Support #1832
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Highest qualification variables - query about correct variable and coverage of non-UK qualifications
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Description
I just have a couple of very minor queries about the variables on qualifications in Understanding Society. By my understanding there are quite a wide range of variables on this. I'm particularly interested in the two derived variables on the highest qualification (hiqual_dv and qfhigh_dv), and the variables which are used to create these derived scores.
I wasn't clear on the following issues from the documentation or questionnaire:
1. How do these two derived variables relate to each other? The variable notes for both of them are worded very similarly. Is hiqual_dv just a shortened version of qfhigh_dv, giving a narrower range of qualifications?
2. Are non-UK qualifications included in the derived variable, or would anyone with only non-UK qualifications be classed as inapplicable in highqual_dv and qfhigh_dv? The two derived variables refer to "highest qualification" and not "highest UK qualification", which implies that they are. However I note the variable on the highest non-UK qualifications (qfhighoth was only asked in waves 6, 9 and 10-12?
Any help or advice you could give on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in anticipation.
Updated by Understanding Society User Support Team over 2 years ago
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Many thanks for your enquiry. The Understanding Society team is looking into it and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
We aim to respond to simple queries within 48 hours and more complex issues within 7 working days. While we will aim to keep to this response times due to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) related situation it may take us longer to respond.
Best wishes,
Understanding Society User Support Team
Updated by Understanding Society User Support Team over 2 years ago
- Status changed from In Progress to Feedback
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Hello Thomas,
For your first question.
The key highest educational qualification variables are QFHIGH_DV and HIQUAL_DV. HIQUAL_DV is a summary variable for QFHIGH_DV, containing five categories of qualification.
For your second question
Not all respondents were ever asked the highest educational qualification question (QFHIGH). Such cases are identified by a flag variable (QFHIGHFL_DV). From Wave 6 onwards this group also includes members of the Immigrant and Ethnic Minority Boost Sample (IEMB) who provided an adult interview and reported that their highest qualification was obtained abroad. From wave 9 onwards you have the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) in variable ISCED11_DV.
For more information, please check the FAQ “Which is the best qualification variable to use?” and “What are all the different education variables?” In the FAQ section: FAQ/QUESTIONS ABOUT VARIABLES at https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/help/faqs
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Understanding Society User Support Team
Updated by Understanding Society User Support Team over 2 years ago
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Updated by Understanding Society User Support Team over 1 year ago
- Category set to Questionnaire content
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- % Done changed from 90 to 100
Updated by Martha Tindall over 1 year ago
I am struggling to find this faq you refer to, please could you link it?
Updated by Understanding Society User Support Team over 1 year ago
Sorry this question was removed from the FAQ as the detailed note had been included as variable notes for QFHIGH_DV and HIQUAL_DV.
https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/mainstage/variables/hiqual_dv/
We also now have a list of key variables available from our Variable Search page: https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/mainstage/user-guides/main-survey-user-guide/understanding-society-key-variables/
Hope this helps.
Understanding Society User Support Team
Updated by Thomas Stephens 21 days ago
Hi,
Apologies for reopening this query so much later, but I have another question which directly relates to the original query.
I notice that there are a lot more inapplicable values (-8) for the longer version of this derived variable (qfhigh_dv) than there are for the shortened version (hiqual_dv). I was wondering why this is the case, given that - as you stated above - it's supposed to just be a summary version of this variable?
Cross-tabbing the two it looks like a lot of the inapplicable qfhigh_dv data is recoverable with a few judgment calls, so wanted to check if that's an appropriate strategy to reduce missingness - or if there's something else I should be aware of before doing that.
Best wishes,
Tom
Updated by Understanding Society User Support Team 17 days ago
- Category changed from Questionnaire content to Data documentation
- Status changed from Resolved to Feedback
- Assignee set to Understanding Society User Support Team
Hello Tom,
The variable qfhigh_dv (highest educational qualification ever reported) is constructed from qfhigh (highest qualification). There is a group of respondents who have never been asked the initial conditions highest qualification question (qfhigh). This group mainly includes:
• BHPS respondents,
• Rising 16s who completed a youth interview in Wave 1 and were incorrectly routed out of the initial conditions module in Wave 2, and
• From Wave 6 onwards, members of the IEMB sample who gave an adult interview and reported that their highest qualification was obtained abroad.
Particularly, 99% of the -8 (inapplicable) values in qfhigh_dv correspond to respondents who were never eligible for the question across all 14 waves.
I hope this information is helpful.
Best wishes,
Roberto Cavazos
Understanding Society User Support Team