Abstract

Abstract:

The contemporary education system in the United States is inadequate in the provision of services to assure that all students exit high school with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter postsecondary education and/or the workforce. This is particularly true for indigenous youth (Tanabe & Mobley, 2011). According to scholars, dual enrollment appears to be an appropriate solution for assisting indigenous youth to perform better in high school and to be better prepared to enter postsecondary education and the workforce (Rodriguez, Hughes, & Belfield, 2012; Vargas, Roach, & David, 2014). The researchers hypothesized that the provision of specific attention to promoting dual enrollment programs for Native Hawaiian youth, along with mentorship, tutoring, and financial assistance, would have a positive impact on academic performance, readiness for taking college courses, perceptions of learning in high school, postsecondary education aspirations, and perceptions of teacher and parent support. To test the hypotheses the researchers conducted a quasi-experimental study for four years with 316 Native Hawaiian students at 17 high schools in Hawai`i. The findings of the study confirm that the participation of Native Hawaiians in dual enrollment programs has a positive impact on their academic interests and future plans.

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