Educational Data and Longitudinal Tracing Sweden’s national registry system combines extensive administrative data on individuals, linked by a unique social security number. These data are updated annually and compiled from multiple authorities, with Statistics Sweden (Statistiska centralbyrån; SCB) overseeing most of the process. The educational records include national assessment results and school marks in grades 3, 6, and 9, as well as credits from upper secondary and higher education. In addition, they provide information on teacher characteristics such as gender, social background, and qualifications. One comprehensive educational research database that merges these variables is the Gothenburg Educational Longitudinal Database (GOLD), which contains population data for all cohorts born from 1972 onward. Integration with Other Data Sources Swedish registry data can also be linked to sample data, thereby enriching datasets with additional information. The Evaluation Through Follow-Up (ETF; Härnqvist, 2000) project includes data from eleven cohorts born between 1948 and 2010, with each cohort typically comprising around 10,000 students—about 10% of the population. The ETF samples were drawn when students were in primary school, and subsequent cognitive and non-cognitive information are collected over later grades (6, 9,10). Further registry data including academic records can also be added. Another example of data integration is the combination of Swedish registry data with international assessments like TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA. In all these instances, the unique social security number is used to link datasets. Access to the Swedish Registry Data Access to these Swedish registry data is managed through a transparent and rigorous application process overseen by the responsible agency. Following approval, most of the data handling is carried out by Statistics Sweden. Researchers who are granted permission receive secure online access through the MONA (Microdata Online Access) platform, allowing them to analyze the data using various statistical tools while upholding strict data security and confidentiality standards. Applications in Educational Research Swedish registry data has substantially broadened academic understanding across multiple disciplines, informing research on educational equity, teacher effectiveness, intergenerational mobility, and the impact of socioeconomic factors on academic achievement. Although this population-based data was not initially gathered for research purposes, it has become increasingly valuable for scholarly investigations. In the field of education, several studies have recently used the teacher register to assess educational effectiveness (Alatalo et al., 2021; Johansson et al., 2023) and have combined PISA with registry data to understand representativeness and test-motivation (Borger et al., 2024; Johansson et al., 2024).

Johansson, S., Borger, L., & Strietholt, R. (2024). Sambandet mellan läsförståelseresultat i PISA och nationella prov: En fråga om motivation i prov där konsekvenserna är små respektive stora. Nordic Journal of Literacy Research, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.23865/njlr.v10. Alatalo, T., Hansson, Å., & Johansson, S. (2021). Teachers’ academic achievement: evidence from Swedish longitudinal register data. European Journal of Teacher Education, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2021.1962281 Borger, L., Johansson, S., & Strietholt, R. (2024). How representative is the Swedish PISA sample? A comparison of PISA and register data. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 36(3), 365-383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-024-09438-5 Härnqvist, K. (2000). Evaluation through follow-up. A longitudinal program for studying education and career development. I C.-G. Janson (Red.), Seven Swedish longitudinal studies in behavioral science (s. 76-114). Stockholm: Forskningsrådsnämnden. Johansson, S., Gustafsson, J.-E., Hansson, Å., & Alatalo, T. (2023). Estimating effects of teacher characteristics on student achievement in reading and mathematics: evidence from Swedish census data. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2023.2175252 5302