In the context of "academic momentum," a longitudinal study of university students (N = 904) showed high school achievement and ongoing university achievement predicted subsequent achievement through university. However, the impact of high school achievement diminished, while additive effects of ongoing university achievement continued.…

The utility of several longitudinal data analysis models for use with educational attainment are discussed and illustrated on a large data set. Assumptions of the models, choice of scale units, and data transformations, as well as real-life implications are emphasized. (Author/JKS)

Early procedures for the analysis of multivariate panel data do not rest on well-specified statistical models. Recent approaches based on path analysis suffer from the defects of variable standardization and lack of attention to measurement error. The paper formulates a measurement model for quantitatively scaled multivariate panel data. The model…

A longitudinal study of political attitudes and behavior of high school students reveals varying results when two different methods of data analysis are applied. A sample of 293 students was questioned (during their sophomore year in 1974 and again in 1976 when they were seniors) about political orientation, number of social studies classes taken,…

The authors' approach to using pattern-centered analyses and longitudinal data addresses how configurations of personal and contextual factors forecast the educational achievement and attainments of different youth across adolescence. Here, they discuss various types of pattern-centered analyses and provide an empirical illustration of how these…

The logic of using a gain score approach versus longitudinal causal models is studied in this secondary analysis of a complex data base. The gain score model used by the Federal Reserve Bank and the School District of Philadelphia in their "What Works in Reading?" study is successively refined using the LISREL structural equation…

The followup study of 1974 graduates of two Pennsylvania high school districts (Hazleton and Williamsport) is phase 4 of the vocational development study, a 10-year longitudinal study begun in 1968. Phase 4 evaluates the effectiveness of the school programs in preparing students for the world of work or for postsecondary education and examines the…

To track student progress and develop a model of the total academic process at Prince George's Community College (PGCC), the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis acquired 5 years of background, behavioral, and outcome data for a cohort of first-time students entering the college. The academic process was broken down into three divisions:…