Educational Research and the Confidentiality of Data: A Case Study

The maintenance of the confidentiality of student information recently has been a major concern among educational researchers and administrators. In this paper, the privacy issue is examined with respect to the information system which comprises the basis for the ACE Higher Education Data Bank. The system's functions are the acquisition of biographical and other data on approximately 300,000 college freshmen annually and continuing longitudinal research based on subsamples of these students. A brief overview of the relevant literature is provided. Broad differences and similarities of the A CE Data Bank and other environments are examined. Particular attention is devoted to evaluating devices for maintenance of confidentiality at each level of the information system: data collection, transmission, and analysis dissemination. The administrative and ethical regulations now in operation and the computer devices appropriate for preserving respondents' privacy are evaluated at each level of the system. Protection for the respondent and the researcher are discussed briefly in the context of extralegal harassment and liabilities. Recommendations and a partial statistical resolution to the "potential intelligence system" are offered.