Visible Learning MetaX is a powerful, research-driven tool because it brings together hundreds of meta-analyses in education, calculates weighted effect sizes, and organizes them into clear “influences” on learning. The real strength is that you can sort and filter by domains, see which factors have the largest impact, and get a quick sense of the evidence base behind each one.
What I like most:
Evidence at your fingertips – you can see not just “what works,” but how much it works based on aggregated research.
Organization by domain/subdomain – makes it easy to zero in on the topic you care about (e.g., school climate, teacher–student relationships).
Quick interpretive notes – helpful for educators who want to make decisions without reading dozens of individual studies.
Possible limitations:
It’s a synthesis, so the numbers are averages — context matters, and local conditions can make a big difference.
The summaries are concise, so sometimes you’ll need to dig into the original meta-analyses for deeper understanding.
Bottom line:
It’s a highly valuable starting point for evidence-informed decision-making, especially if you combine it with your own school’s context and data. It helps cut through the noise and focus on the factors most likely to produce real improvements.
Jennifer
(5)
Mega High Fives for MegaX!
This was a great course that really helped me to understand how to connect student data with research-based influences from Visible Learning MetaX, and create actionable next steps. It will greatly enhance my coaching work with teachers!
Suriya
(5)
MetaX Key Terms
The key elements of MetaX, a robust research database designed to enhance educational practice. It also introduces the basic terminology you need to understand and apply educational research to your own classroom. Throughout the exploration, you'll discover video links that provide in-depth insights into each concept. Be sure to click on these links as you view the infographic to dive deeper into these concepts and learn how they can guide you in your teaching methodology choices.
Metax.
Domain.
Domains refers to the major categories or areas that influence student achievement. The domains are:
Student, Teacher, Curriculum, Home, School, Classroom, Student Learning Strategies, Teaching Strategies, & Technology, School, and Out-of -School Strategies.
Effect Size.
Effect size is a value measuring the strength of the relationship between two variables. Effect sizes greater than 0.4 accelerate student learning.
Hinge Point.
The hinge point in Visible Learning is 0.4, which is the mean of all effect sizes in the underlying meta-analyses.
Robustness index.
Robustness index is the probability that an average effect is likely to change with the addition of new meta-analyses. The closer it is to 5 suggests that the effect size is both stable and high confidence is placed in the research available.
Thermometer of Influence.
Thermometer of Influence is a visual tool that uses effect sizes- a measure of impact calculated from meta-analyses- to rank different educational influences.
Thermometer Heating up, Cooling.
Heating up, Cooling down indicate that a strategy or influence is more or less impactful on learning outcomes based on the 0.4 hing point.
Akram Zaki
My take on Visible Learning MetaX:
Visible Learning MetaX is a powerful, research-driven tool because it brings together hundreds of meta-analyses in education, calculates weighted effect sizes, and organizes them into clear “influences” on learning. The real strength is that you can sort and filter by domains, see which factors have the largest impact, and get a quick sense of the evidence base behind each one. What I like most: Evidence at your fingertips – you can see not just “what works,” but how much it works based on aggregated research. Organization by domain/subdomain – makes it easy to zero in on the topic you care about (e.g., school climate, teacher–student relationships). Quick interpretive notes – helpful for educators who want to make decisions without reading dozens of individual studies. Possible limitations: It’s a synthesis, so the numbers are averages — context matters, and local conditions can make a big difference. The summaries are concise, so sometimes you’ll need to dig into the original meta-analyses for deeper understanding. Bottom line: It’s a highly valuable starting point for evidence-informed decision-making, especially if you combine it with your own school’s context and data. It helps cut through the noise and focus on the factors most likely to produce real improvements.
Jennifer
Mega High Fives for MegaX!
This was a great course that really helped me to understand how to connect student data with research-based influences from Visible Learning MetaX, and create actionable next steps. It will greatly enhance my coaching work with teachers!
Suriya
MetaX Key Terms
The key elements of MetaX, a robust research database designed to enhance educational practice. It also introduces the basic terminology you need to understand and apply educational research to your own classroom. Throughout the exploration, you'll discover video links that provide in-depth insights into each concept. Be sure to click on these links as you view the infographic to dive deeper into these concepts and learn how they can guide you in your teaching methodology choices. Metax. Domain. Domains refers to the major categories or areas that influence student achievement. The domains are: Student, Teacher, Curriculum, Home, School, Classroom, Student Learning Strategies, Teaching Strategies, & Technology, School, and Out-of -School Strategies. Effect Size. Effect size is a value measuring the strength of the relationship between two variables. Effect sizes greater than 0.4 accelerate student learning. Hinge Point. The hinge point in Visible Learning is 0.4, which is the mean of all effect sizes in the underlying meta-analyses. Robustness index. Robustness index is the probability that an average effect is likely to change with the addition of new meta-analyses. The closer it is to 5 suggests that the effect size is both stable and high confidence is placed in the research available. Thermometer of Influence. Thermometer of Influence is a visual tool that uses effect sizes- a measure of impact calculated from meta-analyses- to rank different educational influences. Thermometer Heating up, Cooling. Heating up, Cooling down indicate that a strategy or influence is more or less impactful on learning outcomes based on the 0.4 hing point.