Combating shame in the dual enrollment classroom : building healthy learning environments for students’ college development

In the past several years, dual enrollment has been proposed as an intervention for increasing college matriculation and degree attainment among high school students in the United States (Zinth & Barnett, 2018; Struhl & Vargas, 2013). Traditionally, these programs have required students to meet certain prerequisites prior to engaging in college-level coursework (Taylor, Borden, & Park, 2015). However, as the efficacy of dual enrollment has become documented in the literature, educators and policymakers have expressed interest in expanding access to dual enrollment among low- and middle-achieving students (Karp & Hughes, 2008). Although this effort is admirable, dual enrollment programs must also provide systemic support for students who may be entering these rigorous courses with lower levels of academic preparedness, as these students may be more likely to suffer damage to their academic self-concept and psychological wellbeing if they perceive they have been unsuccessful. Consequently, this report aims to review the literature on dual enrollment and academic achievement emotions and propose suggestions for providing caring, effective support for all students participating in dual enrollment while in high school.