Education: Datasets & Statistics

Information about books, journals, databases and other useful education resources.

Data Analysis

UCD IT Services provide access for students to a range of data analysis software packages, including NVivo, SPSS and Stata. These can be downloaded or accessed through the UCD Connect page - selecting the Software Download option for NVivo. Stata and SPSS are available via AppsAnywhere.

A full listing of the applications available and instructions for downloading can be found here.

Please contact IT Services for more information (https://fujitsuireland.service-now.com/itucd)

Useful Datasets

Department of Education Statistics
Includes links to key national and international statistical reports, as well as the CSO Education Statistics database.
Central Statistics Office
Hosts databases including StatBank; Census of Population, Agriculture and several other public sector areas.
Includes statistical databases from International Organizations such as Eurostat, ECB, OECD, UNECE, UNSC, & IMF.
Irish Qualitative Data Archive (IQDA)
A central access point for qualitative data about or generated in Ireland. Also provides helpful resources for researchers preparing to deposit qualitative data, and conducting secondary analysis on qualitative data
Statistics on International Students in Ireland
Collates datasets from a variety of sources including the HEA, UNESCO and Education in Ireland
Irish Social Science Data Archive (ISSDA)
Surveys included are Growing up in Ireland; Opinion Poll data; Cross National Comparative Data, Social and Political Attitudes Survey, NCPP Employee Attitudes Survey, Irish National Election Study, Ageism and Ageing, Eurostudent and Attitudes to Disability

Eurostat
The Statistical Office of the European Union. Provides high-quality statistical information on the EU Member States Includes information on Eurostat printed and electronic publications Data is charged for but some key indicator snapshots are free to view.
Eurydice
The Eurydice Network provides information on and analyses of European education systems and policies, key data series, and reference material relating to education.
UK Department of Education Statistics
Pulls together new and current research and evaluation projects, research centres, publications and data from a range of sites, including Ofsted Survey Reports and the National pupil database.
ESRI (Economic & Social Research Institute)
A leading European research centre in the social sciences focusing on economic and social change in Ireland

OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window
OECD iLibrary contains all the publications and datasets released by OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), International Energy Agency (IEA), Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), OECD Development Centre, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), and International Transport Forum (ITF) since 1998. Formerly SourceOECD, the platform comprises 20 Book collections by theme, containing all OECD monographs and reports; 24 periodicals; a reference title; and the OECD statistical databases.

United Nations Statistics Division
Provides access to a wide range of official statistical outputs and services. A limited amount of data is available free of charge e.g. summaries of world population, health, education, employment, and other social indicators.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Profiles and global datasets on the subjects of education, literacy, culture and communication, and science and technology, plus reports generated from these resources

Finding Data Tutorial

As a student you are probably using research data for assignments in which your findings are based on evidence you have gathered. Use this tutorial to help you understand the types of data available for reuse, where to find these data and how to use them in your own research.

At the end of this 10-minute tutorial, you will be able to:

Identify what data are and how they can be used for research.
Understand the process of collecting data.
Understand best practice in re-using data.
Identify reliable sources of data for your assignments and research.