Family Experiences of Early College Entrance Students

• In Event: 18.050 - Life Beyond K–12 Gifted Education

Abstract

Early college entrance is an alternative educational option that opens pathways for advanced students to have challenging, stimulating, and relevant learning experiences. Students who choose this option enter the adult world several years earlier than most of their age peers. This involves extra growth, adaptation, and non-typical route to adolescent developmental milestones. These changes may be a great challenge for students and for families. In this session, we will share and discuss findings from semi-structured interviews with 35 parents whose children participated in an early entrance program at a Research I public university in the Pacific Northwest. We explored reasons and motivations behind families’ decisions for early college entrance, their expectations, concerns, and experiences during the transition period and beyond.

Authors

• Nancy B. Hertzog, University of Washington

• Sakhavat Mammadov, Valdosta State University