School and Classroom Context: International Evidence From the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS 2013)

• In Event: 60.050 - Multiple Perspectives on "What the Teaching and Learning International Survey Tells Us"

Abstract

The international and comparative work on education at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has helped to broaden the discussion about improving national education systems beyond government and research institutions. Parents want the best education for their children to ensure their success later in life. But beyond the influence of parents and other factors outside the school, teachers provide the most important influence on student learning. Thus, teachers and teaching are facing growing scrutiny due to a general agreement that improvements in teaching can lead to better learning and more effective education systems.
The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is the largest international survey of teachers. TALIS began in 2008 and gives teachers and school leaders around the world a voice to speak about their experiences. The second round of the survey was conducted in 2013 and yields data representative of over 4 million lower secondary teachers and their school leaders in 34 countries and economies around the world. The survey emphasises the themes that research tells us can influence effective teaching. Teachers report on their initial training and the professional development they receive, the feedback they get on their teaching, the climate in their classrooms and schools, their own satisfaction with their jobs, and their feelings about their professional abilities.
This presentation will provide details of the methodology behind this international endeavour and will focus on teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of their school and classroom climate and their associations with teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy (or confidence in their abilities to teach, engage students, and manage behaviour in the class) and of job satisfaction. School climate comprises quality of school life and includes factors such as safety issues, late arrivals to school, absenteeism, cheating, criminal behaviours, and discrimination. School climate also includes the student body composition (socioeconomic background, immigrant status, special needs, etc.); the overall culture of the school in terms of the quality of the relationships between staff and between staff and students, and the levels of co-operation, respect and sharing that are present. The classroom climate and context includes class size, the student composition of the class, and the disciplinary climate of the class. These factors, as reported by teachers and principals are examined in relation to teachers’ reported self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Multiple linear regressions and nested models are used to explore these relationships within each participating country and economy.
When provided with average situations across countries, the state of lower secondary education looks quite positive. Teachers report positive classroom climate and reasonable class sizes and principals report adequate staffing support and material resources. However, there are exceptions to these averages, both between countries and within countries. It is in the deviation from these averages that the opportunities for intervention and reform lie. Moreover, there are clear patterns of relationships between classroom and school climate factors and teachers’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction, indicating the importance of considering the context in which teachers work in assessing teaching and learning.

Author

• Julie Belanger, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development