The National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 obtained data for 23,451 students, of whom 16,683 completed the base-year questionnaire; 21,350 completed the first follow-up; and 20,872 completed the second follow-up. This report describes the methodology for minimizing bias in the data which might be caused by nonresponse to such…

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…

Longitudinal measures of change are the most important kinds of estimates being produced from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS). Several topics are presented in this report, most of which build on previous variance components analyses. The major areas covered are effects of stratification and clustering,…

The first set of National Longitudinal Study (NLS) data was analyzed to derive composite scores to be used in subsequent analyses. The composites include a general ability measure, a socioeconomic status (SES) index, and factor scores from factor analyses of sets of question items measuring goals, attitudes, and other psychological attributes. The…

This manual was produced to familiarize data users with the procedures followed in data collection and processing of the fifth follow-up survey of the National Longitudinal Survey of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72) and to provide documentation for use of the file. The data file is a computerized data base, which is available on magnetic…

Two sampling designs were compared for the planned 1978 national longitudinal survey of high school seniors with respect to statistical efficiency and cost. The 1972 survey used a stratified two-stage sample of high schools and seniors within schools. In order to minimize interviewer travel costs, an alternate sampling design was proposed,…

The average design effects for statistics estimated from the base-year National Longitudinal Study data are presented. Attempts to partition the effects into those due to stratification, clustering, and unequal weighting are discussed. The expected increases in subpopulation sample sizes due to oversampling are calculated and compared with the…

This machine-readable data file (MDRF) contains information from the fifth follow-up survey of the National Longitudinal Survey of the High School Class of 1972. The survey was carried out along with the third survey of the High School and Beyond Study. The fifth follow-up data file consists of 12,841 records. The data tape contains information on…

A national random sample of over 14,000 high school seniors was studied with respect to socio-cultural differences in responses to cognitive test items. Six different cognitive tests and ten different groups were analyzed. The tests were: vocabulary, picture-number, reading, letter-groups, mathematics, and mosaic comparisons. The groups were:…

Over 14,000 high school seniors were studied with respect to sociocultural differences on cognitive test item responses. Six different cognitive tests and ten different groups were analyzed. The tests were: vocabulary, picture-number, reading, letter-groups, mathematics, and mosaic comparisons. The groups were: American Indians, blacks,…

Using an empirical investigation of alternate item nonresponse adjustment procedures in a National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of missing and faulty data, it is indicated that in some cases imputation can reduce the accuracy of survey estimates. A National Sample of the high school class of 1972 is designed to provide statistics on students moving…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, the National Center for Education Statistics undertook a study of dropouts in higher education. Specifically, the study was designed to discover: (1) to what extent students withdraw from institutions of higher education before completion, and how these rates might…

This planning conference was one in a series of such conferences aimed at providing continuous guidance for the development of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) a study designed to discover what happens to young adults after they leave high school, and to relate this information to earlier educational…

The methodology of five national surveys designed to estimate the scale and scope of training was analyzed to identify the reasons underlying the variability and unreliability of estimates of education and training. The five surveys were as follows: May Triennial Adult Education Supplement to the Current Population Survey, National Longitudinal…

Recent research by Coleman, Hoffer, and Kilgore on the effectiveness of public and private schools may be seriously flawed because of its neglect of input-level differences in student performance and its reliance on cross-sectional testing data as the criterion measure. The sample used by Coleman and his colleagues from the High School and Beyond…