The Integrity of Ethnicity Data. AIR 1999 Annual Forum Paper.

Since ethnicity is so often used in research on educational outcomes, this study examined the consistency with which students at Kapiolani Community College (Hawaii) reported their ethnic background. The study compared two different sources of ethnic data: the college application form and an interest inventory that all students fill out and submit with the application. A total of 3,993 records were examined. Analysis indicated that the percentage of inconsistency in reporting ethnicity ranged from a low of 16.2 percent in the case of Koreans to a high o 42.3 percent in the case of Hawaiians. Findings suggest that the more ethnically mixed students are the most likely to show discrepancies in reporting their ethnic background and that the specific way items on a questionnaire are phrased affect student choice. (DB)