This article examines the relevancy of large-scale, quantitative methodologies in middle grades education research. Based on recommendations from national advocacy organizations, the need for more large-scale, quantitative research, combined with the application of more rigorous methodologies, is presented. Subsequent sections describe and discuss…

Abuses and misuses of statistics are frequent. This digest attempts to warn against these in three broad classes of pitfalls: sources of bias, errors of methodology, and misinterpretation of results. Sources of bias are conditions or circumstances that affect the external validity of statistical results. In order for a researcher to make…

This manual has been produced to familiarize data users with the procedures followed for data collection and processing of the second follow-up school component of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) and to provide the necessary documentation for use of the data file. Chapter 1 contains an overview and the history of the…

This profile presents and summarizes available information about the quality of data from the five surveys that comprise the SASS, along with background material on the survey design and procedures for the following: (1) School Survey; (2) School Administrator Survey; (3) Teacher Demand and Shortage Survey; (4) Teacher Survey; and (5) Teacher…

Details of the High School and Beyond's Second (1982) Follow-Up survey are presented. Probability samples of approximately 15,000 1980 sophomores and 12,200 1980 seniors were retained for the second follow-up. The former students were asked to complete a questionnaire detailing their post-high school activities. Technical aspects of the survey are…

The data entry quality control procedures in discrete data entry tasks in the National Longitudinal Study (NLS) Fourth Follow-Up Survey are examined. Direct data entry terminals were used to key survey questionnaire item responses, telephone interview corrections, respondent background information and supplemental questionnaire responses into…

Divided into five chapters, this user's manual is intended to assist local educators in the assessment of their career education programs. The first chapter discusses the purposes of evaluation. Chapter 2 provides a quick overview of the basic evaluation steps, while the remaining chapters provide the necessary details to implement these eleven…

The school district fiscal capacity data (1962 and 1967) of the National Finance Project were analyzed for psychometric adequacy and robustness of component composition. The procedures involved: (1) the computation of the Kaiser, Meyer, Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy, (2) inspection of the off-diagonal elements of the antiimage covariance…

The 1996 National Household Education Survey (NHES:96) was a random digit dial telephone survey of households that was developed by the National Center for Education Statistics and conducted by Westat, Inc. The NHES:96 included two topical survey components, "Parent and Family Involvement in Education," (PFI) which collected data about…

This volume documents the data collection of the 1990-91 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). People wishing to determine whether their research needs can be served by SASS data will find a description of the survey's contents and objectives in the Overview. This volume contains the following chapters: (1) "Overview"; (2) "Changes in…

A 1994 report, "Quality Profile for SASS, Aspects of the Quality of Data in the Schools and Staffing Surveys (SASS)," presented and summarized the available information about the quality of the data from the five surveys that made up the SASS in its first two rounds of data collection (1987-1988 and 1990-1991). This report updates the…

We examined the empirical literature dating from 1979 to 2002 on the involvement of parents of African American students with special needs in their children's schooling. The purpose was to determine (a) the quantity of empirical studies on this topic, (b) the overall quality and form of this research, (c) specific outcomes of the studies, and (d)…

This guide to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is designed to help the secondary data analyst use the NAEP and to introduce some of the sophisticated technology used by the NAEP. The NAEP has been gathering information on American students since 1969. It samples populations that consist of all students in U.S. schools, both…

Too few researchers understand what statistical significance testing does and does not do, and consequently their results are misinterpreted. This Digest explains the concept of statistical significance testing and discusses the meaning of probabilities, the concept of statistical significance, arguments against significance testing,…

This manual will familiarize data users with the procedures followed for data collection and processing of the base-year teacher component of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. A corollary objective is to provide the necessary documentation for use of the data files. The manual provides a wide range of information on topics related…