Large Scale International Studies Publications
Research and data from the large school focussed international studies, namely, PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS, TALIS, ICCS.
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TALIS 2024: TALIS findings for New Zealand
This report describes the initial findings for New Zealand from the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS 2024).…
Author(s): Rachel Borthwick, Ministry of Education
Date Published: October 2025
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TIMSS 2023: Improving Year 5 mathematics
The analysis presented in this paper supplements other evidence of how New Zealand Year 5 students performed in the TIMSS mathematics assessment. It gives examples of strong performance, examples of improving performance and examples of areas that need more focus.…
Author(s): Robyn Caygill, Kylie Begg and Evan Sutherland, Ministry of Education
Date Published: September 2025
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TIMSS 2023: Improving Year 5 science
The analysis presented in this paper supplements other evidence of how New Zealand Year 5 students performed in the TIMSS science assessment. It gives examples of strong performance, examples of improving performance and examples of areas that need more focus.…
Author(s): Robyn Caygill and Evan Sutherland, Ministry of Education
Date Published: September 2025
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TIMSS 2023: Improving Year 9 mathematics
The analysis presented in this paper supplements other evidence of how New Zealand Year 9 students performed in the TIMSS mathematics assessment. It gives examples of strong performance, examples of improving performance and examples of areas that need more focus.…
Author(s): Robyn Caygill and Kylie Begg, Ministry of Education
Date Published: September 2025
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TIMSS 2023: Improving Year 9 science
The analysis presented in this paper supplements other evidence of how New Zealand Year 9 students performed in the TIMSS science assessment. It gives examples of strong performance, examples of improving performance and examples of areas that need more focus.…
Author(s): Robyn Caygill and Evan Sutherland, Ministry of Education
Date Published: September 2025
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A short synthesis of findings from our large education studies
This report provides a short synthesis of the six large scale sample-based research projects that monitor the performance of the New Zealand education system – PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS, TALIS, Curriculum Insights and Progress Study (replacing NMSSA) and PIAAC.…
Author(s): Educational Measurement and Assessment, Ministry of Education
Date Published: May 2023
Date Updated: August 2025
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TIMSS 2023: Mathematics Year 5
This report describes the mathematics achievement of Year 5 students in TIMSS 2023. Trends in New Zealand’s achievement are analysed across cycles and presented in comparison with other countries. Achievement is analysed by sub-groupings such as gender and ethnicity. Characteristics…
Author(s): Robyn Caygill with Rachel Borthwick and Hannah Bennett, Educational Measurement and Assessment, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2024
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TIMSS 2023: Science Year 5
This report describes the science achievement of Year 5 students in TIMSS 2023. Trends in New Zealand’s achievement are analysed across cycles and presented in comparison with other countries. Achievement is analysed by sub-groupings such as gender and ethnicity. Characteristics…
Author(s): Rachel Borthwick and Robyn Caygill, Educational Measurement and Assessment, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2024
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TIMSS 2023: Mathematics Year 9
This report describes the mathematics achievement of Year 9 students in TIMSS 2023. Trends in New Zealand’s achievement are analysed across cycles and presented in comparison with other countries. Achievement is also analysed by gender.…
Author(s): Robyn Caygill with Rachel Borthwick, Educational Measurement and Assessment, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2024
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TIMSS 2023: Science Year 9
This report describes the science achievement of Year 9 students in TIMSS 2023. Trends in New Zealand’s achievement are analysed across cycles and presented in comparison with other countries. Achievement is also analysed by gender.…
Author(s): Robyn Caygill with Rachel Borthwick, Educational Measurement and Assessment, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2024
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PIRLS 2021: Asian students in Year 5 - a diverse group
New Zealand took part in the fifth cycle of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, ‘PIRLS 2021’ in Term 4, 2020. Because of the scale of the study, PIRLS 2021 provides a unique opportunity to look at the diversity…
Author(s): Megan Chamberlain [Educational Measurement and Assessment, Ministry of Education]
Date Published: October 2024
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PIRLS 2021: Factors associated with teachers’ confidence to teach reading: An exploratory study
This exploratory study examines teachers’ confidence to teach reading.…
Author(s): Megan Chamberlain, with Emel Okur Berberoglu
Date Published: September 2024
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PISA 2022: Creative Thinking
This report covers the achievement of 15-year-old English-medium students in creative thinking. In addition to mathematics, reading and science each cycle of PISA includes an innovative domain which measures skills or knowledge considered important but that haven’t been measured before.…
Author(s): Emma Medina with introduction by Stuart McNaughton, Ministry of Education
Date Published: June 2024
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PIRLS 2021: Do your students like to read?
This Teacher Snippet uses data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) to outline four ways teachers are promoting positive attitudes towards reading in Year 5 students.…
Author(s): Educational Measurement and Assessment, Ministry of Education with IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) and AIR (American Institutes for Research)
Date Published: February 2024
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PISA 2022: Aotearoa New Zealand Summary Report
This report covers the achievement of 15-year-old English-medium students in mathematics, reading and science. Each cycle of PISA focuses on one of these key subject areas assessed. In PISA 2022, the focus was on mathematics. The report covers Aotearoa New…
Author(s): Steve May and Emma Medina, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2023
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PISA 2022: Ākonga Māori Summary
This report covers the achievement of 15-year-old ākonga Māori in English-medium schools in mathematics, reading and science literacy. In addition to achievement, the report uses other PISA indicators of value to Māori to pull together a wider view of how…
Author(s): Cyrus Ranson, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2023
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PISA 2022: Pacific Learners Summary
This report covers the achievement of 15-year-old Pacific learners in English-medium schools in mathematics, reading and science literacy. In addition to achievement, the report uses other PISA indicators of value to illustrate a wider view of how Pacific students are…
Author(s): Cyrus Ranson, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2023
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PISA 2022: Mathematics achievement and experiences of 15-year-olds
This report covers the mathematics achievement of 15-year-old students in Aotearoa New Zealand English-Medium schools in 2022, as well as the learning experiences of those students. Each cycle of PISA focuses on one learning area and in PISA 2022 the…
Author(s): Emma Medina, Ministry of Education
Date Published: December 2023
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PISA 2022: Aotearoa New Zealand Non-Response Bias Analysis
PISA 2022 was conducted during challenging times (Term 3 of 2022), and Aotearoa New Zealand was unable to meet the very strict international participation standards of 85% of schools and 80% of students taking part. To determine how well the…
Author(s): Steve May, Emma Medina, Cyrus Ranson, Debbie Fogell, Ministry of Education
Date Published: October 2023
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Purposes for and processes of reading: New Zealand’s participation in PIRLS 2021
New Zealand took part in the fifth cycle of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, ‘PIRLS 2021’ in Term 4, 2020. PIRLS provides information on Year 5 students’ reading literacy/comprehension every five years.…
Author(s): Hannah Bennett and Megan Chamberlain [Educational Measurement and Assessment, Ministry of Education]
Date Published: October 2023
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