Teaching And Learning International Survey Research Articles

How does leadership affect teacher collaboration? Evidence from teachers in US schools

ABSTRACT The research literature reports that teacher collaboration has great potential to increase various teachers’ competencies; however, less has been said about how leaders can facilitate and support the development of these collaborations. This study examines the relative impact of distributed leadership practices, teacher professional learning, and innovative climate on teacher collaboration. Data are from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). The sample consists of 2,324 teachers from 159 US lower secondary schools. Results indicate that distributed leadership has a direct and indirect impact on teacher collaboration in that professional learning and innovative climate serve as mediators for the leadership–collaboration relationship. The findings imply a potential benefit to be gained from distributing leadership among various stakeholders throughout the school, as well as expanding access to improve collaborative pedagogical practice among teachers.

Influences of Carry-Over Effects Across Scales on Mediation Analyses

ABSTRACT Many education tests and psychological surveys elicit respondent views of similar constructs across scenarios (e.g., story followed by multiple choice questions) by repeating common statements across scales (one-statement-multiple-scale, OSMS). However, a respondent’s earlier responses to the common statement can affect later responses to it (recursive carry-over effect), which violates the local item independence assumption of most measurement models. Ignoring this carry-over effect can bias both estimated item parameters for later scales and relations among scales. This study investigates the consequences of model misspecification for OSMS questions in mediation analyses via real data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and simulations. The results showed that failing to consider carry-over effects in a mediation model yielded biased relations between latent variables. Moreover, our MMCEO mediation model corrected the inflated correlations caused by carry-over effects and yielded superior estimates of the mediation effects. We discuss implications for appropriately addressing carry‑over effects.

The Impact of Leadership on School Organizations: Network Analysis Approach to Systematic Review of Literature on Teaching and Learning International Survey

The purpose of this study is to review the literature on the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) for the past 10 years to identify multiple paths through which school leadership exerted influences on school organizations and organizational outcomes. Our analysis of a network, consisting of 83 nodes (variables) and 242 variable ties from 29 reviewed studies identified four emergent themes. Reviewed studies (1) overwhelmingly framed the principal as the driver and teachers as the target of change; (2) suggested nine core variables (e.g., instructional leadership) to play central roles within the reviewed studies; (3) depicted student academic achievement as a function of the principal’s instructional leadership and their job satisfaction influenced by school context, principal qualification, and organizational conditions (e.g., respect for others); and (4) suggested teacher self-efficacy as the potential bridging variable between multiple change processes. The discussion includes implications for school leadership and future research.

SCHOOL CLIMATE AND PART-TIME TEACHERS’ JOB SATISFACTION: A STUDY INVOLVING A TALIS SAMPLE FROM SERBIA

This study aimed to determine part-time teachers’ attitudes (based on a sample of respondents from the Republic of Serbia) (N=727) about school climate and job satisfaction; it also aimed to examine the nature, level, and intensity of the connection between these two complex variables. To examine such attitudes, we used several questionnaires on school climate and job satisfaction extracted from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), 2013. Based on the instrument we utilised, the school climate could be categorised and studied as a two-component dimension reflecting two aspects of part-time teachers’ school life: general school issues, and issues related to students’ needs and well-being. We concluded that there is a significant correlation between part-time teachers’ school climate and job satisfaction. School climate explains 27% of the job satisfaction variance, indicating the importance of the observed regression relationship.

What makes a difference in teacher innovativeness? Evidence from the TALIS 2018 US teacher data

PurposeThis study looked into the factors that could make a difference in teachers’ individual innovativeness and team innovativeness. We investigated five categories of factors: (1) innovation-related teacher preparedness, (2) innovation-related teacher professional development, (3) teacher professional practices, (4) teacher empowerment and (5) innovation-related teacher self-efficacy.Design/methodology/approachThe data source is the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) US data. The samples include about 165 schools and 2,560 teachers. We applied the structural equation model to analyze the data and the unit of analysis is set at the individual teacher-level.FindingsWe found that all factors matter except professional development and that they matter differently for different innovativeness outcomes.Originality/valueThis study is significant in several aspects: first, it is among the first that examined the factors that could make a difference in teacher innovativeness. Second, we differentiated between individual and team teacher innovativeness. Third, the findings highlight the importance of several factors including teacher preparation, teacher collaboration, teacher participation in school decisions and teacher self-efficacy.

The Role of Teacher Autonomy, School Climate, and “Perceptions of Value & Policy Influence” in Predicting Lower Secondary School Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in South Africa

ABSTRACT Globally, education holds significant value, placing substantial expectations on its key players – teachers. However, the effectiveness of teachers depends largely on their job satisfaction, a factor intricately linked to commitment and the decision to persist in the teaching profession. This study, utilizing self-determination theory, explores the predictive role of teacher autonomy, disciplinary climate, teacher-student relations, participation among stakeholders, and “perceptions of value & policy influence” (independent variables) in relation to job satisfaction (dependent variable) among lower secondary school teachers in South Africa. Data from the OECD 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation and hierarchical multiple regression. Except for disciplinary climate, the results revealed significant positive associations between the independent variables and job satisfaction. Notably, teacher autonomy predicted variations in job satisfaction ranging from 3% to 5%, whereas the combined school climate factors predicted variations between 5% and 28%. Teachers’ perceptions of value and policy influence also predicted variations, ranging from 0.4% to 3.0%. These findings underscore the importance of fostering teacher autonomy, cultivating a positive school climate, and actively involving teachers in policy discussions to enhance job satisfaction. These insights provide valuable guidance for principals, policymakers, and stakeholders in creating supportive environments for educators.

A Bayesian workflow for the analysis and reporting of international large-scale assessments: a case study using the OECD teaching and learning international survey

This paper aims to showcase the value of implementing a Bayesian framework to analyze and report results from international large-scale assessments and provide guidance to users who want to analyse ILSA data using this approach. The motivation for this paper stems from the recognition that Bayesian statistical inference is fast becoming a popular methodological framework for the analysis of educational data generally, and large-scale assessments more specifically. The paper argues that Bayesian statistical methods can provide a more nuanced analysis of results of policy relevance compared to standard frequentist approaches commonly found in large-scale assessment reports. The data utilized for this paper comes from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). The paper provides steps in implementing a Bayesian analysis and proposes a workflow that can be applied not only to TALIS but to large-scale assessments in general. The paper closes with a discussion of other Bayesian approaches to international large-scale assessment data, in particularly for predictive modeling.

Personnel Management Practices in Relation to Teachers’ Teaching and School Performance

The purpose of this study was to determine the personnel management practices and its relation to teachers’ teaching and school performance of the public elementary and secondary school teachers in Garcia-Hernandez district. School administrator’s personnel management practices affects teachers’ performance and school performance. The study was conducted in Garcia-Hernandez district, particularly to the two hundred fifty (250) respondents who were the school heads/principals, teaching, and non-teaching personnel for 2022-2023 academic year. This study utilized the descriptive-survey design employing the total population sampling technique with the use of a modified standard research tool from the IEA Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) (2001) for the Personnel Management Practices, Teacher’s Self-Assessment Rubrics (TSAR)” by Hrushikesh Senapaty (2019) for the Teachers’ Teaching Performance, and Achievement Integration Program-School Staff Survey Questionnaire by the Minnesota Department of Education (2009) for the School Performance. The results showed that personnel management practices of the school administrators in Garcia-Hernandez district were very satisfactory. Teachers’ level of performance in terms of designing learning experiences, knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, strategies for facilitating learning, interpersonal relationship, professional and school development were very satisfactory. Likewise, the respondents’ perception on school performance in terms of climate and environment, leadership and government, professional learning, data-based decision-making, improvement initiatives, family and community partnership were also very satisfactory. There is a significant relationship between personnel management practices to teachers’ level of performance and school performance. This study concludes that effective personnel management practices positively influence the performance of both teachers and schools. The study showed that when school leaders engage in discussions with teachers to establish educational goals, provide opportunities for professional development, and encourage participation in school decision-making processes, it results in better teacher performance and contributes to a more positive school environment. Furthermore, it indicated that when teachers design learning experiences that incorporate the knowledge and experiences of their students, foster interpersonal relationships, and engage in ongoing professional development, these lead to better student outcomes and contribute to school improvement. It was recommended that school heads/principals may assign available teaching staff ahead of time in the absence of the regular teacher. The available teacher shall provide modules for the student’s activity in order for them to learn, and to make sure that teaching-learning process continues. Teachers are highly encouraged to pursue graduate and post-graduate studies. Further, schools should have quarterly monitoring and evaluation on their programs, activities and projects for school development.

A global typology of school principals’ time use: Exploring the effects of contextual and individual factors

This study aims to provide quantitative evidence regarding school principals’ time use by employing Latent Class Analysis (LCA) and multinominal logistic regression to the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) data from 47 societies. We examined (1) how principals spend their time across different societies by developing a global typology and (2) what macro (national) and micro (organizational) level contextual factors, as well as principals’ demographic characteristics, predict principals’ association with the identified typology. The results suggest four distinguishable categories of principal leadership in terms of their time use: Balanced Leadership, Administrative Leadership, Instructional Leadership, and Student-Centered Leadership. Several contextual (national and organizational) and individual variables influencing principals’ prioritization of their leadership responsibilities were also identified.

Profiles of occupational well-being among Chinese teachers: Associations with basic psychological needs satisfaction and teaching quality

Guided by the dual-factor model of mental health, the present study used a person-centered approach to explore Chinese middle school teachers' occupational well-being profiles and investigate how these profiles correspond with teachers' basic psychological needs satisfaction and teaching quality. Data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 were used (N = 3,976). Four occupational well-being profiles were identified through latent profile analysis, and they were associated differently with teachers’ basic psychological needs satisfaction (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and teaching quality (i.e., clarity of instruction, cognitive activation, and classroom management). Findings provide practical implications to support teachers.

Do teacher beliefs mediate leadership and teacher behaviors? Testing teacher self-efficacy's mediation role between leadership for learning and teacher outcomes

PurposeLeadership for learning emerged as an integrated leadership framework; however, attempts to establish an empirical measurement model have been limited. Critically, not much is known about how much teachers' beliefs (e.g. self-efficacy) can mediate leadership for learning impact on teacher behaviors. This study establishes a leadership for learning measurement model and examines whether teacher self-efficacy mediates the effect of leadership for learning tasks on teacher collaboration, instructional quality, intention to leave current schools and their confidence in equitable teaching practice.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the most recent 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the study employed a structural equation modeling mediation approach.FindingsResults suggested that teacher self-efficacy statistically significantly mediated 16 out of 20 of the relationships between leadership for learning task domains and teacher outcomes. Especially, in explaining the variance in instructional quality and teacher confidence in implementing equitable teaching practices, considerable proportions of the predictive power of leadership for learning tasks were accounted for (i.e. mediated) by teacher self-efficacy.Research limitations/implicationsSchool-wide efforts to craft the school vision for learning must be coupled with enhancing teacher self-efficacy. Critically, leadership efforts may fall short of implementing equitable teaching practice and quality instruction without addressing teacher confidence in their ability in instruction, classroom management and student engagement.Originality/valueThis study is the first of its kind to evidence teacher self-efficacy mediates leadership for learning practice impact on teacher behaviors.

Factors associated with teacher job satisfaction: An investigation using TALIS 2018 Data

We used data from the OECD’s 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) to investigate the factors associated with teacher job satisfaction. The database covers more than 250,000 teachers in 15,000 schools across 48 countries. Correlation and regression analyses adjusted for the TALIS sampling design were applied. We found that the most important predictor of teacher job satisfaction is distributed leadership, followed by positive relations between teachers and students. Teacher salary and teacher collaboration are also positively and significantly associated with job satisfaction. By contrast, workload stress is the most important factor associated with teacher dissatisfaction, followed by professional development barriers and disciplinary climate.

Student Diversity and School Climate in the Mediterranean Zone: A Comparative Study

This study aimed to identify the extent student diversity and school climate vary within and across France, Italy, Spain, and Turkey, to investigate and compare the impact of student diversity on school climate in the selected Mediterranean countries. A quantitative research design was adopted by using the data of 41,789 teachers obtained from the dataset of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018. The research questions and hypotheses were formulated to investigate the extent of student diversity and school climate variations within and across the selected countries. Accordingly, the variability of general school climate, teacher-student relations, teaching experience in multicultural classrooms, teachers’ self-efficacy in multicultural classrooms, the presence of students from various ethnic backgrounds, and diversity practices were tested in the schools of France, Italy, Spain, and Turkey in the research model. Statistical analyses, including chi-square and t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis, were conducted to test the hypotheses and examine the relationships between student diversity and school climate. The findings revealed significant variations in student diversity and school climate within and across the participating countries, and evident relationships between student diversity and school climate were discovered and compared among the selected Mediterranean countries. This study contributes to the knowledge base of educational policymakers, administrators, practitioners, and teachers by guiding them in creating inclusive and supportive learning environments that promote positive student experiences and academic success and suggesting the need for policies and practices that support inclusive education and foster positive school climates in multicultural classrooms.

How does Job Autonomy Influence Teachers' Turnover Intention? Testing the Mediating Effects of Job Stress and Job Satisfaction

Objective: Providing employees full freedom at their jobs is considered an important part of effective job design. Human resources professionals and job analysis specialists should focus deeply on the impact of job autonomy on different job behaviors like stress, satisfaction, and turnover rate. Therefore, this empirical study tries to highlight the impact of job autonomy on teachers' stress, satisfaction, and turnover intention among employees that working in the education sector.   Methods: The study uses a quantitative research method depending on an international database. Data for this research was gathered from the survey conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Data for this research was collected through the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). TALIS surveyed more than 15980 teachers in the educational sector in 50 countries and economies. The main goal of the annual surveys is to assess the level of satisfaction among educational employees.   Results: Data variables were analyzed by Pearson Correlations, regressions analysis, and mediation analysis – through SPSS version 24 and JAMOVI advanced mediation models. Some of the findings of this study show negative correlations between job autonomy and job stress (r = -.041, P<0.05), and job autonomy and turnover intention (r = -.043, P<0.05). The findings also found positive correlations between job Autonomy and job satisfaction (r =.018, P<0.01). The study also finds that job stress and job satisfaction mediated the relationship between job autonomy and turnover intention indirectly (β =.196, .141 respectively, p-values< 0.001).   Conclusions: The findings of this study help the decision makers at the educational institution to think deeply about the effective strategies which help to improve the level of job autonomy, improve the level of job satisfaction, and reduce the factors that are responsible for job stress to improve the retention rate and reduce turnover intention.

Enhancing Teacher Professional Development: Insight from Teacher Professional Learning Activities

This study employs a qualitative approach to investigate the influence of professional learning activities on teacher professional development. The study examines a range of learning activities, including workshops, seminars, and collaborative learning communities, and explores their impact on teacher practices, student engagement, and student outcomes. The researcher combined surveys and interviews to gather data from a sample of 20 EFL teachers at a participating school. The questionnaire, adapted from TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey), collected data on teachers’ demographics, teaching experience, and participation in professional development activities.. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 teachers to explore their experiences with professional development, their perceptions of teacher professional learning activities, and the impact of professional development on their teaching practice. The study finds that these learning activities have a significant positive impact on teacher professional development, leading to improved teaching practices, increased student engagement, and better student outcomes. These insights have important implications for improving the quality of education and can inform the development of effective policies and programs to support teacher professional development.

Professional development quality and instructional effectiveness: Testing the mediating role of teacher self-efficacy beliefs

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to understand the mechanism linking the quality of professional development (PD) to instructional effectiveness by focusing on the mediating role of teachers’ efficacy beliefs. Based on social cognitive theory and using the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 dataset, we confirmed that teacher self-efficacy beliefs significantly mediate the relation between PD quality and three indicators of instructional effectiveness – clarity of instruction, cognitive activation, and classroom management. Specifically, partial mediation was found for clarity of instruction and cognitive activation, while full mediation was found for classroom management. Our findings suggest that the relationship between PD quality and specific types of instructional practice is highly nuanced and mediated by teacher’ self-efficacy beliefs. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory, future research, and practice.

Examining the relationship between multiple facets of professional development and teacher job satisfaction in the United States

ABSTRACT Using data from the 2018 U.S. Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), this study examined the relationship between five aspects of professional development (PD) – teacher participation in different formats, content, duration, quality, and barriers to participation – and teacher job satisfaction. Our multilevel model results indicate that quality of PD consistently has a significant relationship with an increase in teacher job satisfaction and barriers to participation in PD persistently have a negative relationship to teacher job satisfaction. Our findings suggest that teachers value opportunities to engage in PD and that providing PD activities that include characteristics leading to positive qualities is crucial to enhance teacher job satisfaction through PD.

Exploring the predictors of teachers’ teaching autonomy: A three-level international study

Concerning the critical function of teachers' teaching autonomy in instructional practice and professional development, this study explores the relative importance of three predictive mechanisms: a. professionalism of teachers, b. complexity of teaching practice, and c. culture of individualism. Using the sample of 118,347 teachers from 8262 schools in 27 countries derived from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), we applied a three-level hierarchical linear model (HLM) for analysis. We found that teachers’ teaching autonomy was mainly predicted by the professionalism of teachers and the culture of individualism rather than the complexity of teaching practice. Implications for individual teachers, school leaders, and policymakers are discussed.

Teacher Appraisal and Feedback Provision in Italian Lower Secondary Schools

Teacher appraisal is a major focus of educational reform, for it is believed that effective appraisal practices contribute to improving stu-dents' learning outcomes and principals' ability to manage their schools. This study arises from a secondary analysis of data collected in the 2018 edition of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) promoted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). More specifically, and firstly, it focuses on school administrators' views concerning the agents who provide for-mal appraisal to teachers in lower secondary schools, the frequency with which such appraisals occur, the modes of teacher evaluation, the users of such information, and the evaluations' operational repercussions. Secondly, it focuses on teachers' perceptions regarding the agents who provide them with feedback, the modes via which assess-ments are conducted, and the positive impact that such evaluations generate on teaching behaviour. Since at least some of the information collected among principals and teachers focuses on the same topics, it is also possible to explore the attunement among them, that is, whether educators working in the same school report convergent or conflicting accounts of appraisal practices. Over one-third of schools do not im-plement any formal assessment. Teacher appraisal and feedback prac-tices tend to be centred on both school administrators, assisted by their management staffs, and other teachers in the same school, whereas ex-ternal agents tend to play a marginal role. Findings point to a substan-tial discrepancy, between school leaders and teachers, in how apprais-al/feedback practices are carried out, especially but not exclusively as regards the role of school management. This gap in the perception of largely factual circumstances is an issue of concern. This study also develops some critical reflections concerning the way in which TALIS explores these issues.

Teacher Appraisal and Feedback Provision in Italian Lower Secondary Schools

Teacher appraisal is a major focus of educational reform, for it is believed that effective appraisal practices contribute to improving stu-dents' learning outcomes and principals' ability to manage their schools. This study arises from a secondary analysis of data collected in the 2018 edition of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) promoted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). More specifically, and firstly, it focuses on school administrators' views concerning the agents who provide for-mal appraisal to teachers in lower secondary schools, the frequency with which such appraisals occur, the modes of teacher evaluation, the users of such information, and the evaluations' operational repercussions. Secondly, it focuses on teachers' perceptions regarding the agents who provide them with feedback, the modes via which assess-ments are conducted, and the positive impact that such evaluations generate on teaching behaviour. Since at least some of the information collected among principals and teachers focuses on the same topics, it is also possible to explore the attunement among them, that is, whether educators working in the same school report convergent or conflicting accounts of appraisal practices. Over one-third of schools do not im-plement any formal assessment. Teacher appraisal and feedback prac-tices tend to be centred on both school administrators, assisted by their management staffs, and other teachers in the same school, whereas ex-ternal agents tend to play a marginal role. Findings point to a substan-tial discrepancy, between school leaders and teachers, in how apprais-al/feedback practices are carried out, especially but not exclusively as regards the role of school management. This gap in the perception of largely factual circumstances is an issue of concern. This study also develops some critical reflections concerning the way in which TALIS explores these issues.