The Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS) collects data on Title IV institutions. The Delta Cost Project (DCP) integrated data from multiple IPEDS survey components into a public-use longitudinal dataset. The DCP Database was the basis for dozens of journal articles and a series of influential policy reports. Unfortunately, a flaw in…

Building on a theoretical framework that links characteristics of individuals and their work settings to organizational commitment (OC) and citizenship behavior, this study considers why faculty may be disengaging from institutional service. Analyses of survey data collected from a state system of higher education suggest that job characteristics,…

Because it is often impractical or impossible to obtain school transcripts or records on subjects, many researchers rely on college students to accurately self-report their academic record as part of their data collection procedures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the validity and reliability of student self-reported academic…

Legacies, or students with a family member who graduated from the same college or university, have been the source of much debate. We add to the existing literature by providing a detailed empirical portrait of legacies at a private, selective university across the college years. We examine how legacies are distinctive in their admissions…

Questionnaire return rates were examined under these conditions: (1) a large random sample; (2) no follow-up procedures; (3) same mailout procedures and instructions; (4) no incentives; (5) type of questionnaire; (6) appropriate lengths; and (7) daily tally of returns. A difference in the rate of return was found. (Author/MLW)

Citation data for higher education journal articles published in the core literature from 1975 to 1981 are presented. Reference use trends are examined over the period covered by the research and by the role and institutional location of authors. Publishing medium, article type, and author demographic factors are discussed. (Author/MLW)

The data collection matrix makes possible the integration of functional area data from numerous assessment sources and presentation of the information in a unified composite report. This model is discussed in relation to the various assessment instruments and the evaluation of functional areas and programs in colleges and universities. (Author/MSE)

Possible respondents in a 1974 survey of University of Kentucky doctoral graduates were sent either computer-prepared or offset-printed questionnaires, personalized and identical in content. Overall response rates were similar except when the responses were categorized by the academic major of each recipient. (Editor/LBH)

The critical issues, in a dispute between Romney's interpretation of his results and Gillmore's interpretation, are described as whether the teacher factor should be treated as fixed or random in the analysis of variance model and what conclusions can be drawn from the results of the study. (Author/MLW)

Some of the errors associated with use of data from the National Center for Education Statistics' Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) are described, 1980 HEGIS and census reports of college enrollment are compared in tables of data, and a more cautious use of HEGIS data is recommended. (MSE)

Seven institutional research maxims based on research and theory about how people cognitively process information are discussed: more may not be better; augment humans with models; chunk data wisely; know decision-makers; heuristics are not always helpful; arrange tables by patterns; and accept negative evidence and new hypotheses. (Author/MLW)

A study compared the accuracy of first-year college students' self-reported information about financial aid awards with actual data on the types and amounts of the awards. Students' reports of specific aid awards and amounts were often inaccurate, suggesting aid administrators could come to different conclusions when relying on different sources.…

The origins of institutional research and its association with a planning function are reviewed. The role of values, politics, and social pressures in regard to the planning function are examined. Planning is likely to be more directed to attaining administrative and faculty aspirations than to meeting educational and social needs. (Author/MLW)

W. John Minter and Howard R. Bowen's annual report on "Financial and Educational Trends in Independent Higher Education, 1978" is examined. Problems in data reporting by college administrators that skew financial assessment reports are noted. A rating questionnaire for institutional quality is appended. (Author/LBH)

Two explanations of congruency of ideal (intent) and actual (action/behavior) work of faculty are examined--reward expectations and referent others. Based on interviews, a survey, and institutional data, it was found that referent others' goals have a greater influence than reward expectations on the congruency of work. (Author/MLW)