Date

8-24-2023

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Philip Alsup

Keywords

dual enrollment, time to completion, four-year degree, emerging adulthood

Disciplines

Education | Educational Administration and Supervision

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study is to determine if there is a predictive relationship between the number of dual-enrollment credits a student earns and the overall length of time to college degree completion. The continued growth of dual-enrollment programs and the encouragement for high school students to participate in efforts to reduce their time in college make this a necessary topic of research. Using the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) Graduating Student Survey (GSS) a sample of students pursuing a baccalaureate degree at a private university were surveyed to determine if a relationship existed between the number of dual enrollment credits they possessed and their time to degree completion. Convenience sampling was used to acquire the necessary number of participants to establish if a predictive relationship existed. Multiple linear regressions were used to determine those factors that most impacted the time to completion. Ultimately, the research failed to reject the null hypothesis, and recommendations to further this research include expanding both the sample size and the population. Arnett’s theory of emerging adulthood along with Tinto’s Institutional Departure model served as the theoretical framework for this research.

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