Tools

Working with IEA Data

Below is an overview of free software tools and additional resources which will help you to work with IEA data and data from other international large-scale assessments in education. Please visit our training page for details of the support that we offer researchers.

 
 
IEA IDB Analyzer

The IEA International Database Analyzer (IDB Analyzer) is a free software tool which can be used to combine and analyze data from all IEA's large-scale assessments. It can also analyze data from most major large-scale assessments, including those from the US National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and those conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The IDB Analyzer includes a built-in integrated help file which serves as a technical manual for users. Additionally, all IEA studies publication on the Data Repository includes respective user guides that will guide users when working with data. 

The IEA IDB Analyzer will work on most computers using the most recent versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system. You will also need SPSS, SAS, or R (Version 4.2.0 or above) and Posit (formerly known as RStudio) installed on your machine to execute the code created by the IEA IDB Analyzer.

The IEA IDB Analyzer installation requires the .NET Framework version NET 4.7.2 or above. If you intend to install the IDB Analyzer on a machine with Windows 8 or earlier, please make sure you have installed the .NET Framework on your system. The .NET Framework can be obtained from the following website: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet-framework/net472

To download the IEA IDB Analyzer, click here.

Access video tutorials on how to use the IEA IDB Analyzer.

Download the latest manual detailing updates, and a step-by-step guide to using the IDB Analyzer. 

If you have questions or feedback, please contact idb-analyzer@iea-hamburg.de

 
 
User Guides

User Guides for IEA studies contain information on the structure and variables within the data and how to conduct analyses using the IEA IDB Analyzer. Please see our publications database for a full overview of available user guides.

 
 
ILSA Gateway

The ILSA Gateway provides easy access not only to IEA studies but also to major International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSA) conducted by other organizations, including, but not limited to, the Conference of the Ministers of Education of French-Speaking Countries (CONFEMEN), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ), and the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO).

The Gateway was created to meet the needs of researchers, policymakers, and decision-makers, as well as officials and staff members from intergovernmental, international nongovernmental, and civil society organizations. It aspires to enhance the exchange of knowledge, to encourage secondary analyses of data, and to strengthen communication within the ILSA community.

 
 
NCES Data Explorer

Developed by the US National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), this software allows users to explore TIMSS and PIRLS data.

 
 
IEA Studies and Data Protection

All European countries participating in IEA studies (TIMSS, PIRLS, ICCS, ICILS) are required to prepare Data Protection Declarations (DPD) to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of Europe and country-specific amendments of the law. Non-European countries participating in IEA studies may choose either to adapt and adopt the declaration or not to use it if not required by law.

IEA provides Data Protection Declaration Templates to National Research Coordinators so that they may prepare, translate and adapt national versions.

Once adapted to the national context, the Data Protection Declarations must be published on the website of the National Center conducting the study. The Declaration must also be provided to study participants (school principals, teachers, students and parents) along with the study Survey and Questionnaire documents.

In addition to publishing the DPD online, IEA advises countries to include a link to the document in the directions of cover letters containing the login details for the Survey or Questionnaire. Alternatively, countries may provide the DPD in paper format along with the cover letter of the Survey or Questionnaire. With either method, please add a reference to the DPD document in the directions of the Survey or Questionnaire.

For more information, or for access to DPD Templates, please: