Table 1
PIAAC DEU and PIAAC-L: study design and key facts.
| KEY FACTS | PIAAC DEU | PIAAC-L |
|---|---|---|
| Context | National implementation of international large-scale assessment; cross-sectional | National study of three national surveys (PIAAC, SOEP, NEPS); longitudinal |
| Aims | To assess adult skills (level and distribution) and to measure possible factors related to the acquisition and maintenance of these skills | To extend PIAAC DEU by enhancing the contextual information through a wide variety of questions and the administration of different cognitive instruments |
| Design | F2F • BQ (CAPI) • Cognitive assessment: default CBA, PBA option (both self-admin.) | F2F • W1: SOEP household & person questionnaires (CAPI) •W2: → BQ (CAPI) → Cognitive assessment: PIAAC (default CBA, PBA option; both self-admin.); NEPS (PBA; self-admin.) • W3: → SOEP household & person questionnaires (CAPI) → Cognitive assessment: SOEP (CBA; interviewer- and self-admin.); Number Series Study (CBA; self-admin.) |
| Assessment domains | Literacy, numeracy, problem solving in technology-rich environments | • W1: not applicable • W2: PIAAC instruments (literacy, numeracy); NEPS instruments (reading, mathematics) • W3: SOEP short scales (animal naming task, symbol-digit test, multiple-choice vocabulary test); Number Series instrument (numerical reasoning) |
| Target persons | Aged 16–65 years living in private HHs | • W1/3: APs and their HH members aged 18+ years • W2: APs and their spouses/partners in same HH |
| Location/language | Germany/German | Germany/German |
| Time of data collection | 08/2011–03/2012 | • W1: 02–08/2014 • W2: 03–09/2015 • W3: 03–07/2016 |
| No. of interviewers | 129 | • W1: 138 • W2: 117 • W3: 117 |
| Interview duration (Ø, in minutes) | BQ (40), cognitive skills assessment (60) | • W1: HH interview (15); person interview (45) • W2: Person interview (90–100) • W3: HH interview (10); person interview (45) |
| Monetary incentive (post-paid) | €50 | • W1: €25 (HH + AP interview); €10 (HH person interview) • W2: €40 • W3: €30 (HH + AP interview); €20 (HH person interview) |
[i] Source: Adapted from Martin et al. (2022, pp. 175–176).
Notes: AP = anchor person; BQ = background questionnaire; CAPI = computer-assisted personal interviewing; CBA = computer-based assessment; F2F = face-to-face; HH = household; PBA = paper-based assessment; self-admin = self-administered; W = wave.
Table 2
Key constructs measured in PIAAC DEU and PIAAC-L.
| PIAAC DEU | PIAAC-L WAVE 1 | PIAAC-L WAVE 2 | PIAAC-L WAVE 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONTENT OF PERSON QUESTIONNAIRES | ||||
| General Information | ||||
| • Country of birth/citizenship/immigration | x | x | x | |
| • Household size | x | |||
| • Number of books at home | x | x | ||
| • Household possessions | x | |||
| • Living and household situation | x | x | ||
| • Life events | x | x | ||
| • Childhood | x | x | ||
| • Friends | x | |||
| Family | ||||
| • Children | x | x | x | Updates |
| • Marital/civil status | x | |||
| • Relationships | x | x | ||
| • Activities with spouse/partner | x | |||
| • Siblings | x | |||
| • Parental information | x | x | ||
| Biographical calendar (15–65 years) | x | |||
| Education | ||||
| • Formal – highest school qualification | x | x | x | x |
| • Formal – highest professional qualification | x | x | x | x |
| • Continuing education and training | x | x | (x) | x |
| Work | ||||
| • Employment status | x | x | x | Updates |
| • Occupation & industry | x | x | x | |
| • Information on current job | x | x | x | |
| • Information on last job | x | x | x | |
| • Job search | x | x | x | |
| • Job changes | x | |||
| • Years paid work | x | |||
| • Information about employer | x | |||
| • Contract, working hours | x | |||
| Income | detailed | Updates | ||
| • Earnings | x | x | x | |
| • Bonuses, benefits, income from various sources | x | |||
| • Household income | x | |||
| Time use/leisure activities | x | x | x | |
| Health | ||||
| • General (basic information) | x | x | ||
| • Detailed (e.g. the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey, SF-12) | x | x | ||
| • Behaviour | x | x | ||
| • Doctor visits | x | x | ||
| Attitudes, well-being, personality | ||||
| • Learning strategies | x | |||
| • Political efficacy | x | |||
| • Social trust | x | |||
| • Cultural engagement | x | |||
| • Life satisfaction/satisfaction with life domains | x | x | x | |
| • Big Five | x | x | ||
| • Locus of control | x | x | ||
| • Risk propensity | x | |||
| • Trust | x | |||
| • Grit | x | |||
| • Political inclination, voting | x | |||
| Languages and cultural identity | ||||
| • Mother tongue | x | x | ||
| • Foreign languages | x | |||
| • Attachment to country of origin | x | x | ||
| • Identification as German | x | x | ||
| • For migrants: identification with country of origin | x | |||
| Skill mismatch | x | x | ||
| Self-assessed skills | x | x | ||
| Skill use (e.g. literacy, numeracy, computer) | x | x | ||
| Cognitive skills | ||||
| Literacy | x | x | ||
| Numeracy | x | x | ||
| Problem solving in technology-rich environments | x | |||
| Short scales to assess general intellectual ability | x | |||
| Number series tasks | x | |||
| Content of household questionnaires | ||||
| Residential/living conditions | ||||
| • Type of dwelling, size, number of rooms | x | x | ||
| • Amenities and facilities | x | x | ||
| Living situation, conditions and costs | ||||
| • Neighbourhood characteristics and infrastructure | x | |||
| • Ownership/tenancy/rental incl. costs | x | x | ||
| Household income and wealth | ||||
| • Household income and sources | x | x | ||
| • Social benefits/state assistance | x | x | ||
| • Savings | x | |||
| Household members | ||||
| • Children (age, school attendance, activities) | x | x | ||
| • Other (e.g. persons in need of help/care) | x | |||
[i] Source: Adapted from Martin et al. (2022, pp. 181–186).
Table 3
File information on the PIAAC DEU (ZA5845) and PIAAC-L (ZA5989) scientific use files.
| DATA SOURCE | DATA FILE | UNITS | n | QUESTIONNAIRE | COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT | # VARIABLES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIAAC DEU | ZA5845_v2-2-0 | PIAAC Rs 2012 | 5,465 | PIAAC BQ | PVs PIAAC literacy, numeracy, PS-TRE (scaled) | 1,407 |
| PIAAC-L | ZA5989_ | |||||
| Household_14 | HHs 2014 | 3,737 | HH 2014 | 353 | ||
| Persons_14 | Rs 2014 (APs, HH members 18+) | 6,231 | PS 2014 | PVs PIAAC literacy, numeracy, PS-TRE (assessed in PIAAC, re-scaled) | 882 | |
| Weights_14 | APs 2014 | 3,758 | 8 | |||
| Persons_15 | Rs 2015 (APs, partners in HH) | 4,631 | PS 2015 | (1) PVs PIAAC literacy, numeracy (assessed in PIAAC, rescaled)(2) PVs PIAAC literacy, numeracy (assessed in PIAAC-L 2015)(3) WLEs PIAAC literacy, numeracy (assessed in PIAAC-L 2015)(4) WLEs NEPS reading, mathematics (assessed in PIAAC-L 2015) | 1,054 | |
| Weights_15 | APs 2015 | 3,263 | 8 | |||
| Household_16 | HHs 2016 | 2,946 | HH 2016 | 227 | ||
| Persons_16 | Rs 2016 (APs, HH members 18+) | 4,881 | PS 2016 | 635 | ||
| Cognit_16 | Rs 2016 (APs, HH members 18+) | 4,818 | Data from three short tests of cognitive ability | 589 | ||
| NumberSeries_16 | Selected APs 2016 | 910 | Data from add-on module (Number Series Study) | 104 | ||
| Weights_16 | APs 2016 | 2,967 | 8 | |||
| Calendar | Rs 2014 and/or 2016 (APs and HH members 18+) | 31,361 | PS 2014, 2016: biographical calendar | 14 | ||
| Registry | All persons ever registered in PIAAC-L | 10,343 | 53 |
[i] Source: Adapted from Martin et al. (2022, p. 198).
Notes: AP = anchor person; BQ = background questionnaire; HH = household; PS = person; PS-TRE = problem solving in technology-rich environments; PVs = plausible values; WLEs = weighted maximum likelihood estimates; Rs = respondents; 18+ = aged 18 years and older.