Giftedness and High School Dropouts - Neag Center for Gifted ...

15
CHAPTER 3: Research Methods and Procedures
In this chapter, the research methods and procedures are described. First, the
survey design and data collection methods of the National Education Longitudinal Study
of 1988 (NELS:88) data are described. Then, the research design, sample, and variables
are reported. Finally, weights and standard error of the study are discussed.
National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88)
To survey high school students' experiences and performance in 1970s, 1980s,
and 1990s, three longitudinal studies have been conducted by NCES: The National
Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72); High School and
Beyond (HS&B); and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88).
The NELS:88, the most recent longitudinal study, began in 1988 by collecting data on
approximately 25,000 eighth grade students, including data from their parents, teachers,
and school administrators, which was then followed up at 2-year intervals in 1990, 1992,
and 1994.
In the base year (1988), a two-stage, stratified sample design was used to collect
the NELS:88 data. In the first stage, as a primary sampling unit, 1,032 schools were
proportionally selected according to their estimated eighth grade enrollment. By
excluding ineligible schools and including additional schools, a total of 1,052 schools
(815 public and 237 private) of 39,000 schools with eighth graders were finally selected
(National Center for Education Statistics, 1994a). In the second stage, 24,599 eighth
grade students were selected. Students completed a self-administered questionnaire and a
cognitive test on reading, math, science, and history/citizenship/geography. The alpha
reliabilities for these cognitive tests given in the base year were r=.84, .90, .75, and .83,
respectively (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995). In the first follow-up
(1990), students also completed a questionnaire and a cognitive test. In addition to this
student questionnaire, a dropout questionnaire, including a wide range of personal and
educational subjects, was given to students who had dropped out of school between the
spring term of the 1987-88 school year and the 1989-90 school year (National Center for
Education Statistics, 1994a).
The second follow-up data, collected in 1992, included the same components as
the first follow-up, plus the parents' questionnaire, students' transcripts, and course
offering information. In the second follow-up, a dropout questionnaire was given to the
students who had dropped out of school at some point between the spring term of the
1987-88 school year and the spring term of the 1991-92 school year. The questionnaire
covered reasons for leaving school, school experiences, absenteeism, plans for the future,
employment, attitudes, self-concept, and home environment. In addition, transcript data
were collected on 17,000 students out of a target number of 21,188 individuals, including
both high school seniors and dropouts. Data from the third follow-up were collected in
1994, 2 years after the students graduated. Because most students had graduated from