Upward Mobility: A Phenomenological Study Of The Hispanic Student Experience In Dual Enrollment

<p>Dual enrollment continues to experience rapid growth throughout the United States and is viewed as one of the best ways to prepare students for college. Hispanics represent the largest and fastest growing minority ethnic population in the nation, but they are underrepresented in most dual enrollment programs. Although previous research has demonstrated that dual enrollment programs produce positive outcomes concerning academic achievement and college completion, few studies have captured the experiences of Hispanic students in dual enrollment. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to investigate how Hispanic students in an Arizona community college perceive how their experiences in dual enrollment in high school prepared them for college. Two research questions guided this study: (1) How do Hispanic community college students understand and describe their experience with dual enrollment classes? (2) How do Hispanic community college students perceive and relate the role of dual enrollment in their academic success? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants who took dual credit courses at six different high schools. Data analysis followed Moustakas’ (1994) three-step process: Epoche, Transcendental-Phenomenological Reduction, and Imaginative Variation. Six themes emerged from this study: (1) significance of education to the Hispanic family and community; (2) encouragement and support; (3) high school dual enrollment as a positive transition to college; (4) social integration; (5) skills acquired from dual enrollment participation; and (6) obstacles to participation in dual enrollment in high school. Results revealed that participation in the dual enrollment program in high school exposed students to the academic rigor of college and helped them understand norms and acquire skills and behaviors to integrate into college and persist successfully. Findings also showed that Hispanic students face obstacles to dual enrollment participation. Policymakers and educators can encourage dual enrollment participation by implementing policies and procedures that minimize barriers to enrollment.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Year dc:date.available

2018

Author dc:creator

• Giovannini, Marina Ashmar

Contributors dc:contributor

• Brianna Parsons
• Joel Lowsky
• William Guerriero

• Dual Enrollment
• Persistence
• Academic and Social Integration
• Transcendental Phenomenology
• Community College
• Educational Leadership

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dune.une.edu/theses/154

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dune.une.edu:theses-1154