Characterizes the United States "Social Indicators" reports and considers how they differ from those produced by other nations. Explains how data in the reports can be used by social science researchers, policymakers, and social reporters and predicts how such data might be used in the future. (DB)

Direct-mail communication with potential college applicants can be a highly effective way of increasing an institution's applicant pool or it can be an expensive waste of time and money. Techniques learned by the Student Search Service are discussed along with other factors such as response rate, cost, editorial and graphic quality, and honesty.…

Analysis of national crime data, 1973-90, indicates that central-city residents have the highest crime risk, although rural residents are more likely to be victimized by acquaintances or relatives. Other factors associated with differential vulnerabilities are age, educational attainment, income, marital status, gender, and race. (TES)

Uses data from Venezuela's 1987 Household Survey to update returns to education and compare them to 1975 and 1984 figures. Returns to education have been maintained despite the educational explosion occurring in Venezuela during the period investigated. Although higher education is most heavily subsidized, primary education remains the most…

Complex survey designs often employ multistage cluster sampling designs and oversample particular units to ensure more accurate population parameter estimates. These issues must be accommodated in the analysis to ensure accurate parameter estimation. Incorporation of sample weights in some statistical procedures has been studied. However, research…

Following an integrative model that shows the complex connections of recruitment, retention, and placement, this second paper in a three-part series explores the exigent endeavor of retaining students who undertake geography as their undergraduate major. Survey data of graduating students are requisite in constructing successful retention plans.…

In the last two years, the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) has conducted research on the number of potential and eligible transfer students in colleges, university colleges, and institutes in the fall of each year and the number that enrolled in a BC public university in the subsequent year with transfer as the basis of admission.…

Using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study of 1996, this article explores the effect of economic resources on the paid work experiences and living arrangements of first-year college students. Students from low-income families are more likely to work for school-related expenses and to live at home during the first year…

This paper provides an overview of telephone survey research by colleges and universities and reports on comparisons between mail survey respondents and non-respondents who were later contacted by telephone. After an introduction, the paper discusses the various steps of a telephone survey project. These include: (1) identifying the population to…

Three conceptual issues form the basis for coping with technical problems of gathering data on literacy: (1) the definition of literacy; (2) choice of criteria that can be used in properly assessing and measuring literacy; and (3) conflict between the importance and necessity of literacy assessment and the difficulty of fulfilling the prerequisite…

The National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS), sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, are a set of surveys each of which has gathered information at multiple points in time on the labor market experiences of five groups of men and women since the mid-1960s. Each group of at least 5,000 persons was selected to be…

The Survey of Institutional Characteristics of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) collects the basic data that describe the universe of postsecondary institutions in the United States and its outlying areas. Data are collected annually on three different forms; appendix B of this documentation describes the use of these…

Current U.S. policies toward Central American nations motivated this examination of the presentation of the region in 12 social studies textbooks. In order to determine if each text's treatment of Central America was representative of the entire book, three regions, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean were selected for comparison purposes. The…

This study focuses on student response to computer-assisted instruction (CAI) after it was introduced into a college level physical geography course, "Introduction to Weather and Climate." PLATO, a University of Illinois mainframe network developed in the 1960s, was selected for its user friendliness, its large supply of courseware, its…

Detailed statistical data on earned doctoral degrees for 1960-1981 are presented for science/engineering (S/E) fields, although non-S/E fields (such as the humanities) are represented. These data are reported in 10 charts and 15 tables. In addition to total S/E doctorates earned, data in charts address major field, sec, racial/ethnic identity for…