Since 2003, the LSAY sample has been taken from the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) population. PISA is a tri-annual, internationally standardised assessment administered to 15 year olds in OECD and other participating countries. The assessment covers reading, mathematics, and science literacy, as well as background variables at the student and school levels.

This presentation will focus on the use of PISA in social science research. The PISA framework and sampling procedures will be discussed, and an overview of critical PISA resources provided. Particular emphasis will be given to methodological issues and pitfalls associated with data analysis. The session will close with a discussion of potential research designs that may or may not be adequate for use with the PISA dataset.