This report describes patterns of continuity and change over time in four areas of the transition to adulthood among young adults as measured 2 years after their senior year of high school. The four areas are postsecondary enrollment, labor force roles, family formation, and civic engagement through voting or military service. The analysis…

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…

Path analysis was used to test the T into model of college dropouts using a sample drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. Findings support the notion that commitment to the goal of college completion has the strongest effect on persistence. (Author/GK)

The National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of the High School Class of 1972 is a large scale study providing information on high school students as they mature to adulthood. The NLS refers to high school seniors, excluding those who drop out. The study is potentially biased toward more educated students. The analysis was based on 1972 Current…

This Department of Education (ED) Tabulation presents a wide range of data on patterns of stopping out and dropping out from postsecondary education (PE) that 1972, 1980, and 1982 high school graduates experienced. The data compare how these respective cohorts differ by examining the percentage who attend continuously; they also describe patterns…

An extension of the methods of path analysis to include studies of categorical data was described and exemplified in a causal study of college dropouts. The usual models and methods of causal (path) analysis were designed for the study of quantitative variables and are not appropriate when the variables under investigation are categorical.…

This study examined the effects of full-time employment, marriage, and parenthood on the re-enrollment in college of individuals who stopped attending college before completing a degree. Data were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72), focusing on the initial 7 years of the tracking period, from…

This study analyzes the results of the increased access of students to postsecondary vocational education, especially in two-year colleges, in terms of completion rates and job placement. Data examined include the following: (1) initial enrollments in higher education; (2) fields of study in postsecondary education; (3) progress through…

Data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) including the 1976 follow-up were used to examine the effects of interrupting or delaying school attendance on the eventual educational attainment of white male students. Background variables include socioeconomic and other family characteristics. Achievement test…

A group of high school self-reported dropouts and a group of simulated high school dropouts were compared with graduates in their participation rates, efforts required for data collection, and the overall quality of their responses in the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. The results indicate that dropouts are less…

This study estimates the proportion of transfer students (those who transfer from one college to another) in various categories and explores some potential explanations of the transfer phenomenon. The data base used was drawn from the base-year and the first and second followup data of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of…

This conference was held to review the base year activities of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) and the First Followup Study. Planning also took place for the design of the Second Followup Study and the Cohort Study of the High School Class of 1977. The participants included invited consultants and…

As part of the National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of the High School Class of 1972, NLS respondents who went to college, dropped out, returned, and graduated on schedule are analyzed in detail. Information was obtained from the base year and the first three follow-up surveys of the NLS. Findings include the following: whereas 41 percent of the…

Information about the educational progress of 1972 high school seniors from the National Longitudinal Study (NLS) and information from the High School and Beyond (HS&B) Study about 1980 high school seniors were analyzed to compare the patterns of enrollment, program completion, dropout rates, and vocational course-taking patterns of members of…