The Introduction of TEPS-B Project

This research project is the continuation of the “Taiwan Education Panel Survey,” abbreviated as the TEPS-B. The TEPS has made a valuable and essential contribution to the research fields of social science and public resources in Taiwan’s Education. Hence, six researchers affiliated with National Chengchi University, National Taiwan University, and Academia Sinica assembled a research team to carry out the project of the TEPS-B to explore the relations between education and labor markets since 2009. The project started follow-up surveys by first tracking down the senior high cohort surveyed in 2001 and 2003 as well as the junior high cohort who were surveyed between 2001 and 2007. In 2009, the TEPS-B respondents were in the phase to decide whether they should further their educational level or involved themselves in the competitive working field. The follow-up project focuses on the issues related to the labor market performances of the youth after the expansion of high education in Taiwan, such as how gender, the prestige of enrolled colleges, the chosen majors would affect the labor market performances measured by occupational achievement and achievement. The project is also interested in attitudinal issues regarding marriage and childbirth, as well as mental and physical health.

The TEPS-B has three phases since 2009. The first phase started in 2009 till 2012 (abbreviated as TEPS-B 2009). The second phase is initiated in 2013 and ended in 2017 (abbreviated as TEPS-B 2013). The third phase starts in 2018 up till now. Since 2009, TEPS-B continued the investigations using phone surveys and in-person interviews. By the end of 2017, the TEPS-B has completed its effort in following up all TEPS interviewees at least once. All the data of TEPS and TEPS-B are in the public domain for anyone interested in academic and policy research. The TEPS and the TEPS-B just like longitudinal projects of other countries (for instance, Wisconsin Longitudinal Study or National Educational Longitudinal Study in the United States, National Child Development Study in the UK, National Education Panel Survey in Germany, Japanese Life Course Panel Surveys, and Korean Education and Employment Panel Survey, etc.) intents to build a sustainable database to investigate the youth in Taiwan. The longitudinal project is one significant contribution from Taiwan’s academy to the international academic community.