Comparing high school and college dual credit instructors’ perceptions of dual credit students in entry-level college English courses: a qualitative investigation

Purpose The paper aims to compare how high school dual credit teachers and community college professors perceive dual credit students in their courses. The study aims to clarify how these differing perspectives impact dual credit courses. Design/methodology/approach Using purposeful sampling, a qualitative research design, and phenomenology as a research method, individual interviews were conducted with four dual credit high school teachers at four separate high schools and four college professors at a community college partnered with those high schools. Findings The results of this study suggested that although high school dual credit teachers and college professors share similar goals and expectations of dual credit students, dual credit high school teachers viewed dual credit students through different lenses regarding academic readiness and maturity compared to the college professors. Participants, both high school teachers and college professors, agreed that dual credit programs are beneficial for marginalized students, but there were differing opinions between the high school teachers and college professors about the extent of these benefits. Both the high school teachers and college professors noted that professional development for dual credit teachers is nonexistent, and they agreed on their ideas of what should be included in dual credit professional development to help them better meet the needs of their dual credit students. Research limitations/implications These results indicate that high school and community college administrators should use extreme care when selecting the teachers for their dual credit courses. Practical implications The paper includes implications for the development of a professional development program for dual credit teachers to help them meet the wide-ranging needs of dual credit students, regardless of the campus where dual credit courses are taken. Social implications As many in society view dual credit courses as a watering down of college courses, this study validates the integrity of dual credit courses and offers a way to refute societal beliefs about the courses being watered down. Originality/value This paper enhances existing dual credit literature by filling a hole that focuses more on the teaching side of dual credit courses than the student side.