Academic Problems Facing College Students Physical Education Essay

Academic Problems Facing College Students Physical Education Essay Post-secondary education is facing many problems today. One of the most significant issues is that students are not prepared for the academic demands of college, which can lead to dissatisfaction, poor grades and non-completion. Nationally, academic preparedness is deficient (Moore, 2006). Idaho has witnessed this problem and is working to overcome the challenges (Idaho State Board of Education, 2009). College enrollment of young adults in Idaho has seen a slight drop since 1990. In comparison with national averages, a relatively fewer number of young adults in Idaho are enrolled in postsecondary education. Moreover, only 43% of those who matriculate to college are able to successfully complete an undergraduate degree within a period of six years (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 2008). One program post-secondary institutions have embraced in Idaho is dual enrollment, a program that encourages high school students to attend college courses concurrent with high school courses for high school and college credit, also known as dual credit. This study will attempt to examine the effectiveness of the dual enrollment program in Idaho, specifically if participating in dual enrollment affects a student’s first year college GPA, and retention. Statement of the Problem The problem being studied is the mixed findings on the effectiveness of dual enrollment programs in influencing college success among first-time college students. Dual enrollment has been thought of as a viable way to reduce high school drop outs and increase college enrollments. Benefits of the dual enrollment programs are supplementing the curriculum of high schools with college courses (Jacobson, 2005), and exposure to the rigors of college while in high school creates a more successful college student. Despite the presence of outcome studies, too little is known about how dual credit enrolment affects college outcomes among those who matriculate first time to college. Thi s study will attempt to examine the effectiveness of the dual enrollment program in Idaho, specifically, if participating in a dual enrollment program correlates with a student’s first year college GPA and retention. Significance of the Study This study contributes to the lack of literature on dual credit programs and their impact of college success. The purpose of this study is to determine whether participation in dual enrollment courses in high school affects the academic experiences of first-time freshen. Institutions now encourage students to co-enroll in postsecondary institutions for credits. In fact, dual credit courses are among the most popular educational programs today. The benefits of dual credit enrollment are well-established in institutional literature. The main benefit of dual credit enrollment is that high school students has a higher likelihood of matriculating into college immediately after high school graduation and towards successful completion of a post secondary degree. Institutions will benefit from this study because it will provide data that could inform practice and implementation of dual credit programs. School administrators can be more adequately informed of how outcomes of dual credit courses are mediated by variables such as gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. The data from this study can be used to inform decisions related to how dual credit programs can be made more effective. This could provide basis for changes in the design or implementation of dual credit programs to become more accessible and more conducive for all.