Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments pdf

Creating
Effective Teaching
and Learning
Environments
FIRST RESULTS FROM TALIS
T eaching A nd L earning I nternational S urvey

Creating
Effective Teaching and
Learning Environments
FIRST RESULTS FROM TALIS
Teaching And Learning International Survey
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION
AND DEVELOPMENT
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3
Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments: First Results from TALIS – ISBN 978-92-64-05605-3
© OECD 2009
Foreword
The challenges facing education systems and teachers continue to intensify. In modern knowledge-based
economies, where the demand for high-level skills will continue to grow substantially, the task in many countries
is to transform traditional models of schooling, which have been effective at distinguishing those who are more
academically talented from those who are less so, into customised learning systems that identify and develop
the talents of all students. This will require the creation of “knowledge-rich”, evidence-based education systems,
in which school leaders and teachers act as a professional community with the authority to act, the necessary
information to do so wisely, and the access to effective support systems to assist them in implementing change.
The OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) provides insights into how education systems
are responding by providing the first internationally comparative perspective on the conditions of teaching
and learning. TALIS draws on the OECD’s 2005 review of teacher policy, which identified important gaps in
international data, and aims to help countries review and develop policies to make the teaching profession
more attractive and more effective. TALIS is conceptualised as a programme of surveys, with successive
rounds designed to address policy-relevant issues chosen by countries.
With a focus in this initial round on lower secondary education in both the public and private sectors, TALIS
examines important aspects of teachers’ professional development; teacher beliefs, attitudes and practices;

teacher appraisal and feedback; and school leadership in the 23 participating countries.
The results from TALIS suggest that, in many countries, education is still far from being a knowledge industry in the
sense that its own practices are not yet being transformed by knowledge about the efficacy of those practices. The
23 countries that have taken part in TALIS illustrate the growing interest in the lessons that might be learned from
teacher policies and practices employed elsewhere. TALIS provides a first, groundbreaking instrument to allow
countries to see their own teaching profession in the light of what other countries show can be achieved. Naturally,
policy solutions should not simply be copies of other educational systems or experiences, but comparative analysis
can provide an understanding of the policy drivers that contribute to successful teacher policies and help to situate
and configure these policy drivers in the respective national contexts.
TALIS is a collaborative effort by member countries of the OECD and partner countries within the TALIS
organisational framework. In addition, collaboration and support from the European Commission has helped
TALIS address important information needs of the Commission in its monitoring of progress towards the
Lisbon 2010 goals.
The report was produced by the Indicators and Analysis Division of the OECD Directorate for Education.
The project has been led by Michael Davidson, who with Ben Jensen, co-ordinated the drafting and
analysis for the report. The principal authors of the analytical chapters were: Michael Davidson (Chapter 3),
Ben Jensen (Chapters 2, 5 and 7), Eckhard Klieme and Svenja Vieluf (Chapter 4), and David Baker (Chapter 6).
Additional advice as well as analytical and editorial support was provided by Etienne Albiser, Tracey Burns,
Ralph Carstens, Eric Charbonnier, Pedro Lenin García de León, Corinne Heckmann, Donald Hirsch,
Miyako Ikeda, Maciej Jakubowski, David Kaplan, Juan Leon, Plamen Mirazchiyski, Soojin Park, Leslie Rutkowski,
Andreas Schleicher, Diana Toledo Figueroa, Fons van de Vijver, Elisabeth Villoutreix and Jean Yip. Administrative
support was provided by Isabelle Moulherat.
FOrEwOrD
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© OECD 2009
The TALIS questionnaires were developed by an Instrument Development Expert Group (IDEG), led by the
OECD Secretariat and comprising David Baker, Aletta Grisay, Eckhard Klieme and Jaap Scheerens. The
administration of the survey and the preparation of the data underlying the report were managed by the
Data Processing and Research Centre of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational

Achievement (IEA), the appointed international contractor, together with its consortium members Statistics
Canada and the IEA Secretariat. Dirk Hastedt and Steffen Knoll acted as co-directors of the consortium.
The development of the report was steered by the TALIS Board of Participating Countries, which is chaired by
Anne-Berit Kavli (Norway). Annex A3 of the report lists the members of the various TALIS bodies as well as
the individual experts and consultants who have contributed to this report and to TALIS in general.
Barbara Ischinger
Director for Education, OECD
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Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments: First Results from TALIS – ISBN 978-92-64-05605-3
© OECD 2009
Table of Contents
Foreword 3
reader’s Guide
15
Chapter 1
IntroductIon 17
Overview of TALIS
18
Origins and aims of TALIS
19
Design of the TALIS survey
19
Population surveyed and sampling options
20
Choosing the policy focus of the first round of TALIS
20
Developing TALIS
21
Interpretation of the results
22

Organisation of the report
22
Chapter 2 
A ProfIle of the teAcher PoPulAtIon And the SchoolS In whIch they work 25 
Introduction
26
A profile of lower secondary education teachers
26
Demographic profile of teachers
26
Teachers’ educational attainment
28
Teachers’ job experience and contractual status
29
A profile of the schools in which teachers work
31
School sector
31
School size
31
School resources
32
School admission policies
34
School autonomy
36
School climate
39

Chapter 3

the ProfeSSIonAl develoPment of teAcherS 47
Highlights
48
Introduction
49
Chapter outline
51
Level and intensity of participation in professional development
52
Participation rates
52
Intensity of participation
53
Are there trade-offs between participation and intensity?
53
How much variation is there in the intensity of participation?
54
How does participation vary by teacher and school characteristics?
55
Types of professional development
57
Unsatisfied demand and development needs
59
What are the areas of greatest development need?
60
Overall index of professional development need
62
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Support received by teachers for professional development 64
Compulsory professional development
64
Financial support
65
Salary supplements
66
Scheduled time
66
What is the relation between support received and levels of participation?
66
Induction and mentoring
70
Barriers that prevent meeting demand
72
No suitable development
72
Conflict with work schedule
73
Too expensive
73
Other barriers
73
Impact of professional development
74
How does perceived impact relate to participation?
75
Conclusions and implications for policy and practice
76

How much does the amount and profile of teachers’ professional development vary
within and among countries?
76
How well are teachers’ professional development needs being met?
77
How best should unsatisfied demand for professional development be addressed?
78
Further analysis of teachers’ professional development
79
Additional material
79
Chapter 4
teAchIng PrActIceS, teAcherS’ BelIefS And AttItudeS 87
Highlights
88
Introduction
89
Theoretical background and analytical framework
89
Chapter outline
92
Beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning
92
Country differences in profiles of beliefs about instruction
94
Correlations between direct transmission and constructivist beliefs
95
Variance distribution across levels
96
Classroom teaching practice

97
Country differences in profiles of classroom teaching practices
97
Domain specificity of profiles of instructional practices
99
Variance distribution across levels
100
Teacher’s professional activities: co-operation among staff
101
Country differences in profiles of co-operation among staff
101
Variance distribution across levels
103
Classroom environment
103
Country differences in classroom environment
104
Variance distribution across levels
107
School-level environment: school climate
108
Country differences in teacher-student relations
108
Variance distribution across levels
110
Job-related attitudes: self-efficacy and job satisfaction
111
Country differences in self-efficacy and job satisfaction
111
Variance distribution across levels

111
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Understanding teachers’ professionalism: first steps in linking the school context and teachers’
beliefs and practices to teachers’ perceived efficacy and the quality of the learning environment
113
Significance of context and background variables
113
Effects of professional development activities
116
Effects of beliefs on instructional practices
118
Effects of instructional practices on classroom disciplinary climate
118
Effects of teachers’ co-operation on teacher-student relations
119
Determinants of teacher job satisfaction
119
Conclusions and implications for policy and practice
120
Teachers generally support modern constructivist beliefs about instruction, but there is scope
for strengthening this support
120
Teachers need to use a wider range of instructional strategies and techniques
121
There is scope to improve teacher effectiveness by extending teacher co-operation and linking
this to an impro
ved school climate

122
Support of teachers’ classroom management techniques and a positive attitude towards the job
122
Additional material
123

Chapter 5
School evAluAtIon, teAcher APPrAISAl And feedBAck And the ImPAct  
on SchoolS And teAcherS
137
Highlights
138
Introduction
139
Framework for evaluating education in schools: data collected in TALIS
139
Data collected in TALIS
140
Nature and impact of school evaluations
142
Frequency of school evaluations
142
Focus of school evaluations
144
Influence of school evaluations
147
Publication of information on school evaluations
148
Form of teacher appraisal and feedback
149

Frequency of appraisal and feedback
149
Focus of appraisal and feedback
151
Teaching in a multicultural setting and teaching students with special learning needs
153
Outcomes of feedback and appraisal of teachers
154
Impact of teacher appraisal and feedback
158
Teachers’ perceptions of the fairness of appraisal and feedback
158
Impact of appraisal and feedback on teaching and teachers’ work
159
Teacher appraisal and feedback and school development
161
Links across the framework for evaluating education in schools
163
Conclusions and implications for policy and practice
169
Teacher appraisal and feedback has a positive impact on teachers
169
School evaluation and teacher appraisal and feedback are relatively rare in a number of education
systems, and do not always have consequences for teachers
169
Teachers reported that they would receive little, if any, recognition for improving their teaching,
as teac
her effectiveness is not linked to the recognition and rewards they receive
170
School evaluations can be structured so that they and teacher appraisal and feedback lead to

dev
elopments in particular aspects of school education
171
Additional material
172
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Chapter 6 leAdIng to leArn: School leAderShIP And mAnAgement StyleS  189
Highlights
190
Introduction
191
From bureaucratic administrator to leader for learning
191
Goals of the TALIS survey of principals
192
Chapter outline
193
Salient dimensions of secondary school management behaviour of school principals
193
Management behaviour
193
Management styles and school leadership
195
Management styles and decision making
196
Management styles and characteristics of principals and schools
197

Management styles and characteristics of evaluations of school performance
198
Aspects of teachers’ work and school management
198
Beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning
199
Classroom practices of teachers
200
Teachers’ professional activities
200
Teachers’ classroom environment and school climate for learning
200
Teachers’ attitudes towards their job
200
Teacher appraisal and feedback and school management
201
Learning outcomes, teachers’ practices and professional development as appraisal criteria
201
Objectives of the appraisal
202
Feedback and consequences of the appraisal
202
Teachers’ professional development
202
Conclusions and implications for policy and practice
203
New trends in school leadership are evident to varying degrees in countries’ educational systems
203
While neither leadership style is consistently associated with teachers’ beliefs and practices,
there is evidence to suggest that instructional leadership is related to important aspects of the

management of effecti
ve instruction in schools
204
Additional material
205
Chapter 7
key fActorS In develoPIng effectIve leArnIng envIronmentS: clASSroom 
dIScIPlInAry clImAte And teAcherS’ Self-effIcAcy
219
Highlights
220
Introduction and conceptual framework
221
Analytical model
221
A focus on self-efficacy and classroom disciplinary climate
222
Estimations of classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ reported self-efficacy
223
Modelling strategy: country-by-country analysis
224
Descriptive statistics for teachers’ reported self-efficacy
225
Descriptive statistics for classroom environment
226
Teachers’ characteristics and classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ self-efficacy
227
Teachers’ professional development and classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ self-efficacy
229
Teaching practices, beliefs and attitudes and classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ self-efficacy

231
Teaching practices, beliefs and attitudes and classroom disciplinary climate
231
Teaching practices, beliefs and attitudes and teachers’ self-efficacy
233
Teacher appraisal and feedback and classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ self-efficacy
234
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School leadership and classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ self-efficacy 238
School autonomy and school climate and classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ self-efficacy
239
Conclusions and implications for policy and practice
241
Additional material
241
reFerenCes
259
annex a1
technIcAl noteS on Survey ProcedureS And AnAlySIS 267
Annex A1.1 Construction of indices and other derived measures
268
Annex A1.2 TALIS sampling procedures and response rates
277
Annex A1.3 Quality assurance
280
Annex A1.4 Technical notes on multiple regression analyses
282

annex a2
Selected chArActerIStIcS of dAtA collected from the netherlAndS 299
annex a3
lISt of contrIButorS 303
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List of boxes
Box 1.1
The TALIS design 20
Box 3.1 Types of professional development
50
Box 4.1 Teachers’ beliefs about teaching
93
Box 4.2 Cross-cultural validity of the indices for teachers’ beliefs, practices and attitudes
93
Box 4.3 Computation of ipsative scores
94
Box 4.4 Description of regression analysis
114
Box 5.1 Path analysis methodology
164
Box 7.1 Classroom disciplinary climate, teachers’ reported self-efficacy and the stability of employment
229
Box 7.2 Professional development and classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ reported self-efficacy
230
Box 7.3 Disciplinary climate and teachers’ reported self-efficacy and teaching practices and beliefs
234
Box 7.4 Classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ reported self-efficacy and teachers’ appraisal and feedback

238
Box 7.5 Classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ reported self-efficacy and school leadership
239
Box 7.6 Classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ reported self-efficacy and various school-level factors
240
Box A1.4.1 Summary of four final models per country
287
List of figures
Figure 1.1 Countries participating in
TALIS 18
Figure 2.1 Gender and age of teachers (2007-08)
27
Figure 2.2 Job experience of teachers (2007-08)
30
Figure 2.3 Percentage of teachers in schools where the principal reported the following as pre-requisites
or high priorities for admittance to sc
hool (2007-08)
35
Figure 2.4 School autonomy factors (2007-08)
37
Figure 2.5 Percentage of teachers whose school principal reported that the following teacher behaviours hindered
the pro
vision of instruction in their school a lot or to some extent (2007-08)
39
Figure 3.1 Percentage of teachers who undertook some professional development in the previous
18 months (2007-08)
52
Figure 3.2 Comparison of the level and intensity of participation in professional development (2007-08)
53
Figure 3.3 Days of professional development taken – Interquartile range (2007-08)

54
Figure 3.4 Participation rates by type of professional development activity (2007-08)
57
Figure 3.5 Percentage of teachers who wanted more development than they received in the previous
18 months (2007-08)
59
Figure 3.6 Areas of greatest development need (2007-08)
60
Figure 3.7 Index of professional development need (2007-08)
62
Figure 3.8 Comparison of unsatisfied demand for professional development and amount undertaken (2007-08)
63
Figure 3.9 Types of support received for professional development (2007-08)
65
Figure 3.10 Average days of development taken by teachers according to personal payment level (2007-08)
67
Figure 3.11 Level of personal payment by type of development activity (2007-08)
68
Figure 3.12 Percentage of teachers receiving scheduled time compared to average days of development undertaken
(2007-08)
69
Figure 3.13 Percentage of teachers in schools with no formal induction or mentoring programmes (2007-08)
71
Figure 3.14 Reasons for not taking more professional development (2007-08)
72
Figure 3.15 Comparison of impact and participation by types of development activity (2007-08)
75
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Figure 4.1 Framework for the analysis of teaching practices and beliefs 91
Figure 4.2 Country profiles of beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning (2007-08)
95
Figure 4.3 Distribution of total variance across the three levels of analysis for teachers’ beliefs about instruction
(2007-08)
96
Figure 4.4 Country profiles of classroom teaching practices (2007-08)
98
Figure 4.5 Subject profiles of classroom teaching practices (2007-08)
99
Figure 4.6 Distribution of total variance across the three levels of analysis for teaching practices (2007-08)
100
Figure 4.7 Country profiles for co-operation among staff (2007-08)
102
Figure 4.8 Distribution of total variance across the three levels of analysis for co-operation among staff (2007-08)
103
Figure 4.9 Distribution of time spent in the classroom during an average lesson (2007-08)
104
Figure 4.10 Percentiles of time on task (2007-08)
105
Figure 4.11 Country means for two indicators of the quality of the classroom environment (2007-08)
106
Figure 4.12 Distribution of total variance across the three levels of analysis for indicators of classroom climate
(
2007-08)
107
Figure 4.13 Teacher-student relations: precentiles of the standardised factor scores
109
Figure 4.14 Distribution of total variance across the three levels of analysis for teacher-student relations (2007-08)

110
Figure 4.15 Country means of teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction (2007-08)
112
Figure 4.16 Distribution of total variance across the three levels of analysis for self efficacy and job satisfaction
(2007-08)
112
Figure 5.1 Structure for evaluation of education in schools: data collected in TALIS
142
Figure 5.2 Criteria of school evaluations (2007-08)
145
Figure 5.3 Teachers who received no appraisal or feedback and teachers in schools that had no school evaluation
in the previous fiv
e years (2007-08)
150
Figure 5.4 Criteria for teacher appraisal and feedback (2007-08)
153
Figure 5.5 Impact of teacher appraisal and feedback (2007-08)
156
Figure 5.6 Impact of teacher appraisal and feedback upon teaching (2007-08)
160
Figure 5.7 Perception of teachers of appraisal and feedback and its impact in their school (2007-08)
162
Figure 5.8 Path analysis for teaching students with special learning needs
165
Figure 5.9 Path analysis for teaching in a multicultural setting
166
Figure 5.10 Path analysis for teachers’ classroom management
166
Figure 5.11 Path analysis for teachers’ handling of student discipline and behaviour problems
166

Figure 5.12 Path analysis for teachers’ knowledge and understanding of main subject field
167
Figure 5.13 Path analysis for teachers’ knowledge and understanding of instructional practices
in their main subject field
167
Figure 6.1 Composition of the indices for instructional and administrative leadership
195
Figure 6.2 School principals according to their management styles (2007-08)
197
Figure 6.3 Effects of greater use of instructional or administrative leadership styles
203
List of tabLes
Table 2.1 Gender and age distribution of teac
hers (2007-08) 41
Table 2.2 Teachers’ educational attainment (2007-08)
41
Table 2.3 Employment status and job experience of teachers (2007-08)
42
Table 2.4 School personnel characteristics and the percentage of teachers in public schools (2007-08)
42
Table 2.5 School resources (2007-08)
43
Table 2.6 School admission policies (2007-08)
43
Table 2.7 School autonomy (2007-08)
44
Table 2.8 School climate – teacher-related factors (2007-08)
45
Table 2.8a School climate – student-related factors (2007-08)
45

Table of conTenTs
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© oecD 2009
Table 3.1 Participation of teachers in professional development in the previous 18 months (2007-08) 80
Table 3.1a Amount of professional development undertaken by teachers in the previous 18 months (2007-08) –
teacher characteristics
81
Table 3.1b Amount of professional development undertaken by teachers in the previous 18 months (2007-08) –
school characteristics
82
Table 3.2 Types of professional development undertaken by teachers (2007-08)
82
Table 3.3 Teachers who wanted to participate in more development than they did in the previous 18 months (2007-08)
83
Table 3.4 Teachers’ high professional development needs (2007-08)
84
Table 3.5 Support for professional development undertaken by teachers (2007-08)
85
Table 3.6 Frequency of mentoring and induction programmes (2007-08)
85
Table 3.7 Reasons for not participating in more professional development (2007-08)
86
Table 3.8 Impact of different types of professional development undertaken by teachers (2007-08)
86
Table 4.1 Correlation between direct transmission and constructivist beliefs about teaching (2007-08)
125
Table 4.2 Correlation between time on task and classroom disciplinary climate (2007-08)
125
Table 4.3 Relationship between teacher characteristics and teachers’ beliefs, attitudes and practices and

the learning environment (2007-08)
125
Table 4.4 Relationship between classroom context and teaching practices (2007-08)
126
Table 4.5 Relationship between school context and teacher-student relations (2007-08)
127
Table 4.6 Relationship between teachers’ professional development activities and their teaching beliefs about
instruction (2007-08)
128
Table 4.7 Relationship between teachers’ professional development activities and teaching practices (2007-08)
129
Table 4.8 Relationship between teachers’ professional development activities and teacher co-operation (2007-08)
130
Table 4.9 Relationship between teachers’ beliefs about instruction and teaching practices (2007-08)
131
Table 4.10 Relationship between teaching practices and classroom disciplinary climate (2007-08)
132
Table 4.11 Relationship between teacher co-operation and teacher-student relations (2007-08)
133
Table 4.12 Relationship between teachers’ beliefs about instruction, classroom teaching practices, the learning
environment, self-efficacy, and teachers’ job satisfaction (2007-08)
134
Table 4.13 Relationship between classroom disciplinary climate, teacher-student relations and job satisfaction (2007-08)
135
Table 5.1 Frequency and type of school evaluations (2007-08)
174
Table 5.1a Criteria of school evaluations (2007-08)
175
Table 5.2 Impacts of school evaluations upon schools (2007-08)
176

Table 5.2a Publication of school evaluations (2007-08)
177
Table 5.3 Frequency and source of teacher appraisal and feedback (2007-08)
177
Table 5.4 Criteria for teacher appraisal and feedback (2007-08)
179
Table 5.5 Outcomes of teacher appraisal and feedback (2007-08)
181
Table 5.6 Actions undertaken following the identification of a weakness in a teacher appraisal (2007-08)
182
Table 5.7 Teacher perceptions of the appraisal and/or feedback they received (2007-08)
185
Table 5.7a Teacher perceptions of the personal impact of teacher appraisal and feedback (2007-08)
186
Table 5.8 Impact of teacher appraisal and feedback upon teaching (2007-08)
187
Table 5.9 Teacher appraisal and feedback and school development (2007-08)
188
Table 6.1 School principal leadership behavioral items (2007-08)
206
Table 6.2 School principal leadership behavioral indices (2007-08)
206
Table 6.3 Management leadership styles (2007-08)
207
Table 6.4 Relationship between school leadership style and teachers’ beliefs about instruction (2007-08)
207
Table 6.5 Relationship between school leadership style and teaching practices (2007-08)
208
Table 6.6 Relationship between school leadership style and co-ordination and professional collaboration
among teachers (2007-08)

209
Table 6.7 Relationship between school leadership style and classroom disciplinary climate, time on task and
teacher-student relations indices (2007-08)
210
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Table 6.8 Relationship between school leadership style and teacher’s job satisfaction and self-efficacy (2007-08) 211
Table 6.9 Relationship between school leadership style and objectives of teacher appraisals (2007-08)
212
Table 6.10 Relationship between school leadership style and outcomes of teacher appraisals (2007-08)
213
Table 6.11 Relationship between school leadership style and the professional development of teachers (2007-08)
214
Table 6.12 Relationship between the background characteristics of the principals and their school and the use
of instructional leadership style (2007-08)
215
Table 6.13 Relationship between the background characteristics of the principals and their school and the use
of administr
ative leadership style (2007-08)
216
Table 6.14 Correlation between leadership styles and types of evaluation (2007-08)
217
Table 7.1 List of independent variables 243
Table 7.2 Index of self-efficacy (2007-08)
244
Table 7.3 Classroom disciplinary climate index (2007-08)
244
Table 7.4 Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 1 variables in the gross, net

and final net models estimating classroom disciplinary climate
244
Table 7.4a Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 1 variables in the gross, net
and final net models estimating teacher’s reported self-efficacy
245
Table 7.5 Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 2 variables in the gross, net
and final net models estimating classroom disciplinary climate
246
Table 7.5a Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 2 variables in the gross, net
and final net models estimating teacher’s reported self-efficacy
247
Table 7.6 Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 3 variables in the gross, net
and final net models estimating classroom disciplinary climate
248
Table 7.6a Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 3 variables in the gross, net
and final net models estimating teacher’s reported self-efficacy
249
Table 7.7 Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 4 variables in the gross, net
and final net models estimating classroom disciplinary climate
250
Table 7.7a Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 4 variables in the gross, net
and final net models estimating teacher’s reported self-efficacy
252
Table 7.8 Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 5 variables in the gross, net
and final net models estimating classroom disciplinary climate
254
Table 7.8a Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 5 variables in the gross, net
and final net models estimating teacher’s reported self-efficacy
255
Table 7.9 Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 6 variables in the gross, net

and final net models estimating classroom disciplinary climate
256
Table 7.9a Significant variables and the direction of coefficients of Bloc 6 variables in the gross, net
and final net models estimating teachers’ reported self-efficacy
257
Table A1.2.1 Unweighted participation rates weighted estimated size of the teacher population by country
279
Table A1.4.1 List of independent variables in the Chapter 4 regression analyses
289
Table A1.4.2 List of independent variables in the Chapter 6 regression analyses
290
Table A1.4.3 Sample sizes for the Chapter 7 regression analyses
291
Table A1.4.4 Between-school variance in classroom disciplinary climate and teachers’ reported self-efficacy
for eac
h country
291
Table A1.4.5 List of independent variables in the Chapter 7 regression analyses
292
Table A1.4.6 The percentage of missing cases for each country for each variable included in the Chapter 7
regression analyses
293
Table A2.1 The professional development of teachers: selected data for the Netherlands
300
Table A2.2 Teaching practices beliefs and attitudes: selected data for the Netherlands
300
Table A2.3 School evaluation, teacher appraisal and feedback, and the impact on schools and teachers:
selected data for the Netherlands
301
Table A2.4 School leadership: selected data for the Netherlands

301
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© OECD 2009
Reader’s Guide
statistics and analysis
This report presents statistics and analysis derived from the survey responses of teachers of lower secondary
education (level 2 of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED-97)) and the principals of
their schools.
classification of levels of education
The classification of the levels of education is based on the revised International Standard Classification of
Education (ISCED-97). ISCED is an instrument for compiling statistics on education internationally and
distinguishes among six levels of education:
• Pre-primary education (ISCED lev
el 0).
• Primary education (ISCED lev
el 1).
• Lo
wer secondary education (ISCED level 2).
• Upper secondary education (ISCED lev
el 3).
• P
ost-secondary non-tertiary level of education (ISCED level 4).
• T
ertiary-type A education (ISCED level 5A).
• T
ertiary-type B education (ISCED level 5B).
• Ad
vanced Research Qualifications (ISCED level 6).

calculation of international average
A TALIS average was calculated for most indicators presented in this report. The TALIS average is calculated
as the unweighted mean of the data values of the TALIS countries included in the table. The TALIS average
therefore refers to an average of data values at the level of the national systems.
symbols for missing data
The following symbols are employed in the tables and charts to denote missing data:
a The category does not apply in the country concerned. Data are therefore missing.
m Data are not available as the underlying data were either not collected or withdrawn.
abbreviations used in this report
The following abbreviations are used in this report:
CFI Comparative Fit Index
ISCED International Standard Classification of Education
RMSEA Root Mean Square Error of Approximation
r
xy
Correlation coefficient
(S.E.) Standard error
SRMR Root Mean Square Residual
REaDER’s GuiDE
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© OECD 2009
rounding of figures
Because of rounding, some figures in tables may not exactly add up to the totals. Totals, differences and averages
are always calculated on the basis of exact numbers and are rounded only after calculation.
All standard errors in this publication have been rounded to two decimal places. Where the value 0.00 is
shown, this does not imply that the standard error is zero, but that it is smaller than 0.005.
territorial entities
In the whole document the Flemish Community of Belgium is referred to as “Belgium (Fl.)”.
further doCumentation

For further information on TALIS documentation, the instruments and methods, see the TALIS Technical Report
(forthcoming) and the TALIS website (www.oecd.org/edu/TALIS).
This report uses the OECD’s StatLinks service. Below each table and chart is a url leading to a corresponding
Excel workbook containing the underlying data. These urls are stable and will remain unchanged over time.
Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments: First Results from TALIS – ISBN 978-92-64-05605-3
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© OECD 2009
Introduction
Chapter 1
18
Overview of TALIS
19
Origins and aims of TALIS
19
Design of the TALIS survey
20
Population surveyed and sampling options
20
Choosing the policy focus of the first round of TALIS
21
Developing TALIS
22
Interpretation of the results
22
Organisation of the report
CHAPTER 1 IntroductIon
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18
© OECD 2009
Overview Of TALiS

The OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey is the first international survey to focus on the working
conditions of teachers and the learning environment in schools. Its aim is to help countries to review and
develop policies that foster the conditions for effective schooling.
TALIS focuses on lower secondary education teachers and the principals of their schools and seeks to provide
policy-relevant data and analysis on the following key aspects of schooling:
• the role and functioning of school leadership;
• how teachers’ work is appraised and the feedback they receive;
• teachers’ professional development; and
• teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about teaching and their pedagogical practices.
In view of the important role that school leadership can play in creating effective schools, TALIS describes the
role of school leaders and examines the support they give to their teachers. Because retaining and developing
effective teachers is a priority in all school systems, TALIS looks at how teachers’ work is recognised, appraised
and rewarded and how well their professional development needs are being addressed. Finally, TALIS provides
insights into the beliefs and attitudes about teaching that teachers bring to the classroom and the pedagogical
practices that they adopt.
TALIS is a collaborative effort by member countries of the OECD and partner countries which has been
conceptualised as a programme of surveys. This report presents the initial results from the first round of TALIS,
which was implemented in 2007-08.
Figure 1.1
Countries participating in TALIS
OECD countries Partner countries
Australia Brazil
Austria Bulgaria
Belgium (Flemish Community) Estonia
Denmark Lithuania
Hungary Malaysia
Iceland Malta
Ireland Slovenia
Italy
Korea

Mexico
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic
Spain
Turkey
Note: TALIS was also conducted in the Netherlands but as the required sampling standards were not achieved, their data are not included in
the international comparisons.
Source: OECD, TALIS Database.
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In all, 24 countries participated in this first round of TALIS (see Figure 1.1). However, as the Netherlands did not
meet the sampling standards, their data are not included in the international tables and analyses. A summary of
the results for the Netherlands can be found in Annex A2 of this report.
origins and aims of TaLis
TALIS has been developed as part of the OECD Indicators of Education Systems (INES) project. Over the past
20 years or so, INES has sought to create a coherent set of indicators that provide a reliable basis for the
quantitative comparisons of the functioning and performance of education systems in OECD and partner
countries. The main product from the INES project is the annual Education at a Glance (OECD, 2008a).
Although the INES programme has made considerable progress over the years in developing indicators on
the learning environment and organisation of schools, as well as learning outcomes, significant gaps in the
knowledge base on teachers and teaching remained. As a result, the INES General Assembly in 2000 in Tokyo
called for increased attention to teachers and teaching in future work. At the meeting of deputy Ministers of
Education in Dublin in 2003, the need for better information on the quality of learning and how teaching
influences learning was further affirmed.
To address these deficiencies, a strategy was developed to improve the indicators on teachers, teaching and
learning. One aspect was an international survey of teachers, which evolved into the TALIS programme.

Another important impetus for TALIS came from the OECD review of teacher policy, which concluded
with the report Teachers Matter: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers (OECD, 2005) and
emphasised the need for better national and international information on teachers. The framework used in
that policy review and the specific gaps in the data and priorities it highlighted were instrumental in the
design of TALIS.
The overall objective of the TALIS surveys is therefore to provide, in a timely and cost-effective manner, robust
international indicators and policy-relevant analysis on teachers and teaching in order to help countries to
review and develop policies that create the conditions for effective schooling. Cross-country analyses provide
the opportunity to compare countries facing similar challenges and to learn about different policy approaches
and their impact on the learning environment in schools.
The guiding principles underlying the survey strategy are:
• Policy relevance. Clarity about the policy issues and a focus on the questions that are most relevant for
participating countries are both essential.
• Value added. International comparisons should be a significant source of the study’s benefits.
• Indicator-oriented. The results should yield information that can be used to develop indicators.
• Validity, reliability, comparability and rigour. Based on a rigorous review of the knowledge base, the survey
should yield information that is valid, reliable and comparable across participating countries.
• Interpretability. Participating countries should be able to interpret the results in a meaningful way.
• Efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The work should be carried out in a timely and cost-effective way.
design of The TaLis survey
TALIS is conceived as a sequence of surveys which over time, will survey school teachers from all phases of
schooling. Within this broad survey design, specific plans for further rounds of TALIS will be reviewed after the
first round is completed.
CHAPTER 1 IntroductIon
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© OECD 2009
population surveyed and sampling options
The international sampling and operational parameters applied in TALIS are shown in Box 1.1 and further
details, including teacher and school participation rates by country are given in Annex A1.2.

Box 1.1 The TALIS design
• International target population: lower secondary education teachers and the principals of their
schools.
• Sample size: 200 schools per country, 20 teachers in each school.
• Within school samples: representative samples of schools and teachers within schools.
• Target
response rates: 75% of the sampled schools (school considered responding if 50% of sampled
teachers respond), aiming for a 75% response from all sampled teachers in the country.
• Questionnaires: separate questionnaires for teachers and principals, each requiring around 45 minutes
to complete.
• Mode of data capture: questionnaires filled in on paper or on line.
• Survey windows: October-December 2007 for Southern Hemisphere countries and March-May 2008
for Northern Hemisphere countries.
The participating countries decided that the main focus of the first round of TALIS should be teachers of lower
secondary education (level 2 of the 1997 revision of the International Standard Classification of Education,
ISCED 97) and their school principals. The design of the first round also proposed international options which
allowed countries to survey as well a representative sample of teachers of primary and/or upper secondary
education and the principals of their schools. Another option was to survey a representative sample of teachers
of 15-year-olds in schools that took part in PISA 2006 and principals of these schools. As too few countries
expressed an interest in these options, they were not covered at the international level; however, Iceland and
Mexico adopted some national sampling options.
TALIS defines teachers of ISCED level 2 as those who, as part of their regular duties, provide instruction in
programmes at ISCED level 2. Teachers in the schools sampled who teach a mixture of programmes at different
levels, including ISCED 2 programmes, were included in the target population. There was no minimum cut-off
for the amount of their ISCED level 2 teaching. The following were excluded from the teacher target population:
teachers only teaching special need students; substitute, emergency or occasional teachers; teachers teaching
adults exclusively; teachers on long-term leave; and teachers who were also the principals of their schools.
Choosing the poliCy foCus of the first round of talis
The original conceptual framework for the TALIS programme was developed by a joint taskforce comprising
experts from the INES Network A (learning outcomes) and Network C (learning environment and school

organisation). The taskforce was asked to develop a data strategy on teachers, teaching and learning in order
to identify gaps in data at the international level and help make the coverage of the INES indicators more
complete. A major part of that strategy was a survey programme which developed into TALIS.
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The original conceptual framework was adapted to the policy issues that had been studied in the OECD teacher
policy review (OECD, 2005): attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers; school policies; and
effectiveness and quality teachers and teaching (see the forthcoming TALIS Technical Report for details of the
framework). On the basis of the indicators included in the framework, the participating countries chose the
following themes as the policy focus of the first round of TALIS:
• school leadership;
• appraisal of and feedback to teachers; and
• teaching practices, beliefs and attitudes.
TALIS also chose the professional development of teachers as an important theme. In part this was because of
synergies with the three main themes and in part because it allowed TALIS to serve as a way for countries of the
European
Union to collect information on teachers which the Education Council had identified as important to
monitor progress towards the Lisbon 2010 goals. In particular, the data on professional development of
teac
hers are relevant for monitoring the common objective of improving the education and training of teachers
and trainers (Council (Education) of the EU (2002; 2005; 2007)).
Aspects of other themes were also included in the survey when they were seen to provide important
complementary analytical value to the main themes. In particular, aspects of “School climate” and “Division of
working time” and a single item on “Job satisfaction” were also included.
Separate questionnaires for teachers and the principals of their schools were prepared to explore the policy and
analytical questions agreed by the participating countries under these policy themes. Considerable effort was
devoted to achieving cultural and linguistic validity of the survey instruments, and stringent quality assurance
m

echanisms were applied both for their translation and for the sampling and data collection (see Annex 1.3).
deveLOping TALiS
The development of TALIS has been the result of productive co-operation between the member countries of the
OECD and the partner countries participating in the first round. Engagement with bodies representing teachers
and regular briefings and exchanges with the Trades Union Advisory Council at the OECD (TUAC) have been
very important in the development and implementation of TALIS. In particular, the co-operation of the teachers
and principals in the participating schools has been crucial in ensuring the success of TALIS.
A Board of Participating Countries, representing all of the countries taking part in the first round of TALIS, set out
the policy objectives for the survey and established the standards for data collection and reporting. An Instrument
Development Expert Group (IDEG) was established to translate the policy priorities into questionnaires in order
to address the policy and analytical questions that had been agreed by the participating countries.
Participating countries implemented TALIS at the national level through National Project Managers (NPMs)
and National Data Managers (NDMs), who were subject to rigorous technical and operational procedures. The
NPMs played a crucial role in helping to secure the co-operation of schools, to validate the questionnaires,
to manage the national data collection and processing and to verify the results from TALIS. The NDMs co-
ordinated the data processing at the national level and liaised in the cleaning of the data.
The co-ordination and management of implementation at the international level was the responsibility of
the appointed contractor, the Data Processing Centre of the International Association for the Evaluation of
Educational Achievement (IEA). The IEA Secretariat was responsible for overseeing the verification of the
translation and for quality control in general. Statistics Canada, as a sub-contractor of the IEA, developed
the sampling plan, advised countries on its application, calculated the sampling weights and advised on the
calculation of sampling errors.
CHAPTER 1 IntroductIon
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© OECD 2009
The OECD Secretariat had overall responsibility for managing the programme, monitoring its implementation
on a day-to-day basis and serving as the secretariat of the Board of Participating Countries.
Annex A3 provides the list of contributors to TALIS.
inTerpreTATiOn Of The reSuLTS

It should be carefully borne in mind that the results derived are based on self-reports from teachers and
principals and therefore represent their opinions, perceptions, beliefs and their accounts of their activities.
This is powerful information, as it gives insight into how teachers perceive the learning environments in
which they work, what motivates them, and how policies and practices that are put in place are carried out in
practice. But, like any self-reported data, this information is subjective and therefore differs from objectively
measured data. The same is true of school principals’ reports about school characteristics, which may differ
from descriptions provided by administrative data.
In addition, as a cross-sectional survey, TALIS cannot measure causality. For instance, in examining the
relationship between school climate and teacher co-operation, it is not possible to establish whether a positive
school climate depends on good teacher co-operation or whether good teacher co-operation depends on a
positive school climate. The perspective taken in the analysis, i.e.
the choice of predicted and predictor variables,
is purely based upon theoretical considerations, as laid out in the analytical framework. When a reference is
made
to “effects”, it is to be understood in a statistical sense – i.e.
an “effect” is a statistical parameter that
describes the linear relationship between a “predicted” variable (e.g.
job satisfaction) and a “predictor” variable
(e.g.
participation in professional development activities) – taking effects of individual and school background
as well as other “independent” variables into account. Thus, the “effects” reported are statistical net effects even
if they do not imply causality.
Finally, the cross-cultural validity of the results is an important feature of the analysis, particularly with regard
to the international scales and indices, developed mainly in Chapters 4 and 6 (see Annex A1.1). The analysis
indicates the extent to which the indices can be directly compared among countries; where there appear to be
limitations on the comparability of the indices, this is noted in the text. Full details of the cross-cultural validity
analysis are provided in the TALIS Technical Report (forthcoming).
OrgAniSATiOn Of The repOrT
The following chapters of this report present the results and the analyses from the first round of TALIS.
• C

hapter 2 presents a description of the characteristics of the lower secondary teacher populations and the
schools in which they work. In doing so, it provides an important context for the later analytical chapters.
• C
hapter 3 presents and analyses the TALIS data relating to teachers’ in-service professional development. It
examines the extent to which teachers’ professional development needs are provided for and their patterns of
participation, as well as the support they receive and the barriers they perceive regarding their participation.
It finishes by considering the types of development teachers find most effective.
• C
hapter 4 turns to an examination of teaching practices and teachers’ beliefs and attitudes. Based on
the conceptual model presented in the chapter, it analyses teachers’ beliefs about the nature of teaching
and learning, classroom teaching practices, teachers’ professional activities, the classroom and school
environments, and teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy and job satisfaction.
• C
hapter 5 is concerned with teacher appraisal and feedback. It begins with an analysis of the nature and
impact of school evaluations and then considers key aspects of teacher appraisal and feedback: its frequency
and focus, its outcomes, and its impacts on and for teachers. The link between school evaluations, teacher
appraisal and feedback and how this impacts on teachers and their teaching is then examined.
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• Chapter 6 turns to school leadership to present and compare management styles across countries. These are
analysed in terms of the characteristics of the school principals and the schools in which they work. It then
associates management styles to teachers’ professional development, their practices, beliefs and attitudes,
and the appraisal and feedback they receive.
• C
hapter 7 draws on the findings from Chapters 2 to 6 to build statistical models to examine the determinants
of two important characteristics of a positive learning environment: classroom disciplinary climate and
teachers’ self-efficacy.
Chapters 2 to 7 all begin with a summary of the chapter’s key findings and conclude with a discussion of the

implications of these findings for policy and practice.