Cross-National Surveys of Learning Achievement: How Robust are the Findings?
37 Pages Posted: 21 Jul 2005
Date Written: July 2005
Abstract
International surveys of learning achievement and functional literacy are increasingly common. We consider two aspects of the robustness of their results. First, we compare results from four surveys: TIMSS, PISA, PIRLS and IALS. This contrasts with the standard approach which is to analyse a single survey with no regard as to whether it agrees or not with other sources. Second, we investigate whether results are sensitive to the choice of item response model used by survey organisers to aggregate respondents' answers. In both cases we focus on countries' average scores, the within-country differences in scores, and on the association between the two. There is mixed news to report.
Keywords: educational achievement, test scores, IALS, PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS
JEL Classification: I21, J13
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
Recommended Papers
-
Do Cognitive Test Scores Explain Higher Us Wage Inequality?
By Francine D. Blau and Lawrence M. Kahn
-
Do Cognitive Test Scores Explain Higher U.S. Wage Inequality?
By Francine D. Blau and Lawrence M. Kahn
-
Does Inequality in Skills Explain Inequality in Earnings Across Advanced Countries?
By Dan Devroye and Richard B. Freeman
-
By Edwin Leuven and Hessel Oosterbeek
-
A Millennium Learning Goal: Measuring Real Progress in Education
By Deon Filmer, Amer Hasan, ...
-
Educational Achievement in English-Speaking Countries: Do Different Surveys Tell the Same Story?
-
By Jishnu Das and Tristan Zajonc
-
Does Education Reduce Wage Inequality? Quantile Regressions Evidence from Fifteen European Countries