This report describes the methodology and findings for the field test of the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09). These students, who started their postsecondary education during the 2002-03 academic year, were first interviewed as part of the 2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04) field test. BPS:04/09 is the second follow-up of this cohort. The BPS:04/09 field test was used to plan, implement, and evaluate methodological procedures, instruments, and systems proposed for use in the full-scale study scheduled for the 2008-09 school year. The report provides the sampling design and methodologies used in the field test. It also describes data collection outcomes, including response rates, interview burden, and results of incentive, mailing, and prompting experiments. In addition, the report provides details on the evaluation of data quality for reliability of responses, item nonresponse, and question delivery and data entry error. Recommendations for the full-scale study are provided for the sampling design, locating and tracing procedures, interviewer training, data collection, and instrumentation.
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