Registration patterns, student characteristics and dual enrollment success in Georgia

Abstract

PurposeDuring 2016–2020, the number of high school students enrolled at Georgia postsecondary institutions increased by over 110% and public spending on dual enrollment more than doubled (Georgia Student Finance Commission, 2020). Benefits to dual enrollment students include improved college performance and shorter time to graduation (An and Taylor, 2015; Blankenberger et al., 2017), which translates into significant tuition cost savings and higher potential wages (Partridge et al., 2020). In light of these economic benefits, this paper examines the subject-taking patterns of dual enrollment students and factors associated with successful outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyzed longitudinal records of 1,931 dual enrollees at a public, four-year institution in metro-Atlanta during and between the 2015–16 and 2018–19 academic years. They performed a descriptive analysis, partial least squares structural equation modeling and regression analysis to examine the relationships between subject enrollment patterns, academic success and student demographics.FindingsFemale students fair better academically as dual enrollees than male students. Black students enroll in fewer and less varied courses. The same is true for students from more affluent neighborhoods, who may feel less need to take advantage of dual enrollment as a pathway to collegiate success. Neighborhood affluency does not appear related to dual enrollment success. Younger dual enrollment students, unsurprisingly complete more courses but do no better or worse academically in the average course. Some academic subjects are much more strongly related to the longevity of a student's dual enrollment than others.Originality/valueThere is limited published research on specific subject-taking patterns and success for dual enrollment students.