This article gives an overview of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies(PIAAC) and introduces the methodological challenges in implementing the survey – especially those encountered in Germany. Adherence to high methodological standards is a prerequisite to participation in PIAAC and to inclusion of the national data of the respective participating countries in the international dataset (OECD, 2010). Depending on the standard in question, and on national circumstances, compliance is a challenging undertaking. This Special Issue discusses methodological challenges at different levels, and steps taken to implement PIAAC standards in Germany. The aspects addressed include sample design, survey instruments, field work preparation, data collection, and estimation standards. In this introductory article, we outline the central elements of the PIAAC design and the methodological challenges of the survey, and we present the other six articles in this Special Issue.

methods, data, analyses, Vol 8, No 2 (2014)