Date

5-2017

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Christie McClendon

Keywords

Accelerated Secondary Curriculum, Advanced Placement, College Choice, College Success, GPA, International Baccaluareate

Disciplines

Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Methods | Educational Psychology | Other Education

Abstract

This quantitative, causal-comparative and correlational study analyzed students’ academic performance in college based on whether the student was classified as an International Baccalaureate student, an Advanced Placement student, or a non-accelerated student (those who did not participate in IB or AP) and how that choice of academic program affected the type of college a student chose. The study used data obtained from Florida’s Education Data Warehouse (EDW). A stratified sample of 10,006 students was used to analyze college GPA performance and survey responses from 128,223 students were analyzed to determine the effect on college choice. The college grade point averages (GPAs) of all Florida public school students who graduated in 2006 and who attended a Florida public university were analyzed by students’ gender, ethnicity, income status, and high school curriculum: AP, IB, or non-accelerated. Whether students chose to attend college and whether they initially chose a 2-year or 4-year college was also analyzed by academic curriculum. Correlation results from various ANOVAs and multiple and logistic regression models indicated that IB students had statistically significantly higher college GPAs than AP students whose GPAs, in turn, were statistically higher than students who participated in neither program. Gender and income status were found to have little influence on college GPAs, while ethnicity and academic program had the largest impact. Taking and passing eight AP courses was found to have the same effect upon a student’s college GPA as having achieved the IB Diploma. In this study, IB students had higher odds to attend college and select a 4-year university compared to AP students who were more likely to initially attend a 2-year college. More research comparing the programs is recommended.

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