This paper investigates the transitions to secondary and to tertiary education. As a new contribution to prior scholarship, it focuses on the role of self-perceived ability (self-assessment), which might impel pupils to make costly efforts in education now, in order to have an uncertain payoff later on. The paper builds on the assumption that…

This Statistical Analysis Report tracks a cohort of 2002 high school sophomores over 10 years, examining the extent to which cohort members had reached such life course milestones as finishing school, starting a job, leaving home, getting married, and having children. The analyses in this report are based on data from the Education Longitudinal…

The main goals of postsecondary prison education programs are to increase the education level of prisoners and improve their chances of success upon release. However, in order to accomplish this goal, prisoners must first participate in the education programs. This is especially crucial for female prisoners, many of whom enter prison more…

Student retention has garnered increased attentions in higher education. Drawing from various theoretical perspectives, researchers have developed multiple theoretical models to explain or predict student retention. Most models, however, were intended for traditional aged, full-time students at 4-year colleges or universities. The rapid growth of…

Vocational education is increasingly seen as a viable path to higher education and not simply a direct route to the labor market. This paper studies the relationship between the secondary school track attended by Chilean students (vocational or academic) and their subsequent outcomes in access to and persistence in postsecondary vocational…

The present study sought to determine the extent to which participation in a post-secondary honors program affected academic achievement. Archival data were collected on three cohorts of high-achieving students at a large public university. Propensity scores were calculated on factors predicting participation in honors and used as the covariate.…

The study utilized data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09) to examine factors that affect 4-year college students' likelihoods of completing a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) bachelor's degree within 6 years of entering college. Results highlight the lasting influence of high school…

New evidence on how students' choice of postsecondary institution is sensitive to grant aid offers from the colleges and universities. Institutional aid sensitivity is largest for students from the least wealthy families but does not vary by race/ethnicity or measured academic ability. A technical appendix is included.

This study examines the institutional factors associated with student loan default. When a college has more than 30% of its students default on their loans, then the institution faces federal sanctions that could make them ineligible from participating in the federal student loan program. Using Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System…

Taguchi methods are methods of product quality improvement that analyze major contributions and how they can be controlled to reduce variability of poor performance. In this approach, knowledge is used to shorten testing. Taguchi methods are concerned with process improvement rather than with process measurement. This manual is designed to be used…

The report traces the activities which led to the development of the adjusted weights--beginning with the basic National Longitudinal Study design, the base-year weight calculations, and the resurvey procedures. Next, the report describes the first follow-up weight calculations (including unadjusted student weights), nonresponse adjustment…

Four Australian cohorts (born in 1961, 1965, 1970 and 1975) were studied between 1980-2000. The life transitions study focused on these three traditional markers of adulthood: (1) moving out of the parental home; (2) establishing an intimate relationship; and (3) buying a home. Incidence of these transitions was analyzed in terms of their…