Eichas, K., Gutierrez, S., & Howard, B. (2026). The effects of dual enrollment on identity capital: A study of community college students. (Report No. 202601). Clinton David Dennard Center for Changing Lives. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21764947

This study uses the identity capital model (Côté & Levine, 2015) as a conceptual framework for investigating the effects of dual enrollment on higher educational attainment. The sample included 788 community college students. Findings from structural equation modeling with propensity score weighting revealed that dual enrollment had positive effects on academic momentum and identity horizons in the first semester of college and the probability of upward transfer to a four-year university two years later. These findings contribute to investigation of the impact of college transition programs by highlighting the need to examine effects on both tangible and intangible identity resources.

Meca, A., Eichas, K., Cruz, B., Allison, K. K., Dennard, C., & Stickley, Z. (2025). Empowering nontraditional college students: A self-transformative intervention for promoting positive identity development. Identity, 25, 242-261. Link to preprint.

Identity development has been consistently linked to a variety of positive adjustment indicators and plays a critical role during times of uncertainty. Despite this, only a handful of interventions have been developed to promote positive identity development. However, these interventions have not only focused on adolescent and emerging adults, but apart from a handful of social identity interventions, have also not targeted specific domains of identity development. In the current study, we outline the development of a domain-specific identity intervention, the Making Career and Educational Choices workshop (MCEC), and evaluate pre to posttest outcomes in a sample of 58 college students (Mage=32.33, S.D.age=10.95; 48% White; 82% female). Students were assigned to either MCEC (n=32) or a control (n=26) group by random assignment of selected time slots. Two-wave latent change modeling indicated intervention gains in identity commitment making, identification with commitment, and identity exploration in breadth and in depth. Although preliminary, the relatively large estimates of intervention-related change provide support for the capacity of career-focused identity interventions to support students in choosing and committing to a future life direction. Implications, challenges, and future directions are discussed to guide future research.