Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study: 1996-2001 (BPS: 1996/2001) Methodology Report. Technical Report

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the full-scale data collection effort of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Second Follow-up Student 1996-2001 (BPS:1996/2001). These students, who started their postsecondary education in the 1995-1996 academic year, were first interviewed during 1996, and subsequently interviewed in 1998. At the beginning of BPS:96/98, more than 12,400 students had been identified as potentially eligible for the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study and the BPS. About 10,350 of these student participated in BPS:96/98, and most of the BPS:1996/2001 were these respondents, with a few additions. The BPS:1996/2001 study is the second follow-up of this cohort. BPS:1996/2001 included important changes from the BPS:90/94 follow-up surveys. The data collection instrument was considerably refined to reduce respondent burden while still collecting key information on postsecondary enrollment, employment, and demographics. In addition, BPS:1996/2001 was conducted during the sixth academic year, thus collecting attainment information for students who completed their degree in either their fifth or sixth years. Evaluation of the procedures used in the full-scale data collection were developed and refined as part of the field test conducted in 2000. The methodology report contains these chapters: (1)"Overview of BPS:1996/2001"; (2) "Design and Method"; (3) "Data Collection Outcomes"; (4) "Evaluation of Data Quality"; (5) "Data File Development"; and (6) "Weighting and Variance Estimation." Seven appendixes contain details about aspects of methodology. (Contains 47 tables and 28 figures.) (SLD)