A Mixed-Method Research Study of Dual Enrolled Students’ Experiences in a Research Course: Research Capital Development?

Early college and dual enrollment initiatives provide students opportunities for college credit courses and increased academic engagement. The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to examine the case of 79 dual-enrolled students in a research methodology course using online surveys and focus groups. Students perceived increased knowledge regarding undergraduate research content, whereas their perceived research usefulness decreased slightly. Likewise, students felt increased comfort with research and expressed perceived benefits but felt anxiety by setting different types of expectations and comparisons. Findings add to the relevant literature by mixing quantitative and qualitative data in this case study to allow for meta-inferences about the dichotomy of being a dual-enrolled student taking research courses, and by suggesting the notion of research capital related to the dynamics of dual enrollment programs in a Southeastern state.

Columbus Africentric Early College: Building the Black identity through art and culture

This article examines the Columbus Africentric Early College public school from multiple perspectives, including that of the founder, the architect and a graduate of the school, to better understand the school’s cultural impact. A thematic analysis of those viewpoints, coupled with the philosophical framework outlined in the Kaiwada theory, will provide a theoretical and practical context of effective teaching–learning environments. Furthermore, this article will analyse Columbus Africentric Early College as a physical and virtual space where formal and informal learning occurs through responsive education. Responsive education is a term used to describe the type of education that is sensitive, aware and critical of the lived experiences and societal influences that affect students and their respective communities. Columbus Africentric Early College, founded by Charles Tennant, opened its doors in 1996 in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and recently relocated to a 55-acre, $45-million ‘urban campus’ created by Nigerian architect Kay Onwuke. Columbus Africentric Early College is guided by the African spiritual principles and value systems of Maat and Nguzo Saba, which are reinforced through the school’s teaching, art and architecture that is designed for the transmission of culture. Columbus Africentric Early College is the nation’s only public Africentric school and provides a proven curricular model that implements culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy manifested through a non-western and non-Eurocentric perspective.