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Educating the Next Generation of Agricultural Scientists (1988)

Chapter: APPENDIX B: Data Sources

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Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX B: Data Sources." National Research Council. 1988. Educating the Next Generation of Agricultural Scientists. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18633.
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Page 70
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX B: Data Sources." National Research Council. 1988. Educating the Next Generation of Agricultural Scientists. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18633.
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Page 71
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX B: Data Sources." National Research Council. 1988. Educating the Next Generation of Agricultural Scientists. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18633.
×
Page 72
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX B: Data Sources." National Research Council. 1988. Educating the Next Generation of Agricultural Scientists. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18633.
×
Page 73
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX B: Data Sources." National Research Council. 1988. Educating the Next Generation of Agricultural Scientists. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18633.
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Page 74

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Appendix B: Data Sources SURVEY OF DOCTORATE RECIPIENTS National Research Council This survey has been carried out since 1973 on a biennial basis. It is a longitudinal study. The same sample group of indi- viduals with Ph.D.s in the sciences, engineering, and the human- ities obtained in the United States are surveyed every two years. The survey produces employment, demographic, and educational characteristics of the U.S. population with Ph.D. degrees in the sciences, engineering, and the humanities. The sampling frame is stratified to assure coverage of all sig- nificant subpopulations. While sampling rates in particular strata vary between 2 to 100 percent, the overall sampling rate for the latest survey was about 13 percent. It involved about 72,000 in- dividuals. Overall response rates for the surveys have been about 70 percent (NRG, 1985). 70

SURVEY OF EARNED DOCTORATES National Research Council This survey has been conducted annually since 1958. Gradu- ate school deans distribute questionnaires to all recipients of Ph.D. or equivalent degrees near graduation. Professional degrees such as the M.D., D.D.S., and D.V.M. are not covered by this survey. The survey provides information on educational and demographic characteristics as well as work plans of new Ph.D.s. Response rates have been near 95 percent (NSF, 1983). SURVEY OF RECENT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING GRADUATES National Science Foundation Information in this survey is collected on the demographic and employment characteristics of individuals who received a bache- lor's or master's degree one or two years before the survey year. The survey is carried out on a national sample basis and covers only those individuals who are permanent residents of the United States. Names and addresses of potential respondents are supplied by a national sampling of universities and colleges, drawn from a universe of 274 institutions that awarded science and engineering degrees. Sampling strata for the universities are selected for a number of parameters, including geography, public or private sta- tus, proportion of engineering graduates, existence of agricultural curricula, and minority representation. The sample of degree re- cipients constitutes about 3.5 percent of science and engineering graduates with bachelor's degrees and about 13 percent of science and engineering graduates with master's degrees. Response rates are about 60 percent (NSF, 1985a). SURVEY OF SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING EXPENDITURES AT UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES National Science Foundation This survey's universe in 1983 included 562 educational in- stitutions in the United States and its territories. To qualify for inclusion in the universe, the institution had to have programs 71

leading to a doctorate or master's degree in science or engineer- ing, or separately budgeted research and development (R&D) ex- penditures of at least $50,000. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) administered by a university or a consortium of universities were also covered, but were reported separately from the institutions of higher education. In 1984 the survey methodology was changed to involve all doctorate-granting institutions, but only a sample of the master's and bachelor's degree-granting institutions. The survey collects data on current expenditures for sepa- rately budgeted science and engineering R&D by field, the propor- tions of these expenditures used for basic research, and sources of these funds. Data are also collected on expenditures for research equipment by the source of funds, and capital expenditures for fa- cilities and equipment (regardless of whether they are for research or instruction). Institutions are given the opportunity to correct data from the year before. When this happens, the NSF changes corresponding trend data. Research expenditures that are not sep- arately budgeted are not covered in the survey. The response rate for the 1984 survey (which represents 1983 data) was 78 percent (NSF, 1985b). HIGHER EDUCATION GENERAL INFORMATION SURVEY National Center for Educational Statistics U.S. Department of Education This survey, which was started in 1966, is designed to acquire and maintain information on the characteristics and operations of all U.S. institutions of higher education. The survey solicits in- formation concerning institutional characteristics, faculty salaries, finances, enrollment, and degrees (U.S. Department of Education, 1985). GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATION SCORES The Graduate Record Examination Board/ Educational Testing Service The Graduate Record Examination takes place five times per year at test centers throughout the world. Two types of tests are 72

offered: (1) a general test, consisting of verbal, quantitative, and analytic parts, and (2) subject tests in 17 disciplines. For each year, aggregated data based on the performance of persons who have taken the tests during the respective past three years are presented. General test scores range from 200 to 800, with 800 as the highest score; subject test scores range from 299 to 990, with 990 as the highest score. An individual's score on a test is not a perfect measure of his or her knowledge or ability. There is a hypothetical "true score," which represents the individual's average score if all the possible editions of the test had been taken with no change in the individual's knowledge or ability. The difference between the observed score in a single test and the true score is called the "error of measurement." For the general test scores quoted in this report, the standard errors of measurement are in the 34 to 40 percent range (Educational Testing Service, 1985a,b). SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST SCORES The College Entrance Examinations Board About one-third of all high school seniors participate in the College Board's admissions testing program. The College Board's publication summarizes aggregated data for all seniors who regis- tered for the SAT or Achievement Tests by March of their graduat- ing year. The records include a few foreign students seeking higher education in the United States, but their participation rate is so small that it does not significantly influence the results reported. The survey produces aggregated data on the scholastic ap- titude scores, scores for achievements in 13 academic subjects, demographic data on the test takers, plans for college study, and extracurricular activities. Data are presented in annual reports (The College Board, 1985). REFERENCES The College Board. 1985. National College-Bound Seniors, 1985. Princeton, N.J.: The College Board. Educational Testing Service. 1985a. Graduate Record Examinations Tech- nical Manual. Princeton, N.J.: Educational Testing Service. Educational Testing Service. 1985b. Guide to the Use of the Graduate Record Examinations Program, 1985-1986. Princeton, N.J.: Educa- tional Testing Service. 73

National Research Council (NRC). 1985. Science, Engineering, and Human- ities Doctorates in the United States: 1983 Profile. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. National Science Foundation (NSF). 1983. Science and Engineering Doctor- ates: 1960-1982. NSF 83-328. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. National Science Foundation. 1985a. Characteristics of Recent Science/Engi- neering Graduates: 1984. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. National Science Foundation. 1985b. Academic Science/Engineering: R&D Funds, Fiscal Year 1983. NSF 85-308. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. U.S. Department of Education. 1985. The Condition of Education, 1985 Ed. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 74

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