Replication, Reproducible Research, and Restricted-Use Education Data: Challenges, Opportunities, and an Example

• In Event: The Potential and Challenges of Using National Data Sets to Answer Questions in Education

Abstract

Building off Makel and Plucker’s (2014) call for replication and reproducible education research, we undertake a replication of Hart et. al's (2007) article on the relationship between high school civic activities and adult civic participation. Based solely on the text, we both recreate the original work using the NELS dataset, and extend the paper to include a more recent cohort (the ELS dataset). In this process, utilize best practices around reproducible research while also modifying these procedures for the restricted-data environment required by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Below we discuss the importance of, and issues with replication and reproducible research. In the final paper we will include detailed procedures, codebooks, code, and a discussion of the findings.

Author

• Caren Arbeit, RTI International