Getting Started with FFCWS Data

This page provides some great resources for getting started with the FFCWS Data, including a New Data User Tutorial, tips for using the FFCWS Documentation, and other resources if you still have questions.

New Data User Tutorial 

This resource provides an overview of how to download the FFCWS data as well as the FFCWS file structure, variable naming convention, missing data codes, and more!

Tips for using the FFCWS Documentation

We highly recommend that new data users read the User Guides and questionnaires for the waves of data they plan to use, found on the Public Data Documentation page. We recognize that this can be a lot of information to process, so here are some tips for common questions and where to find the answers.

To learn about... See...
Study Background, Data Collection Procedures, and Funding The data User Guides.
Skip Patterns The questionnaires. Use the instructions provided in the FAQ page.
Missing Data Codes The New Data User Tutorial above, or the data User Guides.
Exact wording of a survey question and its response options The questionnaires.
Variables available for particular research concepts (ex. education, parenting, health) The Metadata Explorer. Use the 'topics' option for broad concepts (ex. health and health behavior) or the 'subtopics' option for more specific concepts (ex. substance use and abuse, mental health).
Variables that are repeated in multiple waves or answered by multiple respondents The Metadata Explorer. Once you find a variable you are interested in using, click on the variable name to see more information about it. This will give you a list of similar variables across all respondents and surveys.
Specific scales and measures used in the surveys (ex. cognitive assessments, parenting scales) The data User Guides and the Scales Documentation Navigator. You can also filter the full variable list by scale in the Metadata Explorer.

Still have questions?