Looking back at 2024 we are pleased to have published four IEA Compass: Briefs in Education—also known as Compass Briefs— that use data from TIMSS and PIRLS, the Compass Briefs focus on various thematic findings across the studies and aim to answer the following questions, among others:
- What is the relationship between contextual factors such as hunger and student achievement in mathematics?
- To what extent do teaching quality and limitations to teaching relate to student achievement in Nordic primary schools?
- How can digital technologies and their process data be used to understand students’ problem-solving strategies and what role do policymakers play in making more informed decisions about integrating technology in education?
- Why may boys need more support in building their reading motivation, confidence, and engagement?
The Compass Briefs published in 2024 are:
- Hunger and learning environment: Global patterns in student hunger and disorderly behavior in maths lessons authored by Yusuf Canbolat and Leslie Rutkowski. This Compass Brief is also available in Spanish.
- Teaching quality, limitations to teaching, and their links to student achievement: Insights from Nordic primary schools authored in collaboration with the Nordic Council of Ministers by Nani Teig, Trude Nilsen, and Kajsa Yang.
- Using process data in large-scale assessments: An example with an eTIMSS problem solving and inquiry item authored by Franck Salles and Aurélie La Croix.
- Why boys may need more support in building their reading motivation authored in collaboration with UNESCO by Matthias Eck, Juliane Hencke, Alec Kennedy, Sabine Meinck, and Justine Sass.
Collaboration was at the heart of the series this year with two Compass Briefs authored with the Nordic Council of Ministers and UNESCO, these partnerships are essential to the quality of publication in the series. IEA would also like to thank all authors who have contributed to the series this year.
There are a host of Compass Briefs in the pipeline for 2025 that will dive into different thematic areas in TIMSS, PIRLS, ICCS, and ICILS.