Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perspectives of Indiana Career Center directors on factors which affect the academic success of dual credit students participating in career and technical education programs. The theoretical foundation of this study was from Tintos foundational work on student retention and motivation. The research questions focused on what types of programmatic, administrative, and instructional characteristics influenced the academic success of students. Data for this study were mainly collected through a series of one-on-one interviews using a scripted interview process, followed by a transcript-checking procedure completed by the research participants. Using these primary data sources, a series of careful and detailed coding procedures followed. From the coding process a set of eight themes emerged. The themes were state directives, federal funding, organizational structure, relationships, partnerships, collaboration, cross-curricular connections, and teacher planning structure. Major findings from the research project reflect the importance of collaboration and cross-subject connections. Results give insights to educators and policymakers into the characteristics of successful career and technical programs in Indiana and possible pathways for future improvements.

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