College and Academic Self-Efficacy as Antecedents for High School Dual-Credit Enrollment

Do high school students who are predisposed to enroll in dual-credit courses already possess high levels of motivation or college and academic self-efficacy? Students in this study reported being academically motivated, but they did not report high levels of confidence in their ability to perform certain college-associated tasks. Of 52 items pertaining to self-efficacy, students expressed even a modest level of confidence in just one area: the ability to research and write a good term paper. Other results indicated that high grades correlated only minimally to students' overall levels of self-efficacy. College and academic self-efficacy did not appear to be precursors for dual-credit enrollment decisions, implying that the dual-credit programs themselves may play a rote in increasing self-efficacy and helping high school students transition successfully to college, ********** Do high school students who are predisposed to enroll in dual-credit courses already possess high levels of motivation or college and academic self-efficacy? Students in this study reported being academically motivated, but they did not report high levels of confidence in their ability to perform certain college-associated tasks. Of 52 items pertaining to self-efficacy, students expressed even a modest level of confidence in just one area: the ability to research and write a good term paper. Other results indicated that high grades correlated only minimally to students' overall levels of sell-efficacy. College and academic self-efficacy did not appear to be precursors for dual-credit enrollment decisions, implying that the dual-credit programs themselves may play a role in increasing self-efficacy and helping high school students transition successfully to college. Programs that allow high school students to obtain advanced credit or college credit while still in high school have existed for many years (Bailey & Karp, 2003). Indeed, all 50 states now have some type of program in place to allow high school students the opportunity to earn a combination of secondary and postsecondary credit before graduating from high school, and 46 states have statewide policies governing one or more postsecondary enrollment programs (Education Commission of the States, 2008). Bailey and Karp (2003) identified and evaluated five such programs, including advanced placement, international baccalaureate, early college high school, tech-prep, and dual-credit enrollment. Of particular note, enrollment in dual-credit programs has grown considerably in the past 10 years (Hughes, 2010). In this period, interest in dual-credit classes has increased among prospective students (Welsh, Brake, & Choi, 2005), state lawmakers (Hughes, 2010), and colleges and high schools (Andrews, 2004). Background Varying reasons have been proffered for the growth phenomenon in dual-credit enrollment. Among the top reasons are the value that dual-credit programs provide high school students in terms of affordability and reduced time-to-degree completion (Lerner & Brand, 2006). A third benefit is early exposure to higher education, which may serve to assuage student apprehension about going to college (Bailey, Hughes, & Karp, 2002). In keeping with this theme, researchers and policy makers consider dual credit a strategy that helps a broad range of students make the transition from high school to college (Golann & Hughes, 2008) and dual-credit programs have been shown to help improve students' preparation for college, their transition into college, and their academic success in college (Lerner & Brand, 2006). By providing high school students with access to college courses, usually for college credit, dual-credit programs may actually contribute to student success in terms of matriculation and persistence (Bailey & Karp, 2003). Despite the longevity of dual-credit programs, sometimes referred to as dual enrollment, more data are needed concerning the transition phenomenon associated with dual credit (High School Leadership Summit, 2004). …