Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
4-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Derrick Tennial
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Melinda Carver
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Dean Campbell
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how African American men who earned an associate degree from dual enrollment programs in Texas perceive the transition to a 4-year university to pursue a bachelor’s degree. The 4S model of Schlossberg’s transition theory was the conceptual framework that undergirded the study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 20 participants. The researcher collected and triangulated data using a questionnaire and semistructured interviews and analyzed it using six-step thematic analysis. Results revealed competence and confidence from dual enrollment program resulted in a smooth transition to college, participants’ African American male identity and familial background served as motivation to pursue to bachelor’s degree, familial and dual enrollment program supports assisted participants in making a successful transition to college, and participants used social networking and transferable skills learning in the dual enrollment program to cope with the transition to college. Secondary and postsecondary institutions should continue to leverage dual enrollment programs as a pipeline for college readiness for African American male students, implement identity-affirming strategies through guided reflective conversations during holistic advising sessions to teach African American male students how to use family background as academic motivation in the pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, implement African American male initiatives and support programs focused on academics and social supports using a cohort-based model that drives persistence, intentional engagement, and culturally responsive mentoring, and implement intentional onboarding practices that include space to cultivate and develop meaningful connections with peers, faculty, and staff upon arrival to campus in learning communities for African American male students.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Harrison, Kendra L., "African American Male Dual Enrollment Graduates Perceptions of the Transition to the 4-Year University" (2026). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1019.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/1019