A Blind Item-Review Process as a Method to Investigate Item Characteristics in Measuring Diverse Populations

Scientific Conference (2012, April 15)

Population Change and Changing Educational Attainment of Ethnic Groups in the United States, 1980-2000

in Population Research and Policy Review (2011), 30(4), 639-659

This study assesses the effect of population change on decade changes in the educational attainments of country of origin populations in the United States. Our data are derived from decennial censuses ... [more ▼]

This study assesses the effect of population change on decade changes in the educational attainments of country of origin populations in the United States. Our data are derived from decennial censuses, NLMS, the World Bank, and INS. We find that changes in the share of country of origin populations with one or more years of post-secondary schooling are associated with selected components of population change during the 1980–1990 and 1990–2000 decades. The specific components include survivors during the decade, in-migration, and emigration of the foreign-born. Likewise, intra-generational mobility is found to be an important determinant of changes in educational attainment. The discussion addresses limitations of the data and suggests directions for future research as well as policy implications. [less ▲]

Deciphering Socioeconomic Status: Understanding the Association Between SES and Student Background Variables in the National Assessment of Educational Progress

Scientific Conference (2011, April 08)

National Assessment of Educational Progress uses proxies of socioeconomic status when reporting results by key groups. In order to examine the validity of these proxy variables, current study uses a ... [more ▼]

National Assessment of Educational Progress uses proxies of socioeconomic status when reporting results by key groups. In order to examine the validity of these proxy variables, current study uses a special sample of around 1300 students who took both NAEP and ECLS-K grade eight reading assessments. These students answered the background questionnaire in both assessments. In addition, ECLS-K also collected information from parents about their socioeconomic status. Therefore, measures of socioeconomic status found in ECLS-K were used to evaluate and understand the associations among SES and other proxy measures of SES found in NAEP. Results of this study allow for the evaluation of variables collected in NAEP to measure SES against parent-reported SES collected in ECLS-K. [less ▲]

Looking to the Past, to help the Future: Using Retired NAEP Variables to Improve ELL Identification

Scientific Conference (2010, April)

Growing interest in the U.S. immigrant population and subsequent generations, particularly as it relates to student performance and educational opportunity, necessitates a clear understanding of how well ... [more ▼]

Growing interest in the U.S. immigrant population and subsequent generations, particularly as it relates to student performance and educational opportunity, necessitates a clear understanding of how well foreign-born, and often non-native-English-speaking, students are performing academically on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP reports on this population using an English Language Learner (ELL) classification status, a variable that is collected and reported independently by jurisdiction, which might differentially capture and describe members of this group based on idiosyncratic criteria. To assess the extent to which this occurs, we use two additional variables – Length of Residence in the U.S. and Language Use at Home – that have been collected in the past by NAEP to inspect and validate ELL-status. As of 2003, however, NAEP only collects one of these: how often the child reports a language other than English being spoken at home.1 NAEP data show that ELL students perform less well than non-ELL students; moreover, on average students who have not lived in the U.S. all their lives or students who live in households where a language other than English is spoken do not perform as well as their counterparts. While the three variables are undoubtedly associated, it is not clear how or to what extent they are related to each other in the context of NAEP scores. Thus, we investigate the comparability of Length of Residence in the US (LRUS)2 and Language Use at Home (LUH)3 in relation to NAEP mathematics achievement scores, net of ELL-status, while controlling for other important factors. [less ▲]

Cognitive Ability and Internet Use Among Older Adults

in Poetics (2006), 34(4-5), 236-249

While previous work has found cognitive ability to be strongly associated with whether older adults use the Internet, we consider whether cognitive ability also differentiates basic aspects of use. Four ... [more ▼]

While previous work has found cognitive ability to be strongly associated with whether older adults use the Internet, we consider whether cognitive ability also differentiates basic aspects of use. Four measures of use are considered: having high-speed access, length of time since initial household adoption, self-reported time using the Internet, and whether any of the respondent's Internet use involves the Web in addition to e-mail. In all cases, we find associations with cognitive ability, although effects are sometimes mediated to nonsignificance by subsequent attainments, especially education. Given how central social support is to discussions of older adults navigating the Internet, we look also at reports of the availability of such support, and we find that cognition is positively related to respondents having someone available to help them with Internet problems. Taken together, our results suggest strongly that the already cognitively advantaged are much better positioned to reap the potential benefits of online tools to help older adults navigate social benefits and make complicated decisions. [less ▲]

Cognitive Skills and Internet Use among Older Adults

Scientific Conference (2006, August)

Family and Work: Immigrant Self-employment Among Latin American and Asian Immigrants in the U. S. in 2000

Scientific Conference (2005, August)

Exploring the Divide in the Digital Divide: The Effect of Race/Ethnicity on Computer Ownership in United States, 1984–2003

Poster (2005, April)

Previous studies that describe the existence and dimensions of the digital divide call attention to the potential negative consequences of not having access to a computer and not being online. Missing ... [more ▼]

Previous studies that describe the existence and dimensions of the digital divide call attention to the potential negative consequences of not having access to a computer and not being online. Missing from these studies, however, is a more thorough investigation of how the effect of race/ethnicity on computer ownership is mediated by associated factors and how these effects have changed across time. The current study attempts to fill these gaps. Using Current Population Survey data, from 1984 to 2003, I estimate a series of logistic regression models on computer ownership at the household level. After controlling for demographic, household composition, and socioeconomic variables, the gap between Black and Hispanic households in relation to White households remains statistically significant. For Asian households, the racial effect is explained by the variables in the models. The implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions are made for future research. [less ▲]

Immigrant Self-employment Among Latin American and Asian Immigrants in the U. S. in 2000: A Tale of Resources, A Tale of Cities

Presentation (2005)

Virtual Selves and Web Surveys

in Metodološki zvezki (2002), 18

With rapid transfer of many forms of social inquiry through structured questionnaires to the Web it is increasingly important to explore whether the Web is indeed a ‘socially neutral’ research tool as ... [more ▼]

With rapid transfer of many forms of social inquiry through structured questionnaires to the Web it is increasingly important to explore whether the Web is indeed a ‘socially neutral’ research tool as many believe. Because of the graphical and interactive nature of the Web and the context of global environment, social desirability effects in Web surveys may be different from with other self-administered methods, which usually reduce them. In addition, increased use of interactive services, such as multiple user domains, interactive chat rooms and interactive online games encourages widespread adoption of ‘virtual personas’ on the Web. It is thus important to explore how participation in such interactive services may mitigate potential benefits of the Web for social research. Our research explores whether those who are frequent participants in so-called ‘alternate realities’ on the Web are more likely to present their ‘virtual personas’ or their ‘real selves’ when answering questions in Web surveys. Users of interactive services are identified in a large national Web survey of Internet users in Slovenia within the project RIS (http://www.ris.org) at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. They are asked a variety of questions relating to self-image that are known to be subject to social desirability bias. At the end of the survey they are asked for their telephone number. A random sample of respondents from the population of non-users of interactive services is also selected. Both groups are then administered a telephone survey, with the key self-presentation and social desirability items replicated. We then compare the responses to the telephone survey with those provided in the Web survey. Our hypothesis is that those who are regular participants in interactive services are more likely to present themselves in a different light on the Web than on the telephone, relative to the non-user group. [less ▲]