Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)-911 Data: Research Study Concerns and Recommendations

Abstract

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)-911 is a potent dataset. The purpose of this study is to improve the veracity of research using the RSA-911 dataset. To achieve this, 43 research studies that were published between 2018 and 2022 that used Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)-911 data were evaluated in a scoping review. The articles were assessed on several characteristics–reporting of data cleaning strategies utilized, discussion of variable definitions, and the methodological rigor of the statistical analyses that were reported. Opportunities for improvement in data cleaning strategies, reporting accurate definitions of the variables that were selected for the studies, improving the rigor of study methodologies, and recommendations for practice in State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies were found. Recommendations are provided that may improve research studies that are conducted with the RSA-911 data which may ultimately improve services for participants with disabilities served in State VR agencies.

Keywords

• big data
• data cleaning
• RSA-911
• research methods