National Longitudinal Study of the Class of 1972

This longitudinal data collection supplies information on
the educational, vocational, and personal development of young people
who were high school seniors in 1972 and examines the kinds of factors
-- personal, familial, social, institutional, and cultural -- that may
affect that development. The collection provides a broad spectrum of
information on each student and covers areas such as ability,
socioeconomic status, home background, community environment,
ethnicity, significant others, current activity at time of survey,
educational attainment, school experiences, school performance, work
status, work performance and satisfaction, goal orientations, marriage
and the family, and military experience. Data collected in the
base-year (1972) focus on factors relating to the student's
personal/family background, education and work experiences, plans,
aspirations, attitudes, and opinions. The first follow-up, which was
conducted in 1973, offers information on the respondent's activity
state (education, work, etc.), socioeconomic status, work and
educational experience since leaving high school, future plans, and
expectations. The second follow-up (1974) probes respondents on
similar measures but is augmented by additional variables pertaining
to work and education. The third follow-up (1976) contains additional
items on graduate school application and entry, job supervision, sex
roles, sex and race biases, and a subjective rating of high school
experiences. The fourth follow-up (1979) offers data similar to the
other follow-ups but includes some variables that were modified to
elicit unique information. For the fifth follow-up, the sample members
averaged 32 years of age and had been out of high school for 14
years. In addition to covering the same subject areas as the previous
surveys, this follow-up includes additional questions on marital
history, divorce, child support, and economic relationships in modern
families. Part 1 of this collection contains base-year data as well as
data collected during four subsequent follow-ups undertaken in 1973,
1974, 1976, and 1979, while Part 12 contains fifth follow-up data for
1986. Part 2, the School File, contains information obtained from the
respondent's high school and also from high school counselors. Data
are available on school organization and enrollment, course offerings,
special services and programs, library and other resources, time
scheduling, and grading systems. Counselor information is supplied on
work loads, counseling practices and facilities, experience with
student financial aid programs, age, ethnicity, training, and
experience. A supplementary School District Census File, Part 3,
contains 1970 Census data tabulated by school district boundaries. In
addition, the collection includes an FICE Code File and a CEEB
Institutional Data Base File that can be used in conjunction with the
student file to supply contextual information about respondents'
colleges. The Institutional Data Base File offers data for colleges
and universities on items such as enrollment, income and revenues,
expenses, tuition and fees, and median student scores on standardized
tests. Parts 6, 7, 9, and 10 contain transcript data from each
postsecondary institution reported by sample members in the first
through fourth follow-up surveys. Data are available for several types
of postsecondary institutions, ranging from short-term vocational or
occupational programs through major universities with graduate
programs and professional schools. Data in these four rectangular
files -- Student, Transcript, Term, and Course Files -- are organized
to be used in combination hierarchically. Information is available on
terms of attendance, fields of study, specific courses taken, and
grades and credits earned. The Fifth Follow-Up Teaching Supplement
(Parts 15-17) surveyed those members of the original 1972 sample who
had obtained teaching certificates and/or who had teaching
experience. Respondents were asked questions about their
qualifications, experience, and attitudes toward teaching.