Problematic Data on How Many Students in Postsecondary Education Have a Disability

Autor/in	Leake, David
Titel	Problematic Data on How Many Students in Postsecondary Education Have a Disability
Quelle	In: Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 28 (2015) 1, S.73-87 (16 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Schlagwörter	College Students; Disabilities; Data; National Surveys; Telephone Surveys; Validity; Reliability; Longitudinal Studies; Accuracy; Construct Validity; Self Disclosure (Individuals); National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Collegestudent; Handicap; Behinderung; Daten; Telephone interview; Telefoninterview; Gültigkeit; Reliabilität; Longitudinal study; Longitudinal method; Longitudinal methods; Längsschnittuntersuchung
Abstract	The most widely cited statistics on postsecondary students with disabilities in the United States are based on the Department of Education's quadrennial National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). However, these statistics are called into question by their substantial variability across NPSAS administrations and by results of the second National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS2). For example, according to NPSAS 2008 telephone survey results, fewer than 10% of postsecondary students with disabilities reported having learning disabilities, compared to the NLTS2 finding of nearly 70%. The NLTS2 results can be considered to be of superior validity and reliability given that study's (1) longitudinal tracking into early adulthood of a large nationally representative sample of high school students in special education and (2) categorization of participants as to their disabilities based on their school records. By contrast, the cross-sectional NPSAS relies on self-reports by postsecondary students who are likely to interpret questions about disabilities in varied ways. In addition, many NPSAS participants may decline to identify themselves as having disabilities, as suggested by NLTS2 findings that most postsecondary students with disabilities decide not to self-disclose to their institutions. It appears that NPSAS disability statistics are misleading and their dissemination should be discontinued. Given the potential utility of accurate data on students with disabilities, postsecondary education institutions may want to consider conducting their own campus-level disability surveys. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Association on Higher Education and Disability. 107 Commerce Center Drive Suite 204, Huntersville, NC 28078. Tel: 704-947-7779; Fax: 704-948-7779; e-mail: ahead@ahead.org; Web site: http://www.ahead.org/publications/jped
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01