It seems to me that the distinction between “started work on degree X, but abandoned it” and “currently working towards degree X” is almost as large as that between either of those and “never attempted degree X”. (Likewise for qualifications that aren’t degrees.)
So if we really want more resolution than a single question will get us, it seems like we need three questions to capture all the information. If so, maybe they should be (1) highest degree attained, (2) highest degree attempted or in progress, (3) estimated probability of completing #2 if different from #1. So if you’ve abandoned a degree, you’d put 0 or something close to it for #3; if you’re still working on it and fully expect to complete it, you’d put something close to 100% for #3; if you’re struggling through a PhD and uncertain of the future, it might be more like 50%. This gets (aside from some unusual cases where someone has both abandoned a degree and started on a new one that they haven’t finished yet) strictly more information than “highest attained; highest attempted; highest in progress”—but at some cost in comprehensibility.
If having three questions is excessive but having two isn’t, perhaps the following would be a good balance: (1) highest degree earned or in progress and confidently expected to be completed, (2) highest degree abandoned or in progress but quite likely not to be completed.
If only one question, I think asking for highest degree actually earned is the best option.
The standard on psych studies seems to be “Level of education: (1) Some high school (2) High school graduate (3) Some college (4) College graduate (5) Some post-graduate (6) Graduate degree.” This is pretty simple and does not warrant more than one question.
I personally have no problem with that—but komponisto wants to make more detailed distinctions, and was originally (i.e., at the other end of the link in the great-grandparent of this comment) responding to someone else who wanted to count courses currently in progress as well as ones already completed.
I’m sure both of them have reasons (indeed, it’s not hard to guess some) and I bet they’re both aware that it’s usual simply to ask for highest qualification actually attained.
Kalium’s suggestion would in fact satisfy me—it captures the distinction between someone who went to college/graduate school but didn’t finish and someone who never went in the first place.
I disagree with your comment above that
the distinction between “started work on degree X, but abandoned it” and “currently working towards degree X” is almost as large as that between either of those and “never attempted degree X.
For a completely hypothetical example, let
A = someone with a B.A. who spent 6 years in a Ph.D. program and left without finishing
B = someone with a B.A. currently in a Ph.D. program who hasn’t finished yet
C = someone who completed a Ph.D
and
D = someone with a B.A. who never entered a Ph.D. program..
My view is that there should be some notion of “education level” that clusters together A,B, and C, as distinct from D; but “highest degree attained” clusters A,B, and D as distinct from C, and your proposal seems to put A, D in one cluster and B, C in another.
It seems to me that the distinction between “started work on degree X, but abandoned it” and “currently working towards degree X” is almost as large as that between either of those and “never attempted degree X”. (Likewise for qualifications that aren’t degrees.)
So if we really want more resolution than a single question will get us, it seems like we need three questions to capture all the information. If so, maybe they should be (1) highest degree attained, (2) highest degree attempted or in progress, (3) estimated probability of completing #2 if different from #1. So if you’ve abandoned a degree, you’d put 0 or something close to it for #3; if you’re still working on it and fully expect to complete it, you’d put something close to 100% for #3; if you’re struggling through a PhD and uncertain of the future, it might be more like 50%. This gets (aside from some unusual cases where someone has both abandoned a degree and started on a new one that they haven’t finished yet) strictly more information than “highest attained; highest attempted; highest in progress”—but at some cost in comprehensibility.
If having three questions is excessive but having two isn’t, perhaps the following would be a good balance: (1) highest degree earned or in progress and confidently expected to be completed, (2) highest degree abandoned or in progress but quite likely not to be completed.
If only one question, I think asking for highest degree actually earned is the best option.
The standard on psych studies seems to be “Level of education: (1) Some high school (2) High school graduate (3) Some college (4) College graduate (5) Some post-graduate (6) Graduate degree.” This is pretty simple and does not warrant more than one question.
I personally have no problem with that—but komponisto wants to make more detailed distinctions, and was originally (i.e., at the other end of the link in the great-grandparent of this comment) responding to someone else who wanted to count courses currently in progress as well as ones already completed.
I’m sure both of them have reasons (indeed, it’s not hard to guess some) and I bet they’re both aware that it’s usual simply to ask for highest qualification actually attained.
Kalium’s suggestion would in fact satisfy me—it captures the distinction between someone who went to college/graduate school but didn’t finish and someone who never went in the first place.
I disagree with your comment above that
For a completely hypothetical example, let
A = someone with a B.A. who spent 6 years in a Ph.D. program and left without finishing
B = someone with a B.A. currently in a Ph.D. program who hasn’t finished yet
C = someone who completed a Ph.D
and
D = someone with a B.A. who never entered a Ph.D. program..
My view is that there should be some notion of “education level” that clusters together A,B, and C, as distinct from D; but “highest degree attained” clusters A,B, and D as distinct from C, and your proposal seems to put A, D in one cluster and B, C in another.