THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: A CASE STUDY EXAMINING POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION PERCEPTIONS OF ANYTOWN HIGH SCHOOL CONSTITUENTS

Abstract

This qualitative case study examined how students at a rural Oklahoma high school make concurrent enrollment decisions between a local community college and a regional career technology center. The study explored how adult perspectives on higher education and career technical education shape the guidance students receive and influence their post-secondary choices. Interviews with students, parents, and educators revealed that adults and students often used similar language but seemed to operate from different assumptions. Adults described concurrent enrollment as a practical means to earn high school dual credit, save money and secure future employment. They worried about student readiness and potential burnout. Students echoed those ideas but approached the process as a way to move quickly toward independence and avoid economic insecurity. Their concerns were largely about saving their families money and navigating the systems to successfully complete concurrent courses. Few participants encountered perspectives that questioned shared beliefs institutional reputation and perceptions of value, suggesting cognitive bias and feedback loops may be useful to discuss the findings. Findings also showed that advising practices may be reinforcing long-standing bias in favor of academic pathways despite all adult participants expressing positive views of CTE. Limited professional development, strong community consensus, and centralized decision-making may have created feedback loops that reproduced familiar enrollment patterns. As Oklahoma expands concurrent enrollment and elevates career technical education as a workforce initiative, these findings highlight the need for advising practices that are both equitable, developmentally responsive, and intentional in the use of data to drive decision-making. The study provides a framework for considering how rural advising cultures shape student decision-making and offers practical strategies for helping educators create environments that encourage analysis, autonomy, and informed choice.