Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/170831 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 10847
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
International large-scale assessments such as PISA are increasingly being used to benchmark the academic performance of young people across the world. Yet many of the technicalities underpinning these datasets are misunderstood by applied researchers, who sometimes fail to take their complex sample and test designs into account. The aim of this paper is to generate a better understanding amongst economists about how such databases are created, and what this implies for the empirical methodologies one should (or should not) apply. We explain how some of the modelling strategies preferred by economists seem to be at odds with the complex test design, and provide clear advice on the types of robustness tests that are therefore needed when analyzing these datasets. In doing so, we hope to generate a better understanding of international large-scale education databases, and promote better practice in their use.
Subjects: 
sample design
test design
PISA
weights
replicate weights
plausible values
JEL: 
I20
C18
C10
C55
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
672.94 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.