A bibliometric and thematic analysis of PISA literature for school improvement and effectiveness over two decades

Using bibliometric and science mapping techniques, this systematic review analyzed 3729 documents that employed the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) from 2001 to 2024, spanning a period of two decades. This review aimed to systematically delineate the developmental trajectory, identify potential knowledge structures, capture the most prevalent and influential themes, and investigate future research directions in the PISA literature. Core bibliometric techniques, including co-citation analysis, co-occurrence analysis, and bibliographic coupling, are employed, leveraging their capacity to integrate with ‘big data’ to reveal patterns in the production and accumulation of knowledge within the PISA literature. To expand and deepen the document review, this study also incorporated thematic analysis to interpret mainstream authors and literature better. Findings provide insights into understanding various factors related to the development of knowledge and skills within family and school contexts, as well as into how these factors interact and what the implications are for policy development. Copyright © 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd.