Dual Credit as a Key to Preparation: Exploring Dual Credit as a College Readiness Strategy
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Date
2019-05-08Author
Jones, Rachel Elizabeth
0000-0002-9034-4653
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Dual credit is a rapidly-expanding coursework option for high school students that
provides a means to early college credit and is also touted as a strategy to increase postsecondary
readiness. However, existing studies that tie dual credit to college preparation rely upon
indicators such as enrollment, achievement, and completion of degrees; they stop short of a full
evaluation of readiness by not including the variety of competencies that are necessary for
college success. This dissertation presents three studies that seek to explore links between dual
credit participation and an established framework for college readiness. The first is a quantitative
analysis of grades in college courses after prerequisites were obtained through dual credit or
other methods. The second is a qualitative examination of the lived experience of dual credit
instructors who work within the high school campus. The final article is a mixed methods case
study that explores an innovative dual credit program designed to facilitate an associate degree
while students attend a comprehensive high school. Through the three studies, I tie dual credit
participation to numerous college readiness proficiencies, and I discuss possible areas of
improvement for the consideration of practitioners and areas suggestions for the future work of
researchers.