Parallel systems of graduate career tracking in Hungary

The paper aims to demonstrate and compare the different methods of graduate career tracking. The analysis illustrates advantages, disadvantages and specific features of the collected data associated with different methods. Hungary takes place in a regular EU-funded graduate career tracking program since 2010. Two types of databases form the basis of the system. The first type contains data collected via online survey at institutional level. However, this research method suffers from the low response rate which is typical for online survey. The other type is created by integrating the existing datasets of several administrative systems (i.e. Higher Educational Information System, National Health Insurance System and National Tax Office, etc.) which is allowed by the law for the purpose of supporting the process of evidence based policy. Although this database represents the full range of graduate population it is limited in terms of content coverage. On the one hand our analysis illustrates the methodologies and characteristics of two different database and introduces the possible uses of the data both for research, information or educational policy purposes in the framework of graduate career tracking. On the other hand this paper presents the possibilities and limitations of linking data from these different sources utilizing the opportunities provided by the method of probabilistic record linkage (Ivan-Sunter, 1969). Linking administrative and survey data on individual level could be considered as a potential research procedure to compensate the weaknesses of the two aforementioned data collection methods (see Davern-Thomas, 2009; Schnell, 2013). Our paper highlights the possibilities and limitations of this procedure in terms of educational research approach within the framework of Hungarian career tracking research program.