Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in England
Autor(a) principal: | |
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Data de Publicação: | 2019 |
Outros Autores: | , |
Tipo de documento: | Artigo |
Idioma: | eng |
Título da fonte: | Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
Texto Completo: | https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v7i1.1631 |
Resumo: | Longitudinal social surveys are widely used to understand which factors enable or constrain access to higher education. One such data resource is the Next Steps survey comprising an initial sample of 16,122 pupils aged 13–14 attending English state and private schools in 2004, with follow up annually to age 19–20 and a further survey at age 25. The Next Steps data is a potentially rich resource for studying inequalities of access to higher education. It contains a wealth of information about pupils’ social background characteristics—including household income, parental education, parental social class, housing tenure and family composition—as well as longitudinal data on aspirations, choices and outcomes in relation to education. However, as with many longitudinal social surveys, Next Steps suffers from a substantial amount of missing data due to item non-response and sample attrition which may seriously compromise the reliability of research findings. Helpfully, Next Steps data has been linked with more robust administrative data from the National Pupil Database (NPD), which contains a more limited range of social background variables, but has comparatively little in the way of missing data due to item non-response or attrition. We analyse these linked datasets to assess the implications of missing data for the reliability of Next Steps. We show that item non-response in Next Steps biases the apparent socioeconomic composition of the Next Steps sample upwards, and that this bias is exacerbated by sample attrition since Next Steps participants from less advantaged social backgrounds are more likely to drop out of the study. Moreover, by the time it is possible to measure access to higher education, the socioeconomic background variables in Next Steps are shown to have very little explanatory power after controlling for the social background and educational attainment variables contained in the NPD. Given these findings, we argue that longitudinal social surveys with much missing data are only reliable sources of data on access to higher education if they can be linked effectively with more robust administrative data sources. This then raises the question—why not just use the more robust datasets? |
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Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in Englandhigher education; household income; longitudinal study; missing data; sampling bias; Next StepsLongitudinal social surveys are widely used to understand which factors enable or constrain access to higher education. One such data resource is the Next Steps survey comprising an initial sample of 16,122 pupils aged 13–14 attending English state and private schools in 2004, with follow up annually to age 19–20 and a further survey at age 25. The Next Steps data is a potentially rich resource for studying inequalities of access to higher education. It contains a wealth of information about pupils’ social background characteristics—including household income, parental education, parental social class, housing tenure and family composition—as well as longitudinal data on aspirations, choices and outcomes in relation to education. However, as with many longitudinal social surveys, Next Steps suffers from a substantial amount of missing data due to item non-response and sample attrition which may seriously compromise the reliability of research findings. Helpfully, Next Steps data has been linked with more robust administrative data from the National Pupil Database (NPD), which contains a more limited range of social background variables, but has comparatively little in the way of missing data due to item non-response or attrition. We analyse these linked datasets to assess the implications of missing data for the reliability of Next Steps. We show that item non-response in Next Steps biases the apparent socioeconomic composition of the Next Steps sample upwards, and that this bias is exacerbated by sample attrition since Next Steps participants from less advantaged social backgrounds are more likely to drop out of the study. Moreover, by the time it is possible to measure access to higher education, the socioeconomic background variables in Next Steps are shown to have very little explanatory power after controlling for the social background and educational attainment variables contained in the NPD. Given these findings, we argue that longitudinal social surveys with much missing data are only reliable sources of data on access to higher education if they can be linked effectively with more robust administrative data sources. This then raises the question—why not just use the more robust datasets?Cogitatio2019-01-10info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://doi.org/10.17645/si.v7i1.1631oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1631Social Inclusion; Vol 7, No 1 (2019): Inequalities in Access to Higher Education: Methodological and Theoretical Issues; 80-892183-2803reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAPenghttps://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/1631https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v7i1.1631https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/1631/1631Copyright (c) 2019 Nadia Siddiqui, Vikki Boliver, Stephen Gorardhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessSiddiqui, NadiaBoliver, VikkiGorard, Stephen2022-12-20T11:00:19Zoai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1631Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T16:21:49.136607Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in England |
title |
Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in England |
spellingShingle |
Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in England Siddiqui, Nadia higher education; household income; longitudinal study; missing data; sampling bias; Next Steps |
title_short |
Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in England |
title_full |
Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in England |
title_fullStr |
Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in England |
title_full_unstemmed |
Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in England |
title_sort |
Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in England |
author |
Siddiqui, Nadia |
author_facet |
Siddiqui, Nadia Boliver, Vikki Gorard, Stephen |
author_role |
author |
author2 |
Boliver, Vikki Gorard, Stephen |
author2_role |
author author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Siddiqui, Nadia Boliver, Vikki Gorard, Stephen |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
higher education; household income; longitudinal study; missing data; sampling bias; Next Steps |
topic |
higher education; household income; longitudinal study; missing data; sampling bias; Next Steps |
description |
Longitudinal social surveys are widely used to understand which factors enable or constrain access to higher education. One such data resource is the Next Steps survey comprising an initial sample of 16,122 pupils aged 13–14 attending English state and private schools in 2004, with follow up annually to age 19–20 and a further survey at age 25. The Next Steps data is a potentially rich resource for studying inequalities of access to higher education. It contains a wealth of information about pupils’ social background characteristics—including household income, parental education, parental social class, housing tenure and family composition—as well as longitudinal data on aspirations, choices and outcomes in relation to education. However, as with many longitudinal social surveys, Next Steps suffers from a substantial amount of missing data due to item non-response and sample attrition which may seriously compromise the reliability of research findings. Helpfully, Next Steps data has been linked with more robust administrative data from the National Pupil Database (NPD), which contains a more limited range of social background variables, but has comparatively little in the way of missing data due to item non-response or attrition. We analyse these linked datasets to assess the implications of missing data for the reliability of Next Steps. We show that item non-response in Next Steps biases the apparent socioeconomic composition of the Next Steps sample upwards, and that this bias is exacerbated by sample attrition since Next Steps participants from less advantaged social backgrounds are more likely to drop out of the study. Moreover, by the time it is possible to measure access to higher education, the socioeconomic background variables in Next Steps are shown to have very little explanatory power after controlling for the social background and educational attainment variables contained in the NPD. Given these findings, we argue that longitudinal social surveys with much missing data are only reliable sources of data on access to higher education if they can be linked effectively with more robust administrative data sources. This then raises the question—why not just use the more robust datasets? |
publishDate |
2019 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2019-01-10 |
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v7i1.1631 oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1631 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v7i1.1631 |
identifier_str_mv |
oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/1631 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/1631 https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v7i1.1631 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/1631/1631 |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2019 Nadia Siddiqui, Vikki Boliver, Stephen Gorard http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2019 Nadia Siddiqui, Vikki Boliver, Stephen Gorard http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Cogitatio |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Cogitatio |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
Social Inclusion; Vol 7, No 1 (2019): Inequalities in Access to Higher Education: Methodological and Theoretical Issues; 80-89 2183-2803 reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação instacron:RCAAP |
instname_str |
Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
instacron_str |
RCAAP |
institution |
RCAAP |
reponame_str |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
collection |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
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1799130664398749696 |