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- Introduction
- Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL)
- Academic Libraries Survey (ALS)
- Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B) Longitudinal Study
- Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) Longitudinal Study
- Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study(BTLS)
- Common Core of Data (CCD)
- Current Population Survey (CPS)
- Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B)
- Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998‑99 (ECLS‑K)
- Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS‑K:2011)
- Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS 2002)
- Quick Response Information System (FRSS/PEQIS)
- High School and Beyond (HS&B) Longitudinal Study
- High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09)
- High School Transcript Studies (HSTS)
- International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS)
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
- Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017– 18 (MGLS:2017)
- National Assessment of Adulty Literacy (NAAL)
- National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
- National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS)
- National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS 88)
- National Household Education Survey Program (NHES)
- National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1982 (NLS 72)
- National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS)
- National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF)
- National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS)
- Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
- Progress In International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
- Program For International Student Assessment (PISA)
- Private School Universe Survey (PSS)
- School and Staffing Survey (SASS)
- SASS Principal Follow-Up Survey (PFS)
- SASS School Library Media Center Survey (SLS)
- SASS Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS)
- Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED)
- Crime and Safety Surveys (SCS & SSOCS)
- Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)
- Trends In International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS)
2. USES OF DATA
The goal of the NPSAS study is to identify institutional, student, and family characteristics related to participation in financial aid programs. Federal policymakers use NPSAS data to determine future federal policy concerning student financial aid. With these data, it is possible to analyze special population enrollments in postsecondary education, including students with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, students taking remedial/developmental courses, students from families with low incomes, and older students. The distribution of students by major field of study can also be examined. Fields of particular interest are mathematics, science, and engineering, as well as teacher preparation and health studies. Data can also be generated on factors associated with choice of postsecondary institution, participation in postsecondary vocational education, parental support for postsecondary education, and occupational and educational aspirations.
It is important that statistical analyses be conducted using software that properly accounts for the complex sampling design of NPSAS. NCES developed software tools for analysis of complex survey data: for instance, QuickStats allows users to generate simple tables and graphs quickly, and PowerStats allows researchers to generate more complex tables and run linear and logistic regressions. Beginning with the NPSAS:96 collection, data can be analyzed with PowerStats. The Data Analysis System (DAS) may be used for analyses using NPSAS data prior to 1995–96. For information on other software packages and statistical strategies useful for analysis of complex survey data, see appendix K of the 2015–16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16) Data File Documentation Report (Wine et al. 2018).
