Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Methodological Issues in the Study of Teachers' Careers: Critical Features of a Truly Longitudinal Study. Working Paper Series. |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Singer, Judith D., Willett, John B., Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. Graduate School of Education. |
| Availability: |
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Education Statistics, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Room 400, Washington, DC 20208-5652. |
| Peer Reviewed: |
N |
| Page Count: |
99 |
| Publication Date: |
1996 |
| Sponsoring Agency: |
National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington, DC. |
| Document Type: |
Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: |
Careers, Data Collection, Elementary Secondary Education, Longitudinal Studies, National Surveys, Research Design, Research Methodology, Sampling, Teachers, Teaching (Occupation) |
| Abstract: |
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is exploring the possibility of conducting a large-scale multi-year study of teachers' careers. The proposed new study is intended to follow a national probability sample of teachers over an extended period of time. A number of methodological issues need to be addressed before the study can be initiated. In considering these issues, this report offers critiques of a variety of alternative designs. Section 2, following an introduction, reviews the research content and goals of the proposed study, identifying four principal substantive gaps in current knowledge about the teaching career: (1) teacher quality; (2) teachers' work contexts; (3) teachers' work lives; and (4) teachers' career paths. The following sections offer both general and specific recommendations on the design of the proposed study. Section 3 sets forth general proposals, identifying a set of important design principles. Sections 4, 5, and 6 provide concrete recommendations for specific aspects of the proposed design. A particular focus is designating the target population and the specific sample to be tracked. Other points of interest are the length and periodicity of data collection. Section 6 comments on some survey implementation issues that will arise as NCES expands its data collection beyond current cross-sectional and 1-year follow-up studies. (Contains 2 tables, 9 figures, and 52 references.) (SLD) |
| Entry Date: |
1998 |
| Accession Number: |
ED418147 |
| Database: |
ERIC |
