Dual Enrollment and the Purpose of Higher Education: Mapping Our Assumptions Toward a Broader Research Agenda

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Dual Enrollment & Higher Education

Abstract

States and districts have embraced dual enrollment (DE) as a promising mechanism to enhance postsecondary opportunity and success. In this paper, adapted from a forthcoming chapter in the Higher Education Handbook of Theory and Research, we contend that despite a growing literature on DE, often absent is theoretical exploration of the underlying assumptions that drive DE reform and scholarship. This paper puts current DE scholarship in conversation with theoretical assumptions about the purpose of higher education. We present a conceptual framework that offers four perspectives on why college matters for society and what college offers for students. We use this framework to map the landscape of DE scholarship published over the last decade (2015-present), highlighting key findings, trends, strengths, and weaknesses.

Authors

• Julia C. Duncheon, University of Washington

• Reid T. Sagara, University of Washington

• David S. Knight, University of Washington