Using national surveys: a review of secondary analyses with special reference to education

Summary

The General Household Survey (GHS), the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the British Household Panel Study (BHPS), the Youth Cohort Study (YCS) and the National Child Development Study (NCDS) are British national surveys which provide general and demographic information, including information about employment, routes into the labour market, education, health, income and other major social indicators. Each includes a section about education, covering the current educational status, educational attainment and the establishment last attended full‐time by the respondents. This review of six years (1990‐95) of studies, which either used the data or cited previous secondary analyses, revealed that secondary analyses occurred more frequently in disciplines other than education. The LFS and the YCS are most frequently the subject of further analysis, whereas analyses of the NCDS data are more frequently cited, the most common strategy in educational research. The major thrust of secondary analyses is the effect of qualifications on employment as mediated by other social and educational factors. The potential for studies of educational progression and lifelong learning has not yet been exhausted.

Key Words:

• national database
• secondary analysis
• educational research