NHES 2017 Web Test Appendix A - Item Justification

2017 National Household Education Survey (NHES)

Web Data Collection Test

OMB# 1850-0803 v.182

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

August 4, 2016

Appendix A. JUSTIFICATION OF NHES SCREENER

AND TOPICAL QUESTIONNAIRES

Background 1

A.1 Screener 2

A.2 Early Childhood Program Participation Survey 3

A.3 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey 13

A.4 Adult Training and Education Survey 26

Background

NHES:2017 data will be collected using a web data collection instrument. The web instrument will include two versions of a screener questionnaire that collect the same information and four extended topical questionnaires (three child topical questionnaires and one adult questionnaires). The NHES:2017 screener instrument and topical instruments are as follows:

• The household screener, to be used to identify eligible households for participation in one of the topical surveys.

• The Early Childhood Program Participation Survey (ECPP), to be administered to a parent or guardian knowledgeable about the care and education of children from birth through age 6 and not yet in kindergarten (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers).

• The Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey (PFI), to be administered to a parent or guardian knowledgeable about the education of children enrolled in school in kindergarten through grade 12 or homeschooled at these grade levels. To reduce respondents’ burden, two questionnaires were developed for this survey: one for parents of children attending school and one for parents of homeschooled children.

• The Adult Training and Education Survey (ATES), to be administered to adults ages 16 to 65 not enrolled in grades 12 or below.

The topics addressed in the ECPP and PFI have been covered in previous NHES administrations, including the first administration of the NHES as a mail, self-administered survey in 2012. The ATES has only been included in the 2016 administration of the NHES. The screeners are provided in appendix B and the topical questionnaires appear in appendix C.

The item justification tables below reflect the sequence and content of items in the web data collection instrument. The web data collection instrument leverages opportunities to customize questions geared towards the respondents, thus reducing burden. For examples, if we gather the sampled members sex at the Screener, we will change the question text to include ‘his or her’ or ‘he or she’ within the question. If we gather the sampled member’s age and/or grade information, we will use this information to only present applicable topical items to the respondent.

A.1 Screener

The household screener is an essential part of the NHES survey instrumentation. It is used to confirm that the sampled address is a residential address, determine whether the household includes potentially eligible children or adults, and collect information required for conducting within-household sampling.

In the NHES:2012, a short screener questionnaire that was designed to quickly “screen out” ineligible households (those that did not have any children age 20 or younger) was used. Households without children age 20 or younger could indicate this by checking a box and returning the survey. Households with children age 20 or younger were asked to enumerate children living in the household (up to a total of five children) and provide basic demographic information about each child. The decision to incorporate an adult topical survey into the NHES required a complete household enumeration of children and adults, so a small experiment was conducted in conjunction with an ATES pilot test conducted in 2013. The response rates for a 5-person child-only screener and a 10-person all household member screener were found to be comparable. The NHES-FS used the 10-person screener as part of its goal to evaluate the procedures needed to include an adult-focused survey in NHES and included an experiment comparing response rate differences between a screener that asked for age measured in years versus a screener that asked for age measured as year and month of birth. Based on the results of this experiment, NHES:2016 and NHES:2017 use the screener that asks for age as year and month of birth.

The screener captures whether there are eligible children or adults in the household. The 1^st version of the screener questionnaire asks the age, sex, enrollment, and grade information for each person in the household individually. The 2^nd version of the screener asks the same questions about each person in the household, however it firsts asked for a list or ‘roster’ of everyone living in the household, and then continues going through that roster to gather the age, sex, enrollment, and grade information for each person in the household. The screener collects information on up to ten household members.

Commonly Asked Questions. There is a link visible at all times in the instrument that includes commonly asked questions and responses intended to address questions that many respondents may have. The purpose of this material is to inform respondents fully and assure them of the sponsorship, legitimacy, and privacy protections of the study.

Exhibit 1 includes item-by-item descriptions of the NHES screener, below.

Exhibit 1.  Content of Screener

Variable Name	Question # on 2016 paper form	Item Stem	Research Question/Purpose
HMANY	1	How many people live in this household?	Determine Eligibility
PNAME	2	What is his or her first name, initials, or nickname?	Sampling
PDOBMM and PDOBYY	3	What is this person’s month and year of birth?	Sampling
PAGE		What is this person’s age?	Sampling
PSEX	4	What is this person’s sex?	Sampling
PENROL	5	Is this person currently in…	Sampling
PGRADE	6	What is this person’s current grade or equivalent?	Sampling
PFIEMAIL1A/B, ECPPEMAIL1A/B ATESEMAIL1A/B DUALEMAIL1A/B DUALEMAIL2A/B DUALEMAIL3A/B		What is the sampled person’s email address?	Follow-up purposes
PFIRELATE ECPPRELATE DUALCHILD DUALATES_SAME DUALATES_DIFF		How are you related to sampled child 1?	Follow-up purposes
DUALCHILD2		How are you related to sampled child 2?	Follow-up purposes

A.2 Early Childhood Program Participation Survey

The items in the NHES:2017 ECPP questionnaire are the same as those in the NHES:2016 ECPP questionnaire, with the exceptions noted in appendix C, which drew items from several previous NHES administrations and was very similar to the NHES:2005 and NHES:2001 ECPP interviews. The following topics are included in the survey:

• Participation in relative care, nonrelative care, center-based programs, and Early Head Start/Head Start;

• Care/program characteristics such as location, days and hours per week, and cost;

• Care provider characteristics such as language;

• Difficulty in finding care and child care selection criteria;

• Family education activities such as visiting a library and reading to the child;

• Emerging literacy and numeracy;

• Children’s health and disability;

• Parent characteristics; and

• Household characteristics.

Below, the survey items are discussed in more detail. The descriptions are presented in the order the questions appear in the printed instrument.

Instructions

The first page of the questionnaire identifies the selected child using information from the screener and provides the respondent with instructions for completing the questionnaire. Contact information is provided (a toll free number) in case there is confusion about the selected child or the household has no child fitting the description given.

Section 1. Early Childhood Care and Programs

A major focus of the ECPP Survey is addressed in the first section of the questionnaire, which focuses on types of nonparental care and education: care by relatives, care by nonrelatives, and center-based programs. Three sets of items within section 1, one focused on each of the previously mentioned types of nonparental care and education, collect extensive information to describe the different types of nonparental care and education that children may receive. These items provide detailed information on the extent of current participation in the different types of care arrangements and programs, location, amount of time children spend in current arrangements or programs, and the financial cost of current care arrangements or programs to the child’s household. This information can in turn be related to children’s personal, family, and household characteristics. The following information is collected in each of these sets of items:

• The number of current arrangements or programs of the respective type;

• The location of the arrangement or program (including whether programs are located at parents’ workplaces);

• The number of days and hours per week the child receives care or attends a program on a weekly basis, and the length of time in attendance at the arrangement or program;

• The language of the care provider;

• Whether the care provider will care for the child when the child is sick; and

• The cost to the household of the arrangement or program, and assistance in paying for the arrangement.

In addition to these common items, the section on relative care contains an item concerning the relationship of the care provider to the child and an item asking the age of the relative care provider. Age of the nonrelative care provider and whether the parent already knew the care provider is obtained in the nonrelative care section. The section on center-based care asks additional items on whether the center provides health services such as hearing, speech, or vision testing, and if the center is religiously affiliated.

Care Your Child Receives From Relatives This series collects information regarding care provided on a regular basis by relatives other than the child’s parents. This includes grandparents, aunts or uncles, brothers or sisters, etc. Occasional babysitting is explicitly excluded. The care may be provided in the child’s home or in another home. For the child care arrangement in which the child spends the most time, key facets of care such as location, hours, and cost are collected. Limited information on other relative care arrangements is collected to provide a full accounting of time spent in care without undue burden.

Care Your Child Receives from Nonrelatives This series collects information on care provided in a private home on a regular basis by nonrelatives. This includes home child care providers, regular sitters, or neighbors. Care may be provided in the child’s home or in another home. Occasional babysitting is explicitly excluded. Key indicators (e.g., location, hours, cost) are collected for the primary nonrelative care arrangement, and hours for other arrangements are collected to provide a full accounting of time spent in care.

Day Care Centers and Preschool Programs Your Child Attends This series collects information on programs provided for groups of children in day care centers, preschools, and pre-kindergartens. This can include daycare centers, preschools, prekindergartens, or center-based Head Start or Early Head Start programs. Key indicators (e.g., location, hours, and cost) are collected for the primary center-based program arrangement, and hours for other arrangements are collected to provide a full accounting of time spent in care.

Early Head Start/Head Start Head Start is a federally funded early childhood education program for disadvantaged children. Most participants are 3 to 5 years old. Participation in an Early Head Start program may begin at birth. Respondents with a child in center-based care are asked if it is a Head Start arrangement. Following the collection of relative, nonrelative, and center-based care arrangements, respondents are asked if the child has ever attended Head Start or Early Head Start. These items help to characterize the arrangements in which a child participates.

Section 2: Finding and Choosing Care for Your Child

Access to care and early education programs is a topic of concern to experts in child development and early education and to policymakers. This section asks parents if they feel they have good choices for child care where they live and the difficulty parents have had finding the type of child care they want. The last item addresses the importance of factors in choosing child care and early education arrangements.

Section 3: Family Activities

Activities with potential education benefits that families can do together are measured in this section of the questionnaire. Parents are asked about reading to their children and the amount of time spent reading to the child every day. In addition, parents are asked about other activities such as telling a story, teaching letters or numbers, or doing arts and crafts. Also asked of parents is whether someone in the family has visited a library with the child in the past month. These items are indicators of the richness of the child’s education environment at home and the parents’ involvement in promoting the child’s development.

Section 4: Things Your Child May Be Learning

This series measures the child’s accomplishment of developmental tasks that indicate readiness for school. Analysts and policymakers are interested in tracking progress in emerging literacy and numeracy across time and examining the relationship of emerging literacy and numeracy with preschool program participation and family education activities.

Section 5: This Child’s Health

This section includes items about the child’s overall health, any serious medical conditions, and disability services the child may be receiving. The presence of diagnosed conditions is an important risk factor and is related to children’s development and education experiences in the preschool years as well as their later experiences in school. Condition status may be associated with access to nonparental care and education programs.

Section 6: Child’s Background

Questions about the child’s month and year of birth, race/ethnicity, country of origin, and language will be used to examine differences in children’s participation in care and education programs. For children whose primary language is not English, a question about participation in English language education is asked. English language education may help children to participate in other early education and prepare for school.

Section 7 : Household Members

This section of items collects information on the relationship of people in the household to the child. Household composition is an indicator of resources for care and opportunity for interaction within the household.

Section 8 : Child’s Family

This section collects information on the child’s parents or guardians who reside in the household. The topics include age at first becoming a parent or guardian, native language, country of origin, marital status, educational attainment, and employment status. These items on parent characteristics measure factors that may be associated with participation in early care and education and may also indicate risk factors, such as low parent education, that could be associated with participation in care, child development, and preparation for school.

Section 9: Your Household

This final series of items collects information on the, receipt of public assistance, and household income. Receipt of public assistance and household income are used to classify families according to the economic resources available to them, and to examine the relationship of the family’s economic status to early childhood program participation. These variables, taken along with parent characteristics, can be used to identify children who may be at risk in terms of development and education preparation.

Early Childhood Program Participation Survey Research Questions

The items in the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey (ECPP) will obtain information useful for investigating the following research questions.

1. To what extent do preschool children (birth to age 6 and not yet in kindergarten) participate in nonparental care and early childhood programs?

a. In what different types of nonparental care arrangements/programs do children participate?

b. How many children participate in multiple care arrangements/programs?

c. Where are care arrangements/programs located?

d. How much time do children spend in nonparental care arrangements/programs?

e. What is the relationship of relative care providers to the children for whom they are caring?

f. What is the cost and what payment arrangements are made for the cost of care arrangements/programs?

g. How are child and family characteristics related to the care or early childhood education children receive?

h. What resources do parents use to find child care?

i. Is (emergent) literacy and numeracy related to the type of child care, amount of time in child care, or stability of child care?

j. What is the availability of sick child care?

k. How does parents’ employment status influence their choice of arrangements?

l. Do parents report difficulty in finding child care?

m. What factors do parents consider important when selecting child care arrangements?

2. How has the participation of preschool children in nonparental care arrangements/programs changed from 1991 to the present?

a. Have the subpopulations of children participating in various types of care arrangements/programs changed?

b. Has the amount of time children spend in care arrangements/programs changed?

3. Do at-risk children have the same access to nonparental care arrangements/programs as other children?

a. Are at-risk children more or less likely to participate in nonparental care arrangements/programs than other children?

b. Do at-risk children participate in different numbers and/or types of care arrangements/programs than those children not classified as at-risk?

4. What type of child care subsidies/benefits have parents received from government agencies or from their employers?

5. What is the extent of families’ involvement in family-child education activities?

a. To what extent do families participate in selected education activities at home with their child?

b. Is participation in education activities related to preschoolers’ emerging literacy and numeracy?

6. How is children’s health/disability status related to their participation in nonparental care and education?

These research questions are reflected in exhibit 2 which includes item-by-item descriptions of the ECPP questions and their associated research questions.

Exhibit 2.  Item-by-item descriptions of the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey

Variable Name	Question # on 2016 paper form	Item Stem for ECPPS		Research Question/Purpose
Section 1: Childhood Care and Programs
ECPPCHK		Confirm child’s grade
RCNOW	1	Child receiving relative care from someone other than a parent or guardian		Household/family composition; Research Question 1a.
RCWEEK	2	Arrangements regularly scheduled at least once a week		Research Question 1d.
RCTYPE	3	Relative care provider’s relationship to the child		Research Question 1e.
RCAGE	4	Age of relative care provider		Research Question 1e.
RCPLACE	5	Place care is provided		Research Question 1c.
RCDAYS	6	Number of days each week child receives care		Research Question 1d.
RCHRS	7	Number of hours each week child receives care		Research Question 1d.
RCSTRTY RCSTRTM	8	Age of child when this particular care began		Research Question 1d.
RCSPEAK	9	Language relative speaks while giving care		Research Question 1g.
RCSKNFV RCSKFV	10	Relative care for child when sick		Research Question 1j.
RCFEE	11	Fee charged for care		Research Question 1f.
RCREL RCTANF RCSSAC RCEMPL RCOTHER	12	People/programs/organizations that help pay childcare expenses		Research Question 1f, 4.
RCCOST RCUNIT	13	Total amount paid for relative childcare		Research Question 1f.
RCCSTHNX	14	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child		Research Question 1f.
RCOTHC	15	Any other relative care arrangements		Research Question 1a.
RCTLHR	16	Total hours each week spent in those other relative care arrangements		Research Question 1d.
NCNOW	17	Child receiving non-relative home-based care on a regular basis		Household/family composition; Research Question 1a.
NCWEEK	18	Arrangements regularly scheduled at least once a week		Research Question 1d.
NCPLACE	19	Care provided in home or in another home		Research Question 1c.
NCINHH	20	Care provider lives in household		Research Question 1c.
NCDAYS	21	Number of days each week child receives care		Research Question 1d.
NCHRS	22	Number of hours each week child receives care		Research Question 1d.
NCSTRTY NCSTRTM	23	Age of child when this particular care arrangement began		Research Question 1d.
NCALKNE	24	Was the care provider someone the respondent knew		Research Question 1h.
NCAGE	25	Provider aged 18 or over		Research Question 1e.
NCSPEAK	26	Language non-relative speaks while giving care		Research Question 1g.
NCSKNFV NCSKFV	27	Non-relative care for child when sick		Research Question 1j.
NCRCMDPT	28	Would you recommend this care provider to another parent		Research Question 1h.
NCFEE	29	Fee charged for care that is paid by respondent or another person/agency		Research Question 1f.
NCREL NCTANF NCSSAC NCEMPL NCOTHER	30	People/programs/organizations that help pay childcare expenses		Research Question 1f, 4.
NCCOST	31	Easiest way to pay for nonrelative childcare		Research Question 1f.
NCCSTHNX	32	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child		Research Question 1f.
NCUNIT		Total amount paid for nonrelative childcare		Research Question 1f.
NCOTHC	33	Any other non-relative home-based care arrangements		Research Question 1a.
NCTLHR	34	Total hours each week spent in those other non-relative home-based care arrangements		Research Question 1d.
CPNNOWX	35	Is child now in any center-based/preschool/prekindergarten care arrangements		Research Question 1a.
CPWEEKX	36	Does child go to a center-based care/preschool/prekindergarten at least once a week		Research Question 1d.
CPTYPE	37	What is the child's current program		Research Question 1a, 3b.
CPHEADST	38	Is this program a Head Start or Early Head Start program		Research Question 1a, 3b.
CPPLACEX	39	Location of center-based care arrangement		Research Question 1a, 3b.
CPSPRLG	40	Religious affiliation of childcare		Research Question 1c, 1g.
CPWORK	41	Care provided at parents workplace		Research Question 1c.
CPDAYS	42	Number of days each week child receives care		Research Question 1d.
CPHRS	43	Number of hours each week child receives care		Research Question 1d.
CPSTRTY CPSTRTM	44	Age of child when this particular care arrangement began		Research Question 1d.
CPSPEAK	45	Language main care provider speaks while giving care		Research Question 1g.
CPRCMDPT	46	Would you recommend this program to another parent		Research Question 1h.
CPTEST CPPHYUSE CPDENTA CPDISAB CPSKNFV CPSKFV	47	Program provides services to the child/family		Research Question 1g.
CPFEE	48	Fee charged for care		Research Question 1f.
CPREL CPTANF CPSSAC CPEMPL CPOTHER	49	People/programs/organizations that help pay childcare expenses		Research Question 1f, 4.
CPCOST	50	Easiest way to pay this program		Research Question 1f.
CPCSTHNX	51	Number of children amount covers, including sampled child		Research Question 1f.
CPUNIT		Total amount paid for this program		Research Question 1f.
CPOTHC	52	Does this child have any other center-based care arrangements		Research Question 1a.
CPTLHR	53	Total hours each week spent in those other center-based care arrangements		Research Question 1d.
	Section 2: Finding and Choosing Care
PCEVRHDX	54	Has child ever attended Head Start		Research Question 1g, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4.
MAINRESN	55	Main reason for wanting childcare		Research Question 1l, 1m.
PPCHOIC	56	Good choices for childcare		Research Question 1l, 1m.
PPDIFCLT	57	Difficulty finding care		Research Question 1l, 1m.
WHYDIFCLT	58	Reason for difficulty finding care		Research Question 1l, 1m.
DCLOA DCOST DRELY DLERN DCHIL DHROP DNBGRP DRTWEB DRECFAM DRELOR	59	Importance of factors considered when choosing childcare arrangement		Research Question 1l, 1m.
	Section 3: Family Activities
HABOOKS	60	Number of books this child owns		Research Question 1i.
FOREADTOXA	61	Number of times child was read to in the past week		Research Question 1i, 5a.
FORDDAYX	62	During those times, how many minutes are spent reading to the child		Research Question 1i, 5a.
FOSTORYX FOWORDSX FOSANG FOCRAFTSX	63	Activities done in the past week		Research Question 1i, 5a.
FODINNERX	64	Eaten meals together in the past week		Research Question 1g.
FOLIBRAY	65	Visited the library in the past month		Research Question 1i, 5a.
FOBOOKST	66	Visited a bookstore in the past month		Research Question 1i, 5a.
	Section 4: Things your Child may be Learning
DPIAGE	67	Child 2 years of age or younger/older		verification item
DPCOLOR	68	Child can identify primary colors by name		Research Question 1i, 5b.
DPLETTER	69	Child can recognize letter of the alphabet		Research Question 1i, 5b.
DPCOUNT	70	How high can this child count		Research Question 1i, 5b.
DPNAME	71	Can child write his/her name even if words are backwards		Research Question 1i, 5b.
HAPRETRD	72	Does this child read or pretend to read storybooks on his/her own		Research Question 1i, 5b.
HAWORDSX	73	Does this child actually read the words written in books or does he/she look at the book and pretend to read		Research Question 1i, 5b.
HACONECTX	74	When child pretends to read, does it sound like a connected story		Research Question 1i, 5b.
	Section 5: This Childs Health
HDHEALTH	75	Describe child’s health		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
HDINTDIS HDSPEECHX HDDISTRBX HDDEAFIMX HDBLINDX HDORTHOX HDAUTISMX HDPDDX HDADDX HDLEARNX HDDELAYX HDTRBRAIN HDOTHERX	76	Child's diagnosed conditions		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
HDDLYRSK	77	If child under 3, has professional said child is “at-risk” for developmental delay		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
HDAUTOSKIP1	78	Response to question 75 or 76		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
HDRECSER	79	Child receiving services for condition		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
HDSCHLX HDGOVTX HDDOCTORX HDPRISCH	80	Who are those services provided by		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
HDIEPX	81	Services provided by an IFSP or IEP		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
HDDEVIEPX	82	Adult in household helped to develop/change child’s IFSP or IEP		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
HDCOMMUXX HDTCHRX HDACCOMXX HDCOMMITXX	83	Overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction with child’s IFSP or IEP		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
HDSPCLED	84	Child currently enrolled in special education classes/services		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b.
HDLEARN HDPLAY HDOUT HDFRNDS	85	Child’s condition affect his/her ability to do the following things		Research Question 1g, 3a, 3b
	Section 6: Child’s Background
CDOBMM DOBYY	86	In what month and year was this child born		Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CAGE		How old is child		Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CPLCBRTH	87	Where was this child born		Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CMOVEAGE	88	Age of child when first moved to the US/ District of Columbia		Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CHISPAN	89	Is this child of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin		Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CAMIND CASIAN CBLACK CPACI CWHITE	90	Child’s race		Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CSEX	91	Child’s sex		Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CLIVYN	92	Childs address		Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CLIVELSWX	93	Where child spends most time		Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
	94	Language child speaks at home		Research Question 1g, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CENGLPRG	95	Child currently enrolled in English as a second language, bilingual education, or an English immersion program		Demographic/ background characteristics
	Section 7: Household Members
HHTOTALXX	96	Number of people in household	Household Demographics
HHREL1	98	How is respondent related to child	Household Demographics
HHREL2 HHREL3 HHREL4 HHREL5 HHREL6 HHREL7 HHREL8 HHREL9		How other household members are related to child	Household Demographics
HHENGLISH HHSPANISH HHFRENCH HHCHINESE HHOTHLANG	99	Languages spoken by adults in household	Household Demographics
	Section 8: Child’s Family
	Parent 1	Parent/Guardian section
DUALPARENT		Same parent(s) to 2nd sampled child		Research Question 1g.
P1REL	100	Parent/guardian relationship to child		Research Question 1g.
P1SEX	101	Is this person male or female		Research Question 1g.
P1MRSTA	102	Marital status of this parent or guardian		Research Question 1g.
P1BFGF	103	Living with boyfriend/girlfriend or partner		Research Question 1g.
P1FRLNG	104	First language parent or guardian learned to speak		Research Question 1g.
P1SPEAK	105	What language does this person speak most at home now		Research Question 1g.
P1PLCBRTH	106	Where was this parent or guardian born		Research Question 1g.
P1AGEMV	107	How old was this person when he/ she first moved to the US/ District of Columbia		Research Question 1g.
P1HISPAN	108	Is this person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin		Research Question 1g.
P1AMIND P1ASIAN P1BLACK P1PACI P1WHITE	109	What is this person’s race		Research Question 1g.
P1EDUC	110	Parent/guardian’s highest level of education completed		Research Question 1g.
P1ENRL	111	Is he or she currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training		Research Question 1g.
P1EMPL	112	Parent/ guardian employment status		Research Question 1g.
P1HRSWK	113	Number of hours worked per week for pay, if employed/self-employed		Research Question 1g, 1k.
P1LKWRK	114	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed		Research Question 1g, 1k.
P1MTHSWRK	115	Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months		Research Question 1g, 1k.
P1AGE	116	Age of parent/guardian		Research Question 1g.
P1AGEPAR	117	Age when first became a parent/guardian to any child		Research Question 1g.
	Parent 2	Parent/Guardian section
P2GUARD	118	Parent/guardian # 2 present in the household		Research Question 1g.
P2REL	119	Parent/ guardian relationship to child		Research Question 1g.
P2SEX	120	Is this person male or female		Research Question 1g.
P2MRSTA	121	Marital status of this parent or guardian		Research Question 1g.
P2BFGF	122	Living with boyfriend/girlfriend or partner		Research Question 1g.
P2FRLNG	123	First language parent or guardian learned to speak		Research Question 1g.
P2SPEAK	124	What language does this person speak most at home now		Research Question 1g.
P2PLCBRTH	125	Where was this parent or guardian born		Research Question 1g.
P2AGEMV	126	How old was this person when he/she first moved to the US/District of Columbia		Research Question 1g.
P2HISPAN	127	Is this person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin		Research Question 1g.
P2AMIND P2ASIAN P2BLACK P2PACI P2WHITE	128	What is this person’s race		Research Question 1g.
P2EDUC	129	Parent/guardian highest level of education completed		Research Question 1g.
P2ENRL	130	Is he or she currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training		Research Question 1g, 1k.
P2EMPL	131	Parent/ guardian employment status		Research Question 1g, 1k.
P2HRSWK	132	Number of hours worked per week, if employed/self-employed		Research Question 1g, 1k.
P2LKWRK	133	Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed		Research Question 1g, 1k.
P2MTHSWRK	134	Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months		Research Question 1g.
P2AGE	135	Age of parent/guardian		Research Question 1g.
P2AGEPAR	136	Age when first became a parent/guardian to any child		Research Question 1g.
	Section 9: Your Household
HWELTAN HWELFST HWIC HFOODST HMEDICAID HCHIP HSECN8	137	Benefits received in the past 12 months		Household Demographics
TTLHHINC	138	Total household income		Variables used for weighting; Research Question 1g, 2a.
YRSADDR	139	Number of years at address		Household Demographics
OWNRNTHB	140	Home ownership		Household Demographics
	136
HVINTSPHO	141	Internet access on a cell phone		Household Demographics
HVINTCOM	142	Internet access at home		Household Demographics
USEINTRNT	143	How often use internet		Household Demographics

A.3 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey

The NHES:2017 PFI questionnaires will be the same as those used in the NHES:2016, with the exceptions noted in appendix C, which drew upon the PFI surveys of 1996, 2003 and 2007. Separate PFI questionnaires are used for parents of children enrolled in school or homeschooled for ease of respondent self-administration. The following topics are included in the PFI surveys:

• School characteristics such as control (public/private) and school choice;

• Student experiences in school, academic grades, and grade repetition;

• Parent and family involvement/participation in school including involvement in school decision-making and barriers to such participation;

• School practices to involve and support families;

• Family involvement in children’s schoolwork;

• Homeschooling;

• Family activities such as arts and crafts, visiting a library, or attending a play or concert;

• Children’s backgrounds;

• Children’s health and disability;

• Parent characteristics; and

• Household characteristics.

School enrollment or homeschooling status and grade are collected for all children in the screener and displayed at the beginning of the self-administered topical questionnaire. Parents of children enrolled in elementary or secondary school are asked about their children’s experiences in school, feedback that they receive from teachers on their child’s school performance, their involvement in school activities, school practices to involve families, and their involvement in homework. Parents of homeschooled students are asked about their reasons for homeschooling and sources of instruction used in their children’s homeschooling. All parents are asked questions on their home activities and family involvement in activities outside of school, such as visiting a library. Finally, parents of all children are asked questions on their children’s health, disabilities, and demographic characteristics; the characteristics of parents/guardians residing in the household; and household characteristics.

Below, the survey items are discussed in more detail. The descriptions below begin with the questionnaire for parents of children enrolled in school.

Instructions

The first page of the questionnaire identifies the selected child using information from the screener and provides the respondent with instructions for completing the questionnaire. Contact information is provided (a toll free number) in case there is confusion about the selected child or the household has no child fitting the description given.

Section 1: Child’s Schooling

This section covers questions that are asked of all parents with children in elementary, middle or high school who are not homeschoolers. The section provides detailed information on the characteristics of the school that the child attends. This covers topics such as whether the school is a private or public school, whether it is a school that has been assigned or is a school that parents have chosen for their child, whether it is a charter school, and whether it is a Catholic school or has another religious affiliation. The characteristics of schools provide important contextual variables that may be related to parent and family involvement and children’s education experiences. On the homeschooling version, these items are replaced with questions about the decision to homeschool and the child’s homeschool experience.

A series of questions asks for information on whether parents chose the school that their children are enrolled in, including the information that parents obtained about the school before making a choice and whether the school was the parent’s first choice for their child.

A list of schools in the family’s area will be provided on the last page of the questionnaire. Identifying the child’s school permits linking data about schools from existing data sources at NCES, notably the Common Core of Data and Private School Universe Survey. This permits the analysis of family experiences in the context of school characteristics including public/private control, religious affiliation, school size, urbanicity, standardized test performance, and school population measures. These measures can also be used to assess the accuracy of parent responses about school characteristics.

This section of the instrument also includes items that address specifics of children’s and families’ experiences with schools that may be associated with parent involvement:

• Student experiences in school including grades and academic performance;

• Teacher feedback on the child’s school performance and behavior;

• Grade repetition since starting kindergarten;

• Suspension or expulsion from school; and

• Parents’ plans for their child’s education after high school .

Section 2: Families and Schools

A core area of interest in the PFI Survey is parents’ involvement in their children’s schools. This section includes questions on the frequency and nature of parents’ involvement in school including attending meetings, volunteering, serving on school committees, and other types of contact with school staff and teachers. Another aspect of parents’ contact with the school involves school practices to communicate with parents regarding their child’s progress and placement and parents’ expected role. Schools contact parents for various reasons including students’ performance, school volunteering opportunities, other methods and opportunities that can help children in their education, and planning for attending college or work after completion of education. The nature of contact measured includes letters, newsletters and email. Finally, parents are given the opportunity to express their level of satisfaction with the school.

Section 3: Homework

Parent and family involvement in homework is another form of support for children’s education; Section 3 addresses this topic. This section includes questions about the amount of homework that children receive, the home environment that families create for children to do homework, and the involvement of parents and other family members in ensuring that children complete their homework.

Section 4: Family Activities

Parent and family involvement in non-school activities with potential education benefits represents another way that parents and families can support children’s education and development. Parents are asked about activities such as telling a story, doing arts and crafts, playing sports and games, or getting involved in other projects. Parents are asked to report on the activities done with their child in the past week and in the past month with anyone in the family.

Section 5: Child’s Health

This section includes items to identify disabled children and to determine whether children with disabilities are receiving services. The presence of disabilities is an important risk factor for all children and is related to children’s development and education experiences in school. These items will also provide the data to analyze the accessibility of special education and other programs and plans for disabled children.

Section 6: Child’s Background

This section collects demographic information on the child’s race/ethnicity and country of origin. These characteristics can be correlated with the various levels of family involvement in children’s education.

Section 7: Household Members

This section of items collects information on the relationship of people in the household to the child. Household composition is an indicator of resources for care and opportunity for interaction within the household.

Section 8: Child’s Family

This section collects information on the child’s parents or guardians who reside in the household: mother and father, or other guardians if parents are not present. The topics include age at first becoming a parent or guardian, native language, country of origin, educational attainment, and employment status. These items on parental characteristics measure risk factors that could be associated with children’s development and progress through school. Other questions within both parent characteristics sections can be used to relate family involvement in education with parents’ characteristics including their education, choice of employment as well as the number of hours they work.

For parents of children who attend school, questions about school accommodations for parents or guardians whose primary language is not English are also included in these sections. These are important indicators of possible barriers to parent involvement.

Section 9: Your Household

This final series of items collects information about household receipt of public assistance, and household income. Receipt of public assistance and household income can be used to classify families according to the economic resources available to them, identify child risk factors, and examine the relationship of the family’s economic status to school participation.

Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey Research Questions

The items in the Parent and Family Involvement in Education survey will obtain information useful for investigating the following research questions.

1. In what ways and to what extent are parents and families involved in their children’s schooling?

1. To what extent are parents and families involved in choosing their children’s schools?

2. What are the reasons for parents’ school choices and what types of information do parents obtain to make these choices?

3. In what ways are parents and families involved directly with their children’s schools (e.g., meetings, volunteering, etc.)?

4. What is the relationship between parents’ characteristics and the extent of parents’ and families’ involvement in school choice and children’s schooling?

5. What is the relationship between parent and family involvement in school and student experiences and performance (e.g., grades, retention)?

6. What is the relationship between parent and family involvement in school and student characteristics?

2. What are parents’ perceptions of communication by teachers or other school personnel with parents or families?

1. What is the type and purpose of school communication reported by parents including school contact to discuss both problems and how well the child is doing in school?

2. What frequency and modes of school contact with families do parents report?

3. What are the differences in parent perceptions of the purpose and frequency of communication by school characteristics?

4. How are parent perceptions of school/family communication related to their involvement with the school, in homework, and in learning activities outside of school?

3. What types of school practices to involve and support families are reported by parents?

1. What are the school practices that parents report?

2. What is the relationship between school practices and different types and levels of involvement with the school, in homework, and in learning activities outside of school?

3. What are the differences in reports of school practices based on school characteristics?

4. What is the relationship of parent-reported school practices to levels of involvement by socioeconomic status?

5. What is the relationship between family involvement with the school and parent assessments of the school environment concerning parent and family involvement?

4. What are the barriers to school involvement by families?

1. What are the language barriers that language minority families face and how do they relate to the type and extent of their involvement with the school?

2. Do parent perceptions of the efficacy of their involvement relate to the type and extent of family involvement?

5. In what ways and to what extent are parents and other household members involved in their children’s homework?

1. How does the involvement of household members in homework relate to student experiences and performance?

2. How often do household members help children with homework?

3. How does the environment that families create for homework completion relate to student experiences and performance?

4. How do parents’ characteristics relate to the extent of parents’ involvement in children’s homework?

6. In what ways are parents and family members involved in non-school activities with children at home?

1. What is the type and extent of family involvement in daily activities and other learning activities of children and how does this relate to student experiences and performance?

7. How is children’s health/disability status related to family involvement and student behavior, experiences and performance?

1. How is children’s health related to the level of parent and family involvement in their education?

2. What is the extent of parent reporting of children’s disabilities?

3. How are children’s health and disabilities related to the extent of parent and family involvement, school practices, and student experiences and performance?

4. To what extent do children receive services for disabilities and from what sources?

5. What is the extent of children’s participation in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or enrollment in special education classes?

6. What is the extent of parents’ and families’ involvement with the school in developing their children’s IEPs?

7. Are parents satisfied with their children’s IEPs or special education classes or services, including the school’s communication with the family, the special needs teacher or therapist, and the school’s ability to accommodate the child’s special needs?

8. What is the extent of homeschooling of children during their school years?

1. To what extent do homeschooled students also attend schools to receive some of their instruction?

2. To what extent do parents use homeschool communities or resources such as distance learning/Internet to obtain materials or develop curricula?

3. Of the total school-going years, how many years are children homeschooled?

4. What are the reasons for homeschooling by parents?

5. What is the role of the Internet and the use of other technology or media for homeschooling instruction and curriculum development?

These research questions are reflected in exhibit 3, which includes item-by-item descriptions of the NHES Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey questions for enrolled students and their associated research questions, and exhibit 4, which includes item-by-item descriptions of the NHES Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey questions for homeschooled students and their associated research questions.

Exhibit 3.   Item-by-item descriptions of Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey for Enrolled Students and associated research questions

Variable Name	Question # on 2016 paper form		Item Stem	Research Question/Purpose
	Section 1: Childs Schooling
FDPDKIND			Is child in full day or partial day kindergarten	Research Question 1.
PFIALLGRADEX_web	1		Confirm this child’s grade	Research Question 1.
SCPUBPRI	2		Type of school this child attends	Research Question 1a, 2b, 3c.
DISTASSI	3		His/her regularly assigned school	Research Question 1a, 2b, 3c.
SCHRTSCHL	4		School a charter school	Research Question 1a, 2b, 3c.
SNEIGHBRX	5		Move so that this child could attend his/her current school	Research Question 1a, 1e.
SPUBCHOIX	6		Does school district allow choice	Research Question 1a, 1e.
SCONSIDR	7		Consider other schools for this child	Research Question 1a, 1e.
SPERFORM	8		Seek information on the performance of the schools you were considering	Research Question 1a, 1e.
S1STCHOI	9		School this child attends your first choice	Research Question 1a, 1e.
SSAMSC	10		Child has been in the same school since the beginning of this school year	Research Question 1a.
SMVMTH	11		Month child started at his/her current school	Research Question 1c.
SEENJOY	12		Child enjoys school	Research Question 3e.
SEGRADES	13		Grades the child gets	Research Question 1e.
SEADPLCXX	14		Child currently enrolled in advanced placement classes	Research Question 1e.
SEBEHAVX SESCHWRK SEGBEHAV SEGWORK	15		Number of times this child’s school contacted your household	Research Question 2a.
SEABSNT	16		Number of days child has been absent	Research Question 1e.
SEREPEAT	17		Has child repeated any grades	Research Question 1e.
SEREPTK SEREPT1-SEREPT12	18		Grade or grades he/she repeated	Research Question 1e.
SESUSOUT SESUSPIN SEEXPEL	19		School suspensions/expulsion	Research Question 1e
SEFUTUREX	20		Expectations of child’s education	Research Question 1e.
SEGRADEQ	21		Child’s work at school	Research Question 1e.
SNETCRSX	22		Take courses on Internet	Research Question 1e.
SPBSCH SSTATE SCHRTR SAPBSCH SPRIVSCH SUNIVSCH SOTHSCH	23		Provider of Internet instruction	Research Question 1e.
SINSTFEE	24		Fee for Internet instruction	Research Question 1e.
HOMESCHLX	25		Is child homeschooled	Verification question
HMSCHARR	26		Is child homeschooled for none/some/all classes	Verification question
	Section 2: Families and School
FSSPORTX FSVOL FSMTNG FSPTMTNG FSATCNFN FSFUNDRS FSCOMMTE FSCOUNSLR	30		Activities adult in the HH has done at this child’s school	Research Question 1c, 3a, 3d, 3e.
FSFREQ	31		Number of school activities household has participated in	Research Question 1c, 3a, 3d, 3e.
FSNOTESX FSMEMO FSPHONCHX	32		Notes received from school	Research Question 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d.
FSSPPERF FSSPHW FSSPCOUR FSSPROLE FSSPCOLL	33		How well has this child’s school done the following things	Research Question 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d.
FCSCHOOL FCTEACHR FCSTDS FCORDER FCSUPPRT	34		Overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction	Research Question 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d.
	Section 3: Homework
FHHOME	35		How often does child receive homework	Research Question 5.
FHWKHRS	36		Child’s time spent on homework	Research Question 5.
FHAMOUNT	37		Feelings towards the amount of homework (respondent)	Research Question 5.
FHCAMT	38		Feelings towards the amount of homework (child)	Research Question 5.
FHPLACE	39		Place set aside in home for child to complete homework	Research Question 5c.
FHCHECKX	40		Adult in household checks homework	Research Question 5b.
FHHELP	41		Number of days, per week, an adult in household helps child with homework	Research Question 5b.
	Section 4: Family Activities
FOSTORY2X FOCRAFTS FOGAMES FOBUILDX FOSPORT FORESPON FOHISTX	42		In the past week, has anyone in your family done the following things with this child…	Research Question 6a
FODINNERX	43		Number of days family has eaten the evening meal together	Research Question 6a
FOLIBRAYX FOBOOKSTX FOCONCRTX FOMUSEUMX FOZOOX FOGROUPX FOSPRTEVX	44		In the past month, has anyone in your family done the following things with this child…	Research Question 6a
	Section 5: Childs Health
HDHEALTH	45		Describe child’s health	Research Question 7a.
HDINTDIS HDSPEECHX HDDISTRBX HDDEAFIMX HDBLINDX HDORTHOX HDAUTISMX HDPDDX HDADDX HDLEARNX HDDELAYX HDTRBRAIN HDOTHERX	46		Child’s diagnosed conditions	Research Question 7a, 7b, 7c.
HDMRKYES	47		Did you mark yes to any condition	Research Question 7a, 7b, 7c.
HDRECSER	48		Child receiving services for his/her condition	Research Question 7d.
HDSCHLX HDGOVTX HDDOCTORX HDPRISCH	49		Who are those services provided by	Research Question 7d.
HDIEPX	50		Services provided by an IEP	Research Question 7e.
HDDEVIEPX	51		Adult in household helped to develop/change child’s IEP	Research Question 7f.
HDCOMMUXX HDTCHRX HDACCOMXX HDCOMMITXX	52		Overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction with child’s IEP	Research Question 7g.
HDSPCLED	53		Child currently enrolled in special education classes	Research Question 7d.
HDLEARN HDPLAY HDOUT HDFRNDS	54		Child’s conditions affect his/her ability to do the following things…	Research Question 7c.
	Section 6: Child’s Background
CDOBMM CDOBYY	55		In what month and year was this child born?	Demographic/ background characteristics
CAGE			How old is child	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CPLCBRTH	56		Where was this child born	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CMOVEAGE	57		Age when first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CHISPANX	58		Is this child of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CAMIND CASIAN CBLACK CPACI CWHITE	59		Child’s race	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CSEX	60		Child’s sex	Research Question 1f.
CLIVYN	61		Child’s address	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CLIVELSWX	62		Where child spends most time	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CSPEAKX	63		Language child speaks at home	Research Question 1f, 2a, 3a, 3b.
CENGLPRG	64		Child currently enrolled in English as a second language, bilingual education, or an English immersion program	Research question 1f.
	Section 7: Household Members
HHTOTALXX	65	Number of people in household		Household Demographics
HHREL1	67	How is respondent related to child		Household Demographics
HHREL2 HHREL3 HHREL4 HHREL5 HHREL6 HHREL7 HHREL8 HHREL9		How other household members are related to child		Household Demographics
HHENGLISH HHSPANISH HHFRENCH HHCHINESE HHOTHLANG	68	Languages spoken by adults in household		Household Demographics
	Section 8: Child’s Family
	Parent 1		Parent/Guardian section
DUALPARENT			Same parent(s) to 2nd sampled child	Research Question 1d
P1REL	69		Parent/guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1d.
P1SEX	70		Is this person male or female	Research Question 1d.
P1MRSTA	71		Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1d.
P1BFGF	72		Living with boyfriend/girlfriend or partner	Research Question 1d.
P1FRLNG	73		First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1d, 3a, 3b.
P1SPEAK	74		What language does this person speak most at home now	Research Question 1d.
P1DIFFI	75		Difficult for parent to be involved at school because of language barriers	Research Question 1d.
P1SCINT	76		Does school have interpreters	Research Question 1d.
P1WRMTL	77		Does school have translated materials	Research Question 1d.
P1PLCBRTH	78		Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1d.
P1AGEMV	79		How old was this person when he/ she first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1d.
P1HISPAN	80		Is this person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin?	Research Question 1d.
P1AMIND P1ASIAN P1BLACK P1PACI P1WHITE	81		What is this person’s race	Research Question 1d.
P1EDUC	82		Parent/guardian highest level of education completed	Research Question 1d.
P1ENRL	83		Is he or she currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training	Demographic/ background characteristics
P1EMPL	84		Parent/ guardian employment status	Research Question 1d
P1HRSWK	85		Number of hours worked per week, if employed	Research Question 1d
P1LKWRK	86		Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed	Research Question 1d.
P1MTHSWRK	87		Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 1d.
P1AGE	88		Age of parent/guardian	Research Question 1d.
P1AGEPAR	89		How old was this parent when she first became a parent to any child	Research Question 1d.
	Parent 2		Parent/Guardian section
P2GUARD	90		Presence of a second parent or guardian	Research Question 1d.
P2REL	91		Parent/guardian relationship to child	Research Question 1d.
P2SEX	92		Is this person male or female	Research Question 1d.
P2MRSTA	93		Marital status of this parent or guardian	Research Question 1d.
P2BFGF	94		Living with boyfriend/girlfriend or partner	Research Question 1d.
P2FRLNG	95		First language parent or guardian learned to speak	Research Question 1d, 3a, 3b.
P2SPEAK	96		Language does this person speak most at home now	Research Question 1 d.
P2DIFFI	97		Difficult for parent to be involved at school because of language barriers	Research Question 1 d.
P2SCINT	98		Does school have interpreters	Research Question 1 d.
P2WRMTL	99		Does school have translated materials	Research Question 1 d.
P2PLCBRTH	100		Where was this parent or guardian born	Research Question 1 d.
P2AGEMV	101		How old was this person when he/ she first moved to the US/ District of Columbia	Research Question 1 d.
P2HISPAN	102		Is this person of Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin?	Research Question 1 d.
P2AMIND P2ASIAN P2BLACK P2PACI P2WHITE	103		What is this person’s race	Research Question 1 d.
P2EDUC	104		Parent/guardian highest level of education completed	Research Question 1 d.
P2ENRL	105		Is he or she currently attending or enrolled in a school/job training	Research Question 1 d.
P2EMPL	106		Parent/ guardian employment status?	Research Question 1 d.
P2HRSWK	107		Number of hours worked per week, if employed	Research Question 1d.
P2LKWRK	108		Looking for work in the past 4 weeks, if unemployed	Research Question 1d.
P2MTHSWRK	109		Worked for pay or income in the past 12 months	Research Question 1d.
P2AGE	110		Age of parent/guardian	Research Question 1d.
P2AGEPAR	111		Age first became parent to any child	Research Question 1d.
	Section 8: Your Household
HWELTAN HWELFST HWIC HFOODST HMEDICAID HCHIP HSECN8	112		Benefits received in the past 12 months	Household Demographics
TTLHHINC	113		Total household income	Household Demographics
YRSADDR	114		Number of years at address	Household Demographics
OWNRNTHB	115		Home Ownership	Household Demographics
HVINTSPHO	116		Internet access on a cell phone	Household Demographics
HVINTCOM	117		Internet access at home	Household Demographics
USEINTRNT	118		How often use internet	Household Demographics
RSCHOOL	119		Identify child's school	Household Demographics
SCHNAME SCHADDRE SCHCITY SCHST SCHZIP	120		School Information	Household Demographics

Exhibit 4.  Item-by-item descriptions of Homeschool Survey and associated research questions

Variable Name	Question # on 2016 paper form	Item Stem	Research Question/Purpose
	Sections 1, 2 and 3 of the PFI enrolled questionnaire have been replaced with the following questions for those students who are homeschooled.
	Child’s Homeschooling
HSWHOX	1	Person in household who mainly homeschools this child	Understand trends in homeschooling
HSTUTOR	2	Is any instruction provided by a private tutor or teacher	Understand trends in homeschooling
HSCOOP	3	Any of this child’s instruction provided by a local homeschooling group or co-op	Research question 8b, Understand trends in homeschooling
HSCOLL	4	Does child attend a public or private school or college or university for instruction	Research Question 8a, Understand trends in homeschooling
HSPUBLIC HSPRIVATE HSCOLLEGE	5	What type of school(s) does this child attend	Research Question 8a, Understand trends in homeschooling
HSSCHR	6	Number of hours per week child goes to school for instruction	Research Question 8a, Understand trends in homeschooling
GRADE_WEB	7	Grade or year in school child would in if he/she was attending school	Understand trends in homeschooling
HSDAYS	8A	Number of days each week this child is homeschooled	Understand trends in homeschooling
HSHOURS	8B	Total hours each week child is homeschooled	Understand trends in homeschooling
HSKACTIV	9	Has child participated in any activities with other homeschooled children	Research Question 8b, Understand trends in homeschooling
HSSTYL	10	Formal curriculum versus informal learning	Research Question 8b, Understand trends in homeschooling
HSCLIBRX HSCHSPUBX HSCEDPUBX HSCORGX HSCCHURX HSCPUBLX HSCPRIVX HSCRELX HSCNETX HSCOTH	11	Sources of curriculum or books used to homeschool child	Research Question 8b, Understand trends in homeschooling
HSCOURS	12	Courses taken to help prepare child’s home instruction	Research Question 8b, 8e, Understand trends in homeschooling
HSINTNET	13	Does child take courses over the Internet	Research Question 8e, Understand trends in homeschooling
HSINTPUB HSINTST HSINTCH HSINTAPB HSINTPRI HSINTCOL HSINTOH	14	Is Internet instruction provided by local public school or other provider	Research Question 8b, 8e, Understand trends in homeschooling
HSFEE	15	Charge or fee for Internet instruction	Research Question 8b, 8e, Understand trends in homeschooling
HomeKx Home1 Home2 Home3 Home4 Home5 Home6 Home7 Home8 Home9 Home10 Home11 Home12	16	Grade(s) child was homeschooled for some classes or subjects	Understand trends in homeschooling
HSSAFETYX HSDISSATX HSRELGON HSMORAL HSDISABLX HSILLX HSSPCLNDX HSALTX HSOTHERX	17	Reasons parents choose to homeschool their child	Research question 8d,Understand trends in homeschooling
HSMOSTX	18	Most important reason for homeschooling child	Research question 8d, Understand trends in homeschooling
HSFUTUREX	19	How far do you expect child to go in education	Understand trends in homeschooling
HSART HSMUSIC HSARITH HSALG1 HSALG2 HSGEOM HSCALC HSPROB HSSCIEN HSGEOL HSBIOL HSCHEM HSGEOG HSREAD HSSPELL HSENGL HSCOMSCI HSHIST HSFOLANG HSPHYED HSHEALTH	20	Subject areas previously taught in homeschool	Understand trends in homeschooling
HSNART HSNMUSIC HSNARITH HSNALG1 HSNALG2 HSNGEOM HSNCALC HSNPROB HSNSCIEN HSNGEOL HSNBIOL HSNCHEM HSNGEOG HSNREAD HSNSPELL HSNENGL HSNCOMSCI HSNHIST HSNFOLANG HSNPHYED HSNHEALTH	21	Subject areas currently taught in homeschool	Understand trends in homeschooling
	Family Activities
FOSTORY2X FOCRAFTS FOGAMES FOBUILDX FOSPORT FORESPON FOHISTX	22	In the past week, has anyone in your family done the following things with this child…	Research Question 6a
FODINNERX	23	Days that family ate the evening meal together	Research Question 6a
FOLIBRAYX FOBOOKSTX FOCONCRTX FOMUSEUMX FOZOOX FOGROUPX FOSPRTEVX	24	In the past month, has anyone in your family done the following things with this child…	Research Question 6a
HSASSNX	25	Does the family participate in other homeschooling activities or meetings	Understand trends in homeschooling
HSFREQX	26	Number of times has family gone to meetings/participated in local homeschooling events	Understand trends in homeschooling
HSNATL	27	Member of a national homeschooling organization	Understand trends in homeschooling

A.3 Adult Training and Education Survey

The NHES:2017 ATES questionnaires are modified from the NHES:2016. The following topics are included in the ATES survey:

• Educational attainment

• Major subject field of study

• Certifications and Licenses

• Preparation for New Certifications and Licenses

• Certificates

• Work Experience Programs

• Employment Information

• Demographic and other background characteristics

Below, the survey items are discussed in more detail.

Instructions

The first page of the questionnaire identifies the sampled adult using information from the screener and provides the respondent with instructions for completing the questionnaire. Contact information is provided (a toll free number) in case the respondent has a question.

Section 1: Education

This section includes the standard ACS educational attainment item (highest degree or level of school completed), the field of study for the highest degree, and items on enrollment in college, ESL classes, and literacy classes.

Section 2: Certifications and Licenses

A core area of interest for the ATES is the attainment of non-degree credentials, including industry-recognized certifications, occupational licenses, and education certificates. This section includes questions to identify the prevalence and characteristics of certifications and licenses. It includes information on up to three certifications and licenses that the respondent deems to be “most important.” It asks questions designed to code the field of certification, including its name and the kind of work it is for. It also includes the “provider” questions (CNPROV) designed to distinguish between certifications and licenses. This section has questions designed to determine whether the reported credential is, in fact, a “true” certification or license. These include questions on whether the credential can be revoked and how many hours spent in classes or training to prepare for the credential. There are also questions about how the respondent prepared for the credential and how valuable they perceive the credential to be for getting and keeping a job.

Section 3: Preparation for New Certifications and Licenses

This section is new for the 2017 NHES. It is intended to measure the “pipeline” of new certifications and licenses. It is intended to collect information on the “most important” new certification or licenses that a respondent is working to obtain. It asks about the name of the certification and includes the provider question and a question on whether it can be revoked. It also asks what year the respondent expects to get the credential, as a measure of how firm their plans are. This section includes a question about whether their employer allowed them to work on it during paid work hours and a series of questions about why the respondent is working on this credential.

Section 4: Certificates

This section includes questions designed to measure the prevalence and key characteristics of postsecondary educational certificates. The section starts with a question designed to weed out other kinds of certificates that are not the focus of this section. It then asks for the subject field of the certificate, whether it’s a teaching certificate (which is a license), who gave it (to make sure it’s a postsecondary institution), and how many hours of instruction it took to complete it. Taken together, these questions can evaluate whether the reported certificate is actually a postsecondary educational certificate. Next, it includes a question designed to distinguish between subbaccalaureate and post-bachelor’s certificates. It asks about whether the certificate was earned as part of the training taken for a certification or license and about the respondent’s perception of its usefulness for job outcomes.

Section 5: Work Experience Programs

This section is designed to measure the extent to which adults in the U.S. have completed work experience programs, including internships, externships, practica, apprenticeships, and clinicals. The gateway question for this section broadly includes many kinds of work experience programs—the follow up questions are designed to help analysts determine the kind of work experience program that it is. These include the type of work it was for, how long it lasted, what the wage was, what kinds of instruction and evaluation they received, whether they got journeyman status or a registration number, and whether it was part of a formal educational program. Similar to the earlier sections, this one also includes questions about the respondent’s perception of the value of the program.

Section 6: Employment

This section collects basic information about the respondent’s labor force status, employment status and intensity, underemployment, questions to code industry and occupation, earnings, and whether the respondent has a license required for their job.

Section 7: Background

This section of items collects basic background and demographic information including questions on military service, birth country, native language and proficiency with English, age, and race.

Adult Training and Education Survey Research Questions

The items in the ATES will obtain information useful for investigating the following research questions.

1. Research questions about work credentials (certification and licensure)

1. How many adults have a formal work credential, how many have multiple credentials, and which type of credential (certification and/or license) do they have?

2. How do work and education credentials interact (e.g., to what extent do adults at each educational attainment level have a work credential)?

3. How does attainment of a work credential interact with other measures of skill levels—e.g., to what extent do adults with low skill levels attain a work credential?

4. In what fields do adults obtain their work credentials?

5. To what extent do adults obtain work credentials within versus across fields?

6. To what extent do the fields of adults’ work credentials align with their educational credentials?

7. To what extent do adults work in fields related to their work credentials?

8. What types of training do adults get in order to earn their work credential; in particular, to what extent do education institutions provide such training, and what level of education is involved?

9. How much formal training do adults receive in order to earn their work credentials?

10. What resources help adults cover the costs of obtaining work credentials?

11. How useful do adults find their work credentials for key employment outcomes?

12. Does the length of time that a work credential is held relate to employment outcomes?

13. To what extent are work credentials required for a job?

14. Is the attainment of a work credential related to earnings or underemployment (working part-time when prefer full-time; working temporary job when prefer permanent job)?

15. How do the prevalence and characteristics of work credentials vary by key characteristics of adults (sex, race/ethnicity, immigration status, age, marital status, labor force status, employment status, industry, occupation, veteran status)?

2. Research questions about the pipeline for work credentials (preparation for work credentials)

   1. How many adults are in the pipeline to earn a work credential for the first time?

   2. What type of work credential—certification or license—are adults in the pipeline working toward, and in what fields?

   3. To what extent does the field of a pipeline credential align with adult’s current job?

   4. How concrete are adults’ plans for obtaining a new work credential (indicated by having an expected attainment date)?

   5. To what extent do employers support the attainment of work credentials through paid time off?

   6. What motivates adults to seek a work credential?

3. Research questions about postsecondary subbaccalaureate certificates

   1. How many adults have earned a certificate, and in what subject fields do they earn certificates?

   2. How many adults have a certificate as their highest level of education, and (alternatively) how many adults have a certificate and further higher education?

   3. How do adults who have a certificate as their highest level of education report their educational attainment on the standard government educational attainment item?

   4. How does attainment of a certificate interact with other measures of skill levels—e.g., to what extent do adults with low skill levels attain certificates?

   5. To what extent do certificates help prepare adults for earning a work credential (certification or license)?

   6. To what extent do adults work in fields related to their certificate?

   7. How useful do adults find their certificates for key employment outcomes?

   8. Is the attainment of a certificate related to earnings or underemployment (working part-time when prefer full-time; working temporary job when prefer permanent job)?

   9. How do the prevalence and characteristics of certificates vary by key characteristics of adults (sex, race/ethnicity, immigration status, age, marital status, labor force status, employment status, industry, occupation, veteran status)?

4. Research questions about work experience programs

   1. How many adults have completed work experience programs, and what types of programs have they completed (federal apprenticeship, other apprenticeship or paid internship, unpaid internship)?

   2. For what types of work are work experience programs completed?

   3. To what extent do work experience programs include the key quality indicators of on-the-job mentoring, classroom instruction, and performance evaluation?

   4. How long do work experience programs last; and how is program length related to other program features such as the type of program, its relationship to an education program, and its perceived utility?

   5. What types of formal training do adults get as part of their work experience program; in particular, to what extent do education institutions provide such training, and what level of education is involved?

   6. To what extent do work experience programs help prepare adults for earning a work credential (certification or license)?

   7. To what extent do adults work in fields related to their work experience program, and when they do, how often do they use the skills learned in those programs?

   8. How useful do adults find their work experience program for key employment outcomes?

   9. How do the prevalence and characteristics of work experience programs vary by key characteristics of adults (education attainment, sex, race/ethnicity, immigration status, age, marital status, labor union membership, labor force status, employment status, industry, occupation, veteran status)?

These research questions are reflected in exhibit 5, which includes item-by-item descriptions of the ATES questions and their associated research questions.

Exhibit 5.   Item-by-item descriptions of Adult Training and Education Survey and associated research questions

Variable Name	Question # on 2016 paper form	Item Stem for ATES	Research Question/Purpose
		Section 1: Education
EDUATTN	1	Highest degree or level of school completed	1b, 3b, 3c
EDUFOS	2	Field of study for the highest level of school completed	1f
ENROLL	3	Current enrollment status	1o
ESLCLA	4	Classes taken in English as a second language, after high school	1c, 3d
READCLA	5	Literacy classes taken to improve reading, excluding college level classes	1c, 3d
		Section 2: Certifications and Licenses
CNMAIN	6	Active professional certification/state or industry license	1a, 1b, 1c
CNNUM	7	Number of active certifications and licenses	1a
CNNAME	8	Name of certification or license	1d, 1e, 1f, 1g
CNSUBJ	9	Kind of work certification or license is for	1d, 1e, 1f, 1g
CNPRO1	10	Certification or license required by government agency	1a, 1m
CNREVOKE	11	Certification or license can be revoked/suspended	1a
CNCURRJOB	14	Certification or license for current job	1g, 1m
CNYEAR	12	Year certification was obtained	1l
CNPRP_HSCHL	new	Certification/license related classes in high school	1h
CNPRP_COLLG	13a	Certification/license related classes in college, technical, or trade school	1h
CNPRP_MILT	new	Certification/license related classes or training in the military	1h
CNPRP_TRAIN	13b	Certification/license related classes or training from other company or organization	1h
CN_HOURS	New	Hours spent in classes or training for certificate/license	1i
CN_DEG	New	Enrolled in a degree program related to certificate/license	1h
CN_STDY	13c	Studied on your own for certificate or license	1h
CN_INTN	New	Participated in internship, practicum, etc. related to certificate or license	1h
CN_EXM	New	Took a certification or licensing exam	1h
CN_STPRG	New	Prepared for certification or license through a free state or city program	1h
CN_GRNT	New	Scholarship or grant assisted with fees for certification or license	1j
CN_LOAN	New	Loan assisted with fees for certification or license	1j
CN_REIMB	New	Employer assisted with fees for certification or license	1j
CN_OWN	New	Family resources assisted with fees for certification or license	1j
CNUSE_GET	15a	Certification or license has been useful in getting a job	1k
CNUSE_KEEP	15b	Certification or license has been useful in keeping a job	1k
CNUSE_MRKT	15c	Certification or license has been useful in staying marketable to employers or clients	1k
CNUSE_SKLS	15d	Certification or license has been useful in improving work skills	1k
		Section 3: Preparation for New Certifications and Licenses
NCNRENEW	New	Currently working on maintaining or renewing a professional certification or license	2a
NCNMAIN	New	Currently working on getting a new professional certification or license	2a
NCNNAME	New	Name of most important new certification or license	2b, 2c
NCNSUBJ	New	Type of work for new certification	2b, 2c
NCNPROV	New	New certification or license required by government agency	2b
NCNREVOKE	New	New certification or license can be revoked or suspended	2b
NCNCURRJOB	New	New certification or license for current job	2c
NCNMM/YR	New	Month and year expected to obtain new certification or license	2d
NCNWKHR	New	Paid by employer to work toward new certification or license	2e
NCNRSN_RF	New	Working toward new certification or license to satisfy requirements for working in the field	1m, 2f
NCNRSN_MK	New	Working toward new certification or license to become more marketable to employers or clients	2f
NCNRSN_PRO	New	Working toward new certification or license to increase pay	2f
NCNRSN_RE	New	Working toward new certification or license to meet employer requirements or expectations	1m, 2f
		Section 4: Certificates
CERTTRAIN	30a	Earned a certificate from training program from an employer, employment agency, union, software or equipment manufacturer, or other training provider	3a
CERTVOC	30b	Earned a certificate for completing a vocational program at high school	3a
CERTHS	30c	Earned a high school equivalency certificate	3a
CERTPROG	30d	Earned a certificate for completing a program at community or technical college after high school	3a, 3b, 3c, 3d
PSFOS	31	Field of study for your last post-secondary certificate	3a
TCHCERT	New	Education certificate is the same as teaching license	3a
LASTPSCER	32	Place post-secondary certificate was obtained	3a
LCHOURS	33	Hours of instruction completed to earn last post-secondary certificate	3a
LCENROLL	34	Requirements for enrolling in post-secondary certificate program	3a
LCRED	35a	Minimum credits required to earn post-secondary certificate	3a
LCINHRS	35b	Minimum number of instructional hours to earn post-secondary certificate	3a
LCTRAIN	36	Post-secondary certificate is part of training required for certification or license	3e
LCJOB	37	Current job related to post-secondary certificate	3f
LCGET	38a	Certificate useful in getting a job	3g
LCPAY	38b	Certificate useful in increasing pay	3g
LCIMPROV	38c	Certificate useful in improving work skills	3g
		Section 5: Work Experience Programs
WEPROG	39	Completed internship or similar program	4a
WEFOLP	40	Type of work for last work experience program	4b
WELONG	41	Length of last work experience program	4d
WEWAGE	42	Wage structure for last work experience program	4a
WEINSTR	43a	Received instruction or training from a coworker during last work experience program	4c, 4e
WECOLL	43b	Took classes from college or trade school during last work experience program	4c, 4e
WECOMP	43c	Took classes or training from company, association, or union during last work experience program	4c, 4e
WEEVAL	44a	Evaluated by co-worker or supervisor during last work experience program	4c
WECRED	44b	Received college credit during last work experience program	4e
WECONT	New	Signed employment contract for last work experience program	4a
WEJOURN	44c	Got journeyman status from last work experience program	4a
WEAPPRE	44d	Got apprenticeship number from last work experience program	4a
WEDEGR	45	Description of last work experience program in relation to formal education	4e
WECERT	46	Last work experience program helped you earn professional license or certification	4f
WECURJO	47	Current job related to last work experience program	4g
WESKILL	48	Frequency of using last work experience skills in current work	4g
WEGETJ	49a	Last work experience was useful in getting a job	4h
WEPAY	49b	Last work experience was useful in increasing your pay	4h
WEIMPRO	49c	Last work experience was useful in improving your work skills	4h
		Section 6: Employment
EEMAIN	50	Currently employed for pay at a job or business	1o, 3i, 4i
EEJOB	52	Number of jobs	1o, 3i, 4i
EEFTJOB	53	Employed full-time	1o, 3i, 4i
EEPTJOB	54	Employed part-time	1n, 1o, 3h, 3i, 4i
EEPREFFT	55	Prefer full-time over part-time	1n, 3h
EEL4WKS	57	Actively looking for work, during the last 4 weeks	1o, 3i, 4i
EEL5YRS	58	Intending to look for work within the next 5 years	1o, 3i, 4i
EELWRK	59	Last time worked	1o, 3i, 4i
EEWKS	60	Number of weeks worked, last 12 months	1o, 3i, 4i
EEHRS	61	Number of hours worked each week last 12 months	1o, 3i, 4i
EEEARN	62	Salary over the last 12 months	1n, 3h
EEECOMP	63	Name of employer	1o, 3i, 4i
EEWHOW	64	Type of business or industry	1o, 3i, 4i
EEEMPLO	65	Type of employee (public, private, self-employed)	1o, 3i, 4i
EEWRKW	66	Kind of work done	1g, 1o,, 2c 3i, 4i
EEDUTIESW	67	Important duties at work	1g, 1o, 2c, 3i, 4i
EELICES	68	Job required license	1m
EEPOSIT	69	Type of position (temporary, permanent)	1n, 3h
EEPERM	70	Prefer permanent work	1n, 3h
EEUNION	51	Member of labor union or similar	4i
		Section 7: Background
XXMIL	71	Served on active duty in military	1o, 3i, 4i
XXACTV	72	Served on active duty since September 2001	1o, 3i, 4i
XXSEXX	73	Sex	1o, 3i, 4i
XXMARIT	74	Marital status	1o, 3i, 4i
XXBFGF	75	Living with a boyfriend or girlfriend	1o, 3i, 4i
XXPOB	New	Country of origin	1o, 3i, 4i
XXAGEMOVE	New	Age first moved to the US	1o, 3i, 4i
XXLANG	76	Language spoken other than English	1o, 3i, 4i
XXENG	77	Fluency in English	1o, 3i, 4i
XXAGE	78	Age	1o, 3i, 4i
XXHISP	79	Hispanic origin	1o, 3i, 4i
XXRACE	80	Race	1o, 3i, 4i