Abstract
Britain is rich in longitudinal population cohort studies that posit valuable data resources for social science. However, education researchers currently underutilize these resources. The current paper (1) outlines the power and benefits of secondary data analyses for educational science and (2) provides a practical guide for education researchers on the characteristics, data, and accessibility of British population cohort studies. We identified eight British population cohort studies from the past 40years that collected scholastic performance data during primary and secondary schooling, including (1) Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents And Children (ALSPAC), (2) Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), (3) Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education Project (EPPSE), (4) Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), (5) Born in Bradford (BiB), (6) Next Steps (LYSPE1), (7) Understanding Society (US), and (8) Our Future (LYSPE2). Participants across these studies were born between 1989 and 2010, and followed up at least once and up to 68 times, over periods of 7 to 29years. For each study, we summarize here the context and aims, review the assessed variables, and describe the process for accessing the data. We hope this article will encourage and support education researchers to widely utilize existing population cohort studies to further advance education science in Britain and elsewhere.
Highlights
Britain is rich in longitudinal population cohort studies that posit valuable data resources for social science
We identified them through searching online repository archives, such as CLOSER and the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, through published cohort profiles, and through consultations with experts in longitudinal data analysis
We identified eight population cohorts: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents And Children (ALSPAC); the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS); the Effective PreSchool, Primary and Secondary Education Project (EPPSE); the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS); Steps (LYSPE1); Born in Bradford (BiB); Understanding Society (US); and Our Future (LYSPE2)
Summary
Britain is rich in longitudinal population cohort studies that posit valuable data resources for social science. We identified eight British population cohort studies from the past 40 years that collected scholastic performance data during primary and secondary schooling, including (1) Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents And Children (ALSPAC), (2) Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), (3) Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education Project (EPPSE), (4) Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), (5) Born in Bradford (BiB), (6) Steps (LYSPE1), (7) Understanding Society (US), and (8) Our Future (LYSPE2) Participants across these studies were born between 1989 and 2010, and followed up at least once and up to 68 times, over periods of 7 to 29 years. To promote the broader use of population cohort studies, we outline first the power and benefits of secondary data analysis for advancing educational science, and we review the British population cohort studies that emerged during the past 40 years and assessed, among other variables, children’s performance during primary and secondary school. Securing the funding for original or primary data collection, including the recruitment, assessment, and compensation of participants, can take many years, as does the coding,
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
