COLLECTION METHODS
STANDARD QUESTION MODULE
The method of obtaining data on 'Level of highest educational attainment' is by derivation using information from questions on:
- Highest year of school completed
- Level of highest non-school qualification
- Field of highest non-school qualification
- Year non-school qualification completed.
These question modules can be referenced in the '
Highest year of school completed' and '
Highest non-school qualification' standards.
The 'Highest year of school completed' module (a single question) should be asked first followed by the 'Highest non-school qualification' module which incorporates Level and Field of highest non-school qualification and Year non-school qualification completed (in this order).
For some collections, there may be a requirement to ask further questions relating to school completion or attendance so these additional questions may be immediately sequenced between the standard question for 'Highest year of school completed' and the standard question module for 'Highest non-school qualification' to maintain continuity with the topic.
When additional school questions are not asked and the 'Highest non-school qualification' module immediately follows the 'Highest year of school completed' question, it is recommended that the first question in the module for 'Highest non-school qualification' includes the word-sub 'other'.
STANDARD INPUT CATEGORIES
Refer to the 'Highest year of school completed' and 'Highest non-school qualification' standards for relevant input categories.
DERIVATION PROCEDURES
Level of highest educational attainment
The derivation process to determine which of the 'non-school' or 'school' attainments is the higher uses the following coding rules to prioritise particular responses to questions on 'Level of highest non-school qualification' and 'Highest year of school completed'.
Where a response to 'Level of highest non-school qualification' is coded to Broad Levels 1, 2, 3 or 4, this will be the Highest Educational Attainment. However, between ASCED Broad Levels 5 (Certificate Level), and 6 (Secondary Education) there is significant overlap. For example, some Secondary Education is regarded, for the purposes of obtaining a single measure, as higher than some Certificate level attainments.
Broad Level 5 and Broad Level 6 responses:
- Certificate III and IV are considered higher than Year 12;
- Certificates I and II are considered lower than Year 10, but higher than Year 9.
'Ambiguous' responses (and 'not stated' responses):
- Where a person's highest non-school qualification is a Certificate III or above they are coded to their non-school qualification, irrespective of their response (or non-response) to highest year of school completed.
- Where a person's highest non-school qualification is 'Certificate n.f.d' and their highest year of school is below year 10, they are coded to 'Certificate n.f.d. Where a person's highest non-school qualification is 'Certificate n.f.d' and their highest year of school is year 10 or above, they are coded to 'Level not determined'.
- Where a person's highest educational attainment is not clear due to a 'not defined' or 'inadequately described' response (for school year or non-school qualification) they are coded to a new category 'Level not determined'.
- Where a person's highest educational attainment is not able to be determined due to a 'not stated' response they are coded to 'Not stated'.
The coding rules are illustrated in the Decision Table. The intention of the table is to obtain a single response for the variable.
Decision Table: Level of Highest Educational Attainment
|
Highest year of school
completed | Level of highest non-school qualification |
|
Inadequately described / L.n.d. | Cert n.f.d. | Cert III & IV n.f.d. | Cert IV | Cert III | Cert I & II n.f.d. | Cert II | Cert I | N.S |
|
| Sec. Education n.f.d | L.n.d. | L.n.d. | Cert III & IV n.f.d. | Cert IV | Cert III | L.n.d. | L.n.d. | L.n.d. | N.S. |
| Senior Sec. Education n.f.d | L.n.d. | L.n.d. | Cert III & IV n.f.d. | Cert IV | Cert III | Senior Sec. n.f.d. | Senior Sec. n.f.d. | Senior Sec. n.f.d. | N.S. |
| Year 12 | L.n.d. | L.n.d. | Cert III & IV n.f.d. | Cert IV | Cert III | Year 12 | Year 12 | Year 12 | N.S. |
| Year 11 | L.n.d. | L.n.d. | Cert III & IV n.f.d. | Cert IV | Cert III | Year 11 | Year 11 | Year 11 | N.S. |
| Junior Sec. Education n.f.d | L.n.d. | L.n.d. | Cert III & IV n.f.d. | Cert IV | Cert III | L.n.d. | L.n.d. | L.n.d. | N.S. |
| Year 10 | L.n.d. | L.n.d. | Cert III & IV n.f.d. | Cert IV | Cert III | Year 10 | Year 10 | Year 10 | N.S. |
| Year 9 and below | L.n.d. | Cert n.f.d. | Cert III & IV n.f.d. | Cert IV | Cert III | Cert I & II n.f.d. | Cert II | Cert I | N.S. |
| Never attended school | L.n.d. | Cert n.f.d. | Cert III & IV n.f.d. | Cert IV | Cert III | Cert I & II n.f.d. | Cert II | Cert I | N.S. |
| N.S. | N.S. | N.S. | Cert III & IV n.f.d. | Cert IV | Cert III | N.S. | N.S. | N.S. | N.S. |
|
Cert = Certificate
L.n.d. = Level not determined
n.f.d. = not further defined
N.S. = Not Stated
Sec. = Secondary
Field of highest educational attainment
Where a person's highest educational attainment is determined to be a non-school qualification, their 'Field of highest educational attainment' is recorded as the 'Field of highest non-school qualification'.
Where a person's highest educational attainment is determined to be a school year, their 'Field of highest educational attainment' is recorded as 'Mixed Field Programmes'.
EDITING PROCEDURES
There are no editing procedures for these variables. Highest educational attainment is derived from 'Highest year of school completed' and 'Highest non-school qualification'. Refer to the 'Highest non-school qualification' standard for details relating to editing procedures for those variables.
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