Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
5-2023
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0294-6288
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Jeffrey Cranmore
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Kim Livengood
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Peter Williams
Abstract
Despite the reported benefits of dual credit programs, questions remain regarding the long-term influence of dual credit courses on long-term student achievement and time to degree attainment. A lack of consistent policies regarding dual credit results in students taking college courses without knowing what courses they may need for their anticipated major. Dual credit programs are continuing to expand, and if dual credit courses are to contribute to college success, policymakers, educators, high schools, and institutions must understand how the combination of dual credit courses taken impacts student success and academic progress towards degree completion. The purpose of this non-experimental, ex post facto, correlation, quantitative study was to explore to what extent a relationship exists between dual credit hours earned and students’ grade point average and semesters to degree attainment. This study looked at student data from a regional institution in West Texas to explore if the number of dual credit hours earned correlated with semesters to degree attainment or a student’s first semester and final cumulative grade point average. Four research questions were analyzed using SPSS. The data was retrieved from existing archival institutional data maintained by the Texas university. The population for this study included students who began at the institution as first-time freshmen and had earned at least one hour of dual credit before enrolling at the institution. The results of this study indicate that an increased number of dual credit hours has a positive correlation with a student’s grade point average at the end of their first semester, a student’s cumulative grade point average at degree completion, and shortened time toward degree completion. Considering the continued growth of participation in dual credit in Texas and the expectations of the 60x30TX strategic plan, it is important to determine the role dual credit is playing in postsecondary student success. In order to see if dual credit is working and students are reaping the intended benefits, additional studies are needed to track how dual credit courses are utilized once the student enrolls at a postsecondary institution.
Keywords: dual credit, concurrent enrollment, degree completion, 60x30TX
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Ritchie, Amanda R., "Dual Credit: The Relationship Between Grade Point Average, Hours Earned, and Semesters to Degree Attainment" (2023). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 578.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/578
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