The National Longitudinal Transitional Study | Special Needs Students - Research Justification

Special Needs Students

The National Longitudinal Transitional Study 2 (NLTS-2) is a study that is designed to follow special needs students from the ages of 13-16 (beginning in 2000) through middle high and high school and into the transition into employment or higher education (NLTS-2, 2010). This study is intended to update the findings of the initial NLTS, a study that was conducted between 1987 and 1993. This study uses data collected in waves that are spaced some years apart, and collects data based on school records; standardized test scores; parent, teacher, and student interviews; and various other sources (NLTS). However, this study only produces large amounts of descriptive data, and as such further analysis is required in order to focus on specific areas of concern, such as success in transition into the workplace or vocational training.

The purpose of this research is to define a standard of success within the confines of the NLTS-2 study and identify, using this standard, to what degree students within the study sample have experienced successful transition between secondary education and further vocational training or professional employment. The research design will use quantitative analysis of the secondary data provided within the NLTS-2 Wave 4 data, the most recent data that has been released. This data reflects results of information collected in 2007-2008. The research will focus on defining success, and then analyzing results of a randomly selected subsample of the study respondents in terms of this success. This will include the use of inferential statistics (such as means difference tests focusing on independent variables such as type of special need or LD, gender, race, and other defined factors within the data set) as well as descriptive statistics.

The research questions that will be used within this study include:

1) How successful are the students within this study in terms of their transition to employment or further vocational training?

2) What differences are seen between groups in transitional success depending on demographic and needs-based factors, such as race, class, gender, type and degree of LD or special need, and other identified factors?

The second research question will be the hypothesis testing question. The research hypothesis can be stated:

H1: Differences in successful transition will be seen based on demographic and needs-based factors.

While the null hypothesis can be stated:

H0: There will be no differences in successful transition seen based on demographic and needs-based factors.

Data collection will rely on secondary data collection and selection of random subsamples from the NLTS-2 Wave 4 data sets. Construct validity is expected to be particularly difficult within this context, as there is no previously defined construct regarding the clear definition of success for a similar population. However, a working operationalization of success in transition will include entry to full-time work, part-time work and tertiary or vocational education, or tertiary or vocational education within one year of high school graduation.

This research method is considered to be appropriate because by using a random sample of a wide study, it will be possible to provide generalizable results. Additionally, because no identifiable human subjects will be used, this reduces the burden of anonymity upon the research and increases the usefulness of the data. Finally, the use of secondary research is justified because it provides a considerably wider view of the studied population than the researcher could gain in individual research. Reliability and validity will be protected by the quantitative research design, use of random sampling, and other approaches. The main limitation within this study is expected to be the issue of construct validity.

Bibliography

NLTS-2. Welcome to NLTS2.
Trochim, W. M., & Donnelly, J. P. The research methods knowledge base. Mason, OH: Thomson Custom Publishing.
Student Privacy. https://essayscam.org/forum/gt/student-privacy-writer-knows-school-goes-1237/