NCES Sample Surveys: A Practical Primer for New Users, Practitioners, and Policymakers

Abstract

The resources needed to conduct high-quality and large-scale survey research are often beyond the reach of institutional researchers and higher education analysts. However, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) provides many national student surveys that researchers can utilize. We outline four NCES studies-the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, and Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study-and describe their samples and research topics that can be explored with each. Using practitioner focused case studies as examples, we then describe three ways that researchers can access and utilize these data. We also provide an appendix with code for importing data, using weights, and estimating variance in R, Stata, SAS, and SPSS.Collecting high-quality student data can be a daunting or expensive task for many institutional researchers or higher education analysts. This volume highlights the many resources needed for the various components of survey data collection, such as: generating a statistical sample, maximizing response rates, and correcting for non-response via weighting. The effort required to reach the "gold standard" in survey design often presents an unreasonable burden for those trying to engage in large-scale research projects, particularly those with scarce resources and demanding timelines. Fortunately, higher education researchers have more opportunities to access student data from secondary sources than ever before. One of the most well-known providers of large-scale student survey data is the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is one of several federal statistical agencies housed within the U.S. Department of Education. It is entrusted with data collection, analysis, and reporting, and its products are available to the public for institutions and researchers to access. As other NEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, no. 181