Dual Enrollment: An Equal Opportunity or Hindrance to Increasing Educational Attainment for Students in STEM?

• In Event: 72.022 - Queering the First-Year Experience: Hidden Hindrances to Retaining High-Performing Students of Color

Abstract

Purpose

The adage, “they don’t make them like they use to,” is appropriate for characterizing today’s college freshmen. The “new first-time direct from high school” label assigned to freshmen upon admission has taken on new meaning in recent years as a growing number of students now enter college with significant college credit. Credit-based transition programs (CBTPs) (Karp & Hughes, 2008), such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Project Lead the Way, Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), middle and early college high schools, and dual enrollment, have afforded students, specifically high performing students, opportunities to earn college credit while simultaneously enrolled in high school. Moreover, federal initiatives, such as “Expanding College Access Through the Dual Enrollment Pell Experiment,” have been established to broaden participation in CBTPs for students who would otherwise not be able to afford it.

Participation in CBTPs has become widely popular as the government and families seek means to make college more affordable and boost overall academic achievement. “Research suggests that participation in dual enrollment can lead to better grades in high school, increased enrollment in college following high school, higher rates of persistence in college, greater credit accumulation, and increased rates of credential attainment” (Karp & Hughes, 2008). Though CBTPs are popular and are known to produce favorable outcomes as previously suggested, it is unclear to what extent participation in such programs 1) disrupt the First Year Experience (FYE) at colleges and universities; and 2) affect college readiness for enrollment in advance level college science and mathematics classes. As such, the purpose of this study is to explore how participation in CBTPs, specifically dual enrollment programs, disrupts the FYE and influence educational attainment for students pursuing degrees and future post-baccalaureate opportunities in STEM disciplines.

Theory, Methods, and Data Sources

I employ the “conceptual model of the hypothesized influence of credit-based transition programs on student access to and success in post-secondary education” presented by Melinda Karp and Katherine Hughes (2008) to analyze and understand 10 qualitative interviews collected from students at Righteous State University (RSU), the sight at the center of investigation for this study. Participants previously participated in CBTPs and entered college as STEM majors. Additionally, I analyze student outcome data, such as retention and performance (GPA), and other institutional reports monitoring STEM students who entered the university with college credit.


Results

Preliminary results suggest a substantial number of RSU students who participated in CBTPs and interested in STEM programs are underprepared for the rigor of advance science and mathematics courses; leave STEM; experience challenges with transitioning from high school to college; and often request to decline credit earned for STEM classes while in high school.

Significance

This study is significant in that the nurturing and production of STEM majors is a national priority and is imperative for the maintenance and advancement of a diverse society, economic prosperity, and global competition. This study also sheds light on the need to provide greater support for CBTPs participants in facilitating their transition to college campuses and restructuring the FYE.

Author

• Ivory Marcel Berry, George Mason University