Struggle and success: The experiences of urban high school seniors participating in a dual enrollment program

Although many initiatives and programs are designed to help facilitate the transition to college, one approach---credit-based transition programs (CBTP)---has grown dramatically in the last decade (Karp & Hughes, 2008). Credit-based transition programs allow high school students to take college courses and earn college credit while still in high school (Kleiner & Lewis, 2005; Waits, Setzer & Lewis, 2005; Learner & Brand, 2006). Dual enrollment programs are one type of credit-based transition program. Using qualitative methods, this study describes the experiences of urban high school students participating in a dual enrollment program at a four-year private university. Participants for the study are high school seniors (n=29) attending four public high schools in Philadelphia as well as faculty and administrators (n=12) affiliated with the dual enrollment program at the public school or postsecondary level. The host institution is a small, private, university located in the surrounding neighborhood as the participating high schools. This study examines the participants' struggles and successes in a dual enrollment program and elucidates an area of higher education that has been inadequately explored and discussed. Findings in this study reveal three major themes (1) the types of experiences students have in dual enrollment can be classified into three categories; academic, social and personal, (2) student experiences varied depending on the type of high school they attended, and (3) faculty and administrators had little insight towards students' experiences in dual enrollment. Data analyses revealed consistencies and inconsistencies between the findings in this study, the theoretical frameworks and the goals of dual enrollment. A combination of the four theoretical frameworks and the types of experiences participants described prompted the creation of an Integrated Model of Student Experience. This model is an attempt to ensure a holistic approach to understanding student's experience, while at the same time, creating an intersection between developmental and capital theories. By examining students' experiences in a credit-based transition program, this study informs our understanding of how these programs may help students transition to college.