Stasz, C., & Brewer, D. J. (1999). Academic Skills at Work: Two Perspectives (MDS-1193). Berkeley: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California.

Data

For this study, we use two national databases which contain individual level longitudinal data on the high school classes of 1982 (High School and Beyond [HSB]) and 1992 (The National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 [NELS:88]). These data include detailed background characteristics of a large number of individuals, as well as information about school experiences and activities (academic and non-academic) and post-high school outcomes (college attendance, labor market experiences, and so on). These databases were designed to be comparable across cohorts; the use of two cohorts permits comparisons across time. In each case, we use the maximum sample size available after missing values are eliminated. A detailed explanation of how the samples were created is contained in Appendix II.

HSB contains information on nearly 15,000 individuals who were high school sophomores in 1980. Students were surveyed in 1980 and 1982 while in high school, supplying a large amount of information on family background, activities in school, part-time work, and academics (grades, courses taken). Most students completed standardized tests in both 10th and 12th grades,[24] and transcripts were obtained from many students indicating coursework taken. Follow-up information from the same students was obtained in 1984, 1986, and 1992 as the students entered the labor market or attended college. NELS:88 surveyed and tested about 24,000 8th-grade students in 1988, with smaller samples of the same students resurveyed and tested in the 10th and 12th grades; a 1994 follow-up provides post-high school outcomes. In addition to providing similar information to the HSB on family background, extracurricular, and other activities, parents were surveyed to provide more reliable measures of some variables (e.g., parental education, family income).

We make use of three sets of items on each survey relating to academic, extracurricular, and part-time work activities in high school. These may be viewed as proxies for the set of skills--academic and non-academic--an individual might possess. Table 4.1 identifies the major potentially useful variables, although not all are used in the analyses that follow. (Detailed variable definitions are found in Appendix II.) The first panel of the table lists some academic skill measures--test scores, curriculum indicators, and so on. For the HSB, we use a mathematics score for the 10th- and 12th-grade test. NELS:88 contains four subject matter tests given to students in math, science, history, and reading. There are numerous available coursetaking indicators generated from student transcript data, but for simplicity we focus on the number of credits in mathematics and English, calculated using a method designed to be comparable across surveys. Grade point average is not calculated in a consistent fashion across surveys.

The second panel lists various variables describing an individual's participation in extracurricular activities and part-time work while in high school. On HSB and NELS:88, these items are self-reported and may be collected at the 10th- and/or 12th-grade levels (and in the case of NELS:88, also in the 8th grade). On the HSB, individuals are asked whether they participate in a range of extracurricular activities, including drama/plays, band/orchestra, student government, student newspaper, and varsity sports, in both 10th and 12th grades (with some differences in items across grades). In all, students could check 12 possible activities in the 10th grade and 17 possible activities in the 12th grade, allowing the creation of a variable for the total number of activities participated in. On the NELS:88, a similarly broad array of activities was asked about (31 in the 8th grade, 18 in the 10th grade, and 14 in the 12th grade; see Appendix II), but two significant improvements were made over the HSB data.

First, students in the first and second follow-ups were asked to indicate how much total time they spent on all school-sponsored extracurricular activities in a typical week (albeit categorical)--giving an indication of the intensity of involvement. Second, also in the first and second follow-up, students indicating they did not participate were able to answer that this was the case because their school did not offer the activity. On the HSB, non-interest in the activity and its non-availability cannot be separated from each other. Work-related items on NELS:88's 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade surveys included the number of hours per week worked for pay on the present or most recent job, the hourly wage received, and the type of job.[25] The HSB also asks about hours of work and wage on the job. The 1994 follow-up survey included additional information about work and employers--on-site and off-site formal and informal training and education programs, and hours per week attending the training program.

We now turn to some empirical evidence, using the HSB and NELS:88 data, on the two questions of interest--the relationship between academic and non-academic skills, and between non-academic skills and wages, as proxied by these academic, extracurricular, and part-time work indicators.

[24]HSB cognitive tests were given in vocabulary, reading, and mathematics. In order to parallel our analyses of NELS:88, we report results using the mathematics raw test score number correct. Results using a valid composite score calculated by NCES that combines a student's score on each of these tests does not affect the results presented.

[25]Chores done around the house were not included.

Stasz, C., & Brewer, D. J. (1999). Academic Skills at Work: Two Perspectives (MDS-1193). Berkeley: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California.