SURVEY DATA OVERVIEW

The centerpiece of THEOP is a two-cohort longitudinal survey of sophomores and seniors who were enrolled in Texas public schools as of spring, 2002.

The baseline surveys of seniors and sophomores (Wave 1) were conducted in spring, 2002, consisting of 13,803 seniors and 19,969 sophomores based on a stratified random sample of 105 public high schools in the state of Texas. The baseline surveys queried students about their course taking and grades, experiences with guidance counselors, knowledge and perceptions of college admissions process, college perceptions, future plans and demographic information, including race and ethnic origin, family background, and household structure. Seniors (but not sophomores) were asked a battery of questions about colleges applied to, their self-reported admission status, and plans to attend college.

A sample of 5,836 respondents from the senior cohort were re-interviewed (Wave 2) one year after graduating from high school to ascertain primary post-secondary school activity, military enlistment, labor force participation, etc. They are currently being re-interviewed (Wave 3) during spring, 2006, when a large majority of those who attended college are juniors and seniors.

A sample of 3,092 respondents from the sophomore cohort were re-interviewed (Wave 2) during their senior year to record their progress in high school, their college plans, and changes in other circumstances.

The Baseline Surveys, Senior Wave 2, and Sophomore Wave 2 public-use data sets are now accessible through the OPR Data Archive.

Click here to access THEOP survey instruments and reports.