Date of Degree
2024
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)
Director
Hu, Xiaodan
Co-Director
Hutchings, Quortne
Committee Members
Ison, Matthew; Nyunt, Gudrun
Keywords
dual enrollment, transition, associate’s degree
Abstract
ABSTRACT COLLEGE FRESHMAN OR COLLEGE JUNIOR? A PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE EXPERIENCES OF DUAL-ENROLLED STUDENTS WHO COMPLETE AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND ATTEND A PUBLIC 4-YEAR UNIVERSITY
Dual enrollment opportunities in the United States continue to grow with more students completing college credentials such as degrees, diplomas and certificates while in high school. Some states, such as Iowa, lead the way in dual enrollment participation and credential completion while in high school. Many quantitative studies have shown positive graduation, retention, and completion rates among dual-enrolled students. However, there is a lack of qualitative research on the transition experiences of dual-enrolled students who complete an Associate’s degree while in high school and then transition to a four – year public institution. This research is designed to fill this gap and allow the transition experiences of this student population to be heard. A qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted by interviewing dual-enrolled students who completed their high school diploma and Associate’s degree at the same time and transitioned to a four-year public university in Iowa. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data. The results of this research indicate that these dual-enrolled students experience anxiety and confusion over their role at the university, family members are their primary source of support and they continuously adapt new strategies to cope with the transition.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Ruehling, Shari K., "COLLEGE FRESHMAN OR COLLEGE JUNIOR? A PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE EXPERIENCES OF DUAL-ENROLLED STUDENTS WHO COMPLETE AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND ATTEND A PUBLIC 4-YEAR UNIVERSITY" (2024). Dissertations of Practice. 42.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/42
