation in a dual enrollment program on participants’ choices about postsecondary education. Our analysis revealed the ways that participating in this dual enrollment program shaped students’ attitudes, motivations, and perceptions about college knowledge, college readiness, and college opportunities. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Keywords

dual enrollment college choice Temple Education Scholars college preparation programs

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allen

Dadgar

(2012). Does dual enrollment increase students’ success in college? Evidence from a quasi-experimental analysis of dual enrollment in New York City. New Directions for Higher Education, 2012(158), 11–19. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20010

Alsep

Depenhart

. (2020). College persistence of dual-enrolled high school students when considering modality of dual-enrollment course delivery. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 0(0), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025120973955

B. P

. (2013a). The impact of dual enrollment on college degree attainment: Do low-SES students benefit? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 35(1), 57–75. https://doi.org/10.3102%2F0162373712461933

B. P

. (2013b). The influence of dual enrollment on academic performance and college readiness: Differences by socioeconomic status. Research in Higher Education, 54(4), 407–432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-012-9278-z

Attewell

Heil

Reisel

. (2012). What is academic momentum? And does it matter? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 34(1), 27–44. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373711421958

Becker

G.S

. (1962). Investment in human capital: A theoretical analysis. Journal of Political Economy 70(5), 9–49. http://doi.org/10.1086/258724

Cabrera

A. F.

La Nasa

S. M.

(2001). On the path to college: Three critical tasks facing America's disadvantaged. Research in Higher Education, 42(2), 119–149. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026520002362

Cohen

. (1960). A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20(1), 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316446002000104

Conley

D. T.

(2012). A complete definition of college and career readiness. Educational Policy Improvement Center (NJ1).

10.

Cowan

Goldhaber

(2015). How much of a “running start” do dual enrollment programs provide students? Review of Higher Education, 38(3), 425–4460. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2015.0018

11.

Dedoose (2018). Dedoose web application for managing, analyzing, and presenting qualitative and mixed method research data (version 8.0.35) [computer software]. SocioCultural Research Consultants, LLC. https://www.dedoose.com

12.

de Vries

Elliott

M. N.

Kanouse

D. E.

Teleki

S. S.

(2008). Using pooled kappa to summarize interrater agreement across many items. Field Methods, 20(3), 272–282. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1525822X08317166

13.

Dyce

Albold

Long

. (2013). Moving from college aspiration to attainment: Learning from one college access program. The High School Journal, 96(2), 152–165. https://doi.org/10.1353/hsj.2013.0004

14.

Giani

Alexander

Reyes

. (2014). Exploring variation in the impact of dual-credit coursework on postsecondary outcomes: A quasi-experimental analysis of texas students. The High School Journal, 97(4), 200–218. https://doi.org/10.1353/hsj.2014.0007

15.

Glennie

E. J.

Dalton

B. W.

Knapp

L. G

. (2015). The influence of precollege access programs on postsecondary enrollment and persistence. Educational Policy, 29(7), 963–983. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0895904814531647

16.

Grubb

J. M.

Scott

P. H.

Good

D. W

. (2017). The answer is yes: Dual enrollment benefits students at the community college. Community College Review, 45(2), 79–98. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0091552116682590

17.

Haveman

Smeeding

. (2006). The role of higher education in social mobility. The Future of Children, 16(2) 125–150. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2006.0015

18.

Hoffman

Vargas

Santos

(2009). New directions for dual enrollment: Creating stronger pathways from high school through college. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2009(145), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.v2009:145

19.

Hossler

Gallagher

K. S.

(1987). Studying student college choice: A three-phase model and the implications for policymakers. College and University, 62(3), 207–221.

20.

Hughes

K. L.

Rodriguez

Edwards

Belfield

(2012). Broadening the benefits of dual enrollment: Reaching underachieving and underrepresented students with career-focused programs. Insight. James Irvine Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.irvine.org/wp-content/uploads/CCI_full_report2012JUL16.pdf

21.

Iloh

. (2018). Toward a new model of college “choice” for a twenty-first-century context. Harvard Educational Review, 88(2), 227–244. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-88.2.227

22.

Iloh

(2019). An alternative to college choice models and frameworks: The Iloh model of college-going decisions and trajectories. College and University, 94(4), 2–9.

23.

Jones

. (2014) Student participation in dual enrollment and college success. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 38(1), 24–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2010.532449

24.

Kanny

M. A

. (2015). Dual enrollment participation from the student perspective. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2015(169), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20133

25.

Karp

M. J. M.

Hughes

K. L.

(2008). Study: Dual enrollment can benefit a broad range of students. Connecting Education and Careers (J1), 83(7), 14–17.

26.

Karp

M. M.

Calcagno

J. C.

Hughes

K. L.

Jeong

D. W.

Bailey

T. R

. (2007). The postsecondary achievement of participants in dual enrollment: An analysis of student outcomes in two states. Community College Research Center, Columbia University. Retrieved from https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/dual-enrollment-student-outcomes.pdf

27.

Lile

K. R.

Ottusch

T. M.

Jones

Richards

L. N

. (2017). Understanding college-student roles: Perspectives of participants in a high school/community college dual-enrollment program. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 42(2), 95–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2016.1264899

28.

Liu

Minaya

Zhang

. (2020). High school dual enrollment in Florida: Effects on college outcomes by race/ethnicity and course modality. Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. Retrieved from https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/dual-enrollment-florida-race-ethnicity-course-modality.pdf

29.

Pender

Welch

. (2019). Education pays 2019: The benefits of higher education for individuals and society. Trends in Higher Education Series. The College Board. Retrieved from https://research.collegeboard.org/pdf/education-pays-2019-full-report.pdf

30.

Mehur Karp

(2012). “I don't know, i've never been to college!” dual enrollment as a college readiness strategy. New Directions for Higher Education, 2012(158), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20011

31.

Merriam

S. B.

(1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. Jossey-Bass.

32.

Moreno

McKinney

Burridge

Snodgrass Rangel

Carales

. (2021). Access for whom? The impact of dual enrollment on college matriculation among underserved student populations in texas, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 45(4), 255–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2019.1688734

33.

Museus

S. D.

Lutovsky

B. R.

Colbeck

C. L.

(2007). Access and equity in dual enrollment programs: Implications for policy formation. Higher Education in Review, 4, 1–19.

34.

Paulsen

M. B.

John

E. P. S

. (2002). Social class and college costs: Examining the financial nexus between college choice and persistence. The Journal of Higher Education, 73(2), 189–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2002.11777141

35.

Perna

L. W.

(2006). Studying college choice: A proposed conceptual model . In Smart

J. C.

(Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. XXI), pp. 99–157). Springer.

36.

Perna

L. W

. (2015). Improving college access and completion for low-income and first-generation students: The role of college access and success programs . Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/gse_pubs/301

37.

Perna

L. W.

Finney

(2014). The attainment agenda: State policy leadership in higher education. Johns Hopkins University Press.

38.

Pretlow

Wathington

H. D

. (2014). Expanding dual enrollment: Increasing postsecondary access for all? Community College Review, 42(1), 41–54. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0091552113509664

39.

Saldaña

(2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage.

40.

Taylor

J. L

. (2015). Accelerating pathways to college: The (in)equitable effects of community college dual credit. Community College Review, 43(4), 355–379. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552115594880

41.

Zinth, J. (2021). Funding for equity: Designing state dual enrollment funding models to close equity gaps. National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships. Retrieved from https://www.nacep.org/resource-center/funding-for-equity/

42.

Zumeta

Breneman

D. W.

Callan

P. M.

Finney

J. E.

(2012). Financing American higher education in the era of globalization. Harvard Education Press.