Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0005-5089

Date Available

5-15-2024

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Year of Publication

2024

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

College

Education

Department/School/Program

Educational Policy Studies and Eval

First Advisor

Dr. Kelly Bradley

Abstract

The interest and participation in dual credit programs and courses has grown over the past several decades, especially within Texas; however, there is a lack of research that shows how the participation in dual credit programs and courses has impacted leading and lagging student success metrics once they enroll at a post-secondary institution.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact dual credit participation had on six-year graduation rates and exceeding excess hours at a public four-year regional university in South Texas. The researcher used a non-experimental quantitative study with ex-post facto student data. The study examined leading and lagging student success measures including transfer hours, first term attempted credit hours, first-year cumulative attempted and earned hours, cumulative attempted and earned hours, first term and cumulative GPA, and graduation rates. The study population included first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree seeking students who started in either fall 2015 or 2016.

Utilizing independent sample t-tests, chi-squares, and binary logistic regression to test hypotheses, leading student success measures contributed to six-year bachelor’s degree completion and for students who graduated within six-years, those who participated in dual credit were less likely to exceed excess hours. This study compares leading and lagging student success indicators of dual credit programs and courses as possible solutions to accumulating fewer credits to degree, lessening the probability of entering into excess funding hours, and increasing graduation rates at a public, four-year regional university in South Texas.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2024.191

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