The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between college retention and completion and the number of college credit hours students earn before graduating high school. The number of credit hours a student earned was analyzed along with selected demographic characteristics and academic performance indicators to determine if any one of the variables was more of a predictor of retention and completion of college than the others. The data for the study (12,834 records) were obtained from the Student Information System from five Tennessee Board of Regents Universities. An initial analysis of the data incorporated simple descriptive statistics in the form of frequency tables. Cross tabulation and chi-square were used to compare the gender and ethnicity population of dual/joint-enrolled students and nondual/joint-enrolled students. To determine if dual/joint-enrolled students had greater academic success than nondual/joint-enrolled students, a t-test for independent samples was used to compare high school grade point average, the standardized test score average, and first semester and last semester attended grade point average of the two groups. Chi-square was used to analyze if there was a difference in the retention rate and the time it took to obtain a four-year degree between dual/joint-enrolled students and nondual/joint-enrolled students. A one-way ANOVA was used to determine if the number of college credits earned while in high school had any influence on the time it took to finish a four-year college degree. Multiple Linear Regression was used to see if any of the variables could predict academic performance for a studentÆs first and last semester grading period. Discriminant Analysis was used to determine if any of the variables in the study were predictors of completing a four-year degree. The researcher found that students who participated in dual/joint-enrollment programs had more academic success and a higher retention and graduation rate than those students who did not participate in such programs. The study also revealed that dual credit hours had a significant influence on time to completing a degree.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of dual-enrollment participation on students' postsecondary achievement as measured by various factors. The researcher explored an approach to learning that allows students to navigate the invisible barriers between high school and college. The population consisted of 901 students in a community college in northeast Tennessee during the fall of 2007 following high school graduation the previous academic year. Data gathered from dual-enrollment participants were compared to data of peers of comparable ability level who chose not to participate in the program. The major findings of the study included the following: dual-enrollment participants were (a) slightly more likely to enroll full time rather than part time, (b) significantly less likely to be enrolled in remedial and developmental courses, (c) no more likely to complete the fall semester, (d) slightly more likely to complete the spring semester, (e) more likely to showcase a slightly higher fall semester grade-point average (GPA), and (f) no more likely to have a higher spring semester GPA.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if undergraduate students perceived that their college readiness was impacted by participation in Advanced Placement courses, dual-enrollment courses, or both. Perceptual data were gathered from freshmen and sophomores enrolled at East Tennessee State University using an online survey. The number of participants in this study was 265. Perceptions of the individual program components of both Advanced Placement and dual-enrollment courses were also assessed in relation to college readiness. The results of the study indicated that undergraduate students perceive instructor quality and course rigor of both AP and dual-enrollment as beneficial to their success in college. Participants also indicated that the college readiness skills acquired through program participation were beneficial to their college success to a significant extent in the areas of writing, time management, note-taking, study skills, independent learning, and reading complex text. When comparing results related to AP and dual-enrollment, participants assigned similar ratings to the college readiness skills assessed in all areas except independent learning. Participant responses indicated that they perceived dual-enrollment as more beneficial than AP in the area of independent learning. In response to an open-ended survey item, participants also reported that dual-enrollment courses were more beneficial than AP courses especially in regard to the transfer of course credit and instructor quality.

This study explores the relationship of student participation in Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit and the need of advanced training beyond secondary levels. It examines the demand and need for high school students to participate in collegiate level work while still attending high school. In addition, the study explores instructional site location and articulation of degree progression, as well as other available concurrent enrollment programs. It focuses on administrative support along with the interest of involved stakeholders. This study uses descriptive and inferential statistics for each hypothesis and research question to analysis the Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit program at Jefferson State Community College. Means, standard deviations, ANOVA’s, contingency tables, and chi-squared goodness of fit test are used to measure the effects of taking courses while still attending high school. Research question and null hypothesis one examination of data is to query if a difference exists in race, gender, and estimated family income based on choice of program participation. The results show that there are significant differences in the dependant variables, participation in the two programs, based on two of the independent variables race and estimated family income. Research questions and null hypotheses two and three were designed to investigate if instructor assignment bias and instructional location had a relation to grade distribution. The main purpose of this study was to statistically analyze the different group’s means. Statistically, the dependant variables, grade point averages were found to be comparable between instructional locations but not comparable as a result to instructor assignment. Research questions four and five analyze student and faculty perceptions of experiences in the Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit program over a four year period. Student’s overall perceptions of their experiences in Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit for this specific study were very positive. This study shows that most inquiries have more than an eighty percent strongly agree/agree satisfaction rating from students and faculty who participated over the four-year studied co-hort Educational Institutions can benefit from this study by examining the end result of a collaborative partnership and have additional tools to make the appropriate decision to create, continue or suspend these types of programs.

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This study provides data from an existing review of secondary data and a survey of dual enrollment managers on the topic of Mississippi Community and junior college’s dual enrollment collaborations with secondary schools and parents of home-schooled students. Dual enrollment, also known as dual credit, concurrent enrollment, and credit based transition, refers to the participation in college-level courses and the earning of college credits by high school students. Dual enrollment has been described as providing benefits such as increasing access to postsecondary education, increasing the rigor of the high school curriculum, savings in time and expenses toward earning a college degree, promoting more efficient use of states’ educational resources, and enhancing students’ admission to college, and subsequent retention and success in college. The Mississippi Education Reform Act (2006) offered secondary schools and CJCs more autonomy to establish exemplary dual enrollment programs through forged local collaborative that serve to increase high school retention and completion and postsecondary enrollment, retention, and completion. The primary intention of this mixed methods research is descriptive. Through the extant review of the literature the researcher examined the availability and the content of state dual enrollment policies and what experts in the field consider to be necessary inclusions. Then the researcher divided the study into two parts. Part I of the research involved a secondary analysis of existing State Board for Community and Junior College (SBCJC) Primary Enrollment data for Academic Years 2006, 2007, and 2008, to describe the extent of Dual Enrollment participation in Mississippi’s 15 CJCs. Part II involved survey research that ascertained the extent of Mississippi community and junior colleges’ dual enrollment (DE) collaboration practices with high schools and parents of home-schooled students that bridged the gap between secondary and postsecondary education, and DEM’s perceptions regarding Mississippi CJC’s dual enrollment collaboration targets, goals, and benefits. There was no need for a random sample because the entire population was the focus of the survey. The population was the dual enrollment managers (DEM’s) of Mississippi’s 15 CJCs identified as such by each college’s Chief Academic Officer.

A growing trend in high schools across the state is the use of dual credit and dual enrollment courses to better prepare high school students for college or the work force. Given the increase in dual credit and dual enrollment participation and the goal of creating a more seamless transition from high school to college, the effectiveness of these programs needs to be researched. The research hypothesis for this study states that students who participate in a dual credit and dual enrollment program during high school are more likely to complete an associate degree within 3 years than students who do not participate in dual credit and dual enrollment, when accounting for covariates such as gender, race, and socioeconomic status. This study examined the effectiveness of dual credit and dual enrollment programs, particularly with regard to associate degree completion, credit hour accumulation, and college GPA. The participants in this study were 1st-time, full-time students enrolled during Academic Year 2007 at 5 of the 15 community and junior colleges in state of Mississippi. The sample included 6,029 students, of which 255 had previously participated in a dual enrollment or dual credit program. This study revealed that dual credit and dual enrollment participation positively affects postsecondary outcomes for students enrolling in community colleges in the areas of associate degree completion and college GPA. Students who started college with prior experience in a dual credit or dual enrollment program were 2.51 times more likely to complete an associate degree within 3 years of first-time, full-time college enrollment than individuals who did not participate. Additionally, the study revealed that factors such as SES, gender, and race had an effect on college GPA; and that SES and race affected the number of credit hours earned by community college students. Given the positive outcomes resulting from participation in dual credit and dual enrollment programs, these programs certainly bear consideration for expansion and further study in the future, particularly given the growing availability of longitudinal data within statewide longitudinal data systems that have launched in recent years across the United States.

The purpose of this study was to examine academic and social experiences of students who participated in a two-year intensive dual enrollment program housed on a community college campus. The academic experiences were examined through an analysis of community college and university data for 275 dually enrolled students and a comparison group of 258 traditional community college transfer students. An independent test of means was used to compare dual enrollment students to traditional community college transfer students. The findings were significant and found that dually enrolled students had higher community college GPAs, higher associate's and bachelor's degree completion rates, and shorter time periods to associate's degree completion. The social experiences were examined through the use of a survey from 93 students who participated in the intensive dual enrollment program. / Repeated measures of analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the students' experiences while participating in the dual enrollment program compared to their regular high school and compared to the university. The analysis revealed that the dually enrolled students had significantly higher ratings of overall satisfaction with the dual enrollment program and better quality ratings for relationships with students, faculty, and administration while participating in the dual enrollment program, compared to their experiences while at the high school and university. Qualitative analysis of open-ended survey questions revealed that the dually enrolled students typically missed their friends and extracurricular activities of their regular high school, but many positive aspects of the dual enrollment experience made up for "missing out" on a traditional high school experience. Initially, students opted to participate in dual enrollment in order to get a free head start on college. / Many survey respondents indicated that the small size of the program was crucial to their success by providing a close-knit family environment. Recommendations are provided for policymakers to support dual enrollment programs and for high school, community college, and university advisors to provide guidance to address the unique concerns of dual enrollment students. / Laura A. Heath. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, FL : 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web.

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