Overall, college graduates' earnings increased compared to high school graduates' in the 1980s. For men, skills acquired before college had not effect on the increase; for women, returns to math ability rose considerably. For men, the trend away from such subjects as education and toward engineering accounted for one-fourth of the rise in relative…

Changes that occurred between 1972 and 1980 in the intended field of study and occupational aspirations of high school seniors were investigated, along with how successfully seniors attained their aspirations. Background, personal, and school variables associated with selecting each occupation and field among the 1980 seniors were analyzed…

Data from the postsecondary transcripts of high school seniors included in the High School and Beyond (HS&B) study of the class of 1980 and the National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of the Senior Class of 1972 were analyzed to investigate the participation of students in two-year postsecondary programs. The analyses focused mainly on the…

Characteristics of graduates who completed bachelor's degrees within 4 years of high school graduation were compared with graduates who took longer than 4 years. Data were obtained from the Postsecondary School Transcripts Study, a supplement to the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. The sample consisted of 4,440…

The paper explores the role of higher education in the diffusion of cultural information. The paper analyzes the postsecondary curricular experience using data from the National Longitudinal Study for the Class of 1972 (NLS/72). Four stores of information are identified as the "primary" cultural store and secondary stores corresponding…

A causal framework was used to explore factors that influence the enrollment of four-year college students in the hard and technical sciences (math, science, engineering) and the professions (pre-law, medicine, dentistry). The factors studied were family status, standardized test performance, high school rank, educational expectations, high school…

Courses taken for the bachelor's degrees are examined for specific majors and overall fields of study (i.e., education, humanities, social sciences, quantitative fields, and business). Analyses are based on college transcripts of 4,440 participants in the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. Majors in quantitative fields…

Declining birth rates in the 1960s have caused some to forecast shortages of new scientists and engineers by the end of this decade. Students in national longitudinal studies begun in 1972 and 1980 were compared, and it was concluded that a decline in the supply of engineers and scientists is unlikely. (Author/MLW)