Teaching And Learning International Survey Research Articles

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.

Job Satisfaction with Profession among Teachers in Türkiye: Perceptions of Social Utility and Educational Policy Influence

Teachers’ job satisfaction with their profession can vary depending on a variety of factors encompassing both individual and societal realms. This study delves into teachers' job satisfaction with their profession within the context of Türkiye, focusing on societal-level variables. Specifically, it explores the role of social utility, and perceptions of value and educational policy influence on teachers’ job satisfaction with their profession. Teacher level data collected across Türkiye by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) within the scope of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 cycle was utilized in the research. The results of the regression analysis revealed that teacher perceptions of social utility and educational policy influence positively predict teachers’ job satisfaction with their profession. The regression model accounted for about 13% of the total variance in teachers’ job satisfaction with their profession. Overall, teachers who believe that their work is valued and meaningful to society are more satisfied with their profession, as are the professional satisfaction of participants who feel that their opinions on educational policies are heard and acknowledged. Thus, it is critical for teachers’ job satisfaction to value and consider their opinions and feedback in the development of education policies. This research suggests that by acknowledging the importance of teachers’ perspectives and involving them actively in policy making processes, their overall job satisfaction can be enhanced.

The role of study abroad in preparing teachers for multicultural classroom: the case of English and Australian teachers

ABSTRACTAmidst a background of inequality and rising global tensions, the need for effective intercultural understanding is paramount, facilitated by well-prepared teachers. Small-scale, qualitative studies indicate potential positive effects of scaffolded study abroad during initial teacher education on teaching in increasingly diverse classrooms. The study utilizes large scale data from teachers to explore teacher self-efficacy in multicultural classrooms and the inter-relationship with study abroad during teacher education. Survey data from teachers in England and Australia is sourced from Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018, as well as a small-scale survey from Australian Capital Territory (ACT). These teachers reported a lack of preparedness for teaching in multicultural classrooms from teacher education. Findings from hierarchical regression analysis suggest that study abroad during teacher education is significant in improving teacher self-efficacy, after controlling for significant variables related to teaching in a multicultural classroom. We argue for the inclusion of study abroad in initial teacher education for much needed intercultural understanding.

Unveiling the potential of structural equation modelling in educational research: a comparative analysis of Ukrainian teachers' self-efficacy

This article delves into the application of structural equation modelling (SEM) methodology within the realm of educational research, enabling researchers to construct comprehensive multidimensional models that elucidate the intricacies of studied phenomena and processes. Based on well-established statistical techniques such as correlation, regression, factor analysis, variance analysis, and covariance analysis, SEM methodology utilizes deductive logic to preliminarily construct a structural model of variable relationships, subsequently tested for consistency with empirical data. This study presents a comprehensive overview of diverse SEM software employed in doctoral training programs across leading global universities, while showcasing a practical example of employing SEM methodology in educational research for training PhD students. An essential aspect of SEM training for specialists involves the careful selection or acquisition of representative and valid datasets. Furthermore, this research examines the Ukrainian teacher's self-efficacy model using SEM methodology and compares the obtained results with data from the internationally renowned Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). The findings underscore the lower self-efficacy levels among Ukrainian teachers, particularly within the student engagement domain, thereby shedding light on crucial aspects of teacher effectiveness and potential areas for improvement.

Teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of school climate: the role of principals’ leadership style in organizational quality

In this paper, we report on teachers’ and principals’ shared perceptions regarding beliefs, rules, trust, and encouragement of new initiatives. Collectively, these are aspects of leadership for learning (LFL) describing an overall shared climate in schools. We demonstrate how these perceptions on school climate differ across teachers and principals within and across countries. Moreover, we report how different perceptions of school climate are associated with leadership style. We analyze data from 37 countries that participated in the last cycle of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) in 2018. To build the measurement model, we employ multigroup multilevel confirmatory factor analysis, whereas multivariate linear regression is used to inspect associations. Overall, principals and teachers differ in their views of school climate. In the majority of the countries, principals report stronger school climate than teachers. We further confirm these perceptual differences between teachers and principals by separately studying the relationships between teacher perceived school climate and principal perceived school climate with relevant leadership variables. In the entire sample, we find that principals’ perceptions of school climate are more strongly and consistently associated with leadership in schools. This relationship is particularly stable for distributed leadership. In the entire sample, leadership styles are weakly positively correlated with teacher perceptions of school climate too; however, this association is less pronounced and less stable within individual countries. The analyses conducted within countries revealed that the distributed leadership rather than instructional leadership shapes teachers’ perceptions of school climate. More discussion is presented on the need for alignment between different perceptions of school climate and leadership styles in the overall organizational quality.

Interplay between leadership and school-level conditions: A review of literature on the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)

We combined network analysis and meta-analysis to systematically review the literature on the Teaching and Learning International Survey, focusing on the interplay between leadership practices and school-level conditions. Our initial network analysis utilized 83 nodes (variables in the reviewed studies) and 214 ties (variable associations), whereas our subsequent meta-analysis employed 21 selected variable associations. Results suggested that leadership practices interplayed with school-level conditions through multiple, interconnected variable associations with a range of effect sizes. First, variables concerning teacher working conditions and teacher qualifications indicated relatively smaller effects than teacher self-efficacy. Second, the association between teacher self-efficacy and teacher collaboration indicated the strongest effect among other variable associations, followed by the relationship between collective teacher perceptions of distributed leadership and teacher job satisfaction. Third, variables regarding teacher perceptions of the principal's leadership effectiveness had larger effect sizes than the principal's self-assessment of their leadership practices. Results further suggested teacher self-efficacy and teacher collaboration as the two most prominent variables that would potentially play a bridging role between leadership practices and school-level conditions. We provide implications for educational leadership practices and research.

Impact of school climate and resources on principal workload stress and job satisfaction: multinational evidence from TALIS 2018 data

PurposeThe research aimed to examine the effects of school climate (school violence and community engagement) and resources (staff shortages and resource shortages) on job satisfaction mediated by the workload stress of school principals, using pooled data from 47 jurisdictions around the world.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a rigorous secondary analysis of principal job satisfaction using the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 dataset. The mediation analysis of structural equation modeling (SEM) performed using STATA software established a structured model by controlling region-fixed effect, principal demographic and school contextual characteristics.FindingsThis study established a model detailing the associations between school climate and resources and principal job satisfaction mediated by workload stress.Originality/valueGiven the crucial role of a school principal in leading school survival and success, this study may provide one timely method to enhance job satisfaction and performance of principals during a period of constant change marked by increasing job demands.

Distributed leadership, self-efficacy and wellbeing in schools: A study of relations among teachers in Shanghai

Empowering teachers through sharing communal decision-making responsibility via distributed leadership has been shown to be effective for positive change in schools. While studies have proposed various psychosocial channels through which positive effects on teacher wellbeing can be realized, there is scarce evidence on how this relationship is influenced by teacher self-efficacy. This study examines how self-efficacy mediates the relationship between distributed leadership, job and career wellbeing among secondary school teachers, employing a partial least-squares structural equation model using the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) Shanghai dataset (N = 3799). Results show that distributed leadership is positively associated with improvement in self-efficacy (std. β = 0.33, P < 0.001), job wellbeing (std. β = 0.51, P < 0.001), and career wellbeing (std. β = 0.45, P < 0.001), whereas self-efficacy is positively correlated with job wellbeing (std. β = 0.15, P < 0.001), but not career wellbeing (std. β = −0.01, P = 0.69). In terms of mediation effects, self-efficacy positively mediates the relationship between distributed leadership and job wellbeing (std. β = 0.05, P < 0.001), but distributed leadership does not indirectly influence career wellbeing (std. β = −0.002, P = 0.70) via channels through self-efficacy.

Factors influencing the use of ICT to support students' self‐regulated learning in digital environment: The role of teachers in lower secondary education of Shanghai, China

AbstractCurrently, Shanghai, China is facing a contradictory situation in process of digitalization in education. Supply and allocation of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure are relatively adequate and equitable, but the share of teacher‐supported classroom ICT use for student learning in digital environment is much lower than the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development average. This study mainly analyzed the roles of school factors with focus on infrastructure and school climate for innovation as well as teacher factors on their professional preparation and development related to ICT, professional practices, and attitudes toward ICT use. The data from Shanghai sample in the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), which consists of 3976 teachers from 198 lower secondary schools which refer to middle school in China, were used to build multilevel logistic regression models for the investigation. The principal results indicate that teachers' self‐efficacy on ICT use, initial preparation, and professional development related to ICT use and implementation of teaching practice as prompt for ICT use are powerful predictors. Relatively, at the school level, ICT infrastructure and team innovativeness are not significant in attributing to teacher‐supported classroom ICT use. Based on findings, implications, and recommendations are presented to direct Shanghai education policy toward digital transition in education.

Exploring the association between distributed leadership and student achievement: the mediation role of teacher professional practices and teacher self-efficacy

ABSTRACT This study explores how distributed leadership influences student reading achievement in Turkish high schools, with the mediating role of teacher professional practices and self-efficacy. After assembling school- and student-level data from the datasets of The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 and The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018, we conducted a multilevel structural equation model (MSEM) using the estimation method of Maximum Likelihood to analyse the structural links among our variables. The results revealed that distributed leadership had a significant indirect association with student reading achievement via teacher professional practices and teacher self-efficacy. This study adds nuance to the literature by indicating that distributed leadership can make a difference in student achievement by promoting teachers’ engagement in professional practices and their self-efficacy.

Teacher Self-Efficacy, Innovativeness, and Preparation to Teach Cross-Curriculum Skills

Teacher self-efficacy (TSE) is related to teachers’ job satisfaction, retention, motivation to improve, and work-related stress. Using data from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), we investigated the impact of an innovative campus culture and preparation for teaching cross-curriculum skills on TSE. Data indicated that working at innovative campuses had small effects on TSE in classroom management (β = .12), instruction (β = .06), and student engagement (β = .17). Teachers’ preparation to teach cross-curriculum skills had small to medium effects on TSE in classroom management (β = .20), instruction (β = .34), and student engagement (β = .30).

Inequitable teacher turnover and performance-based appraisal: a global trend?

ABSTRACT Student performance data is increasingly used to monitor and evaluate teachers. This study examines whether the turnover intentions – if teachers would change schools given the chance – of teachers in socioeconomically disadvantaged classrooms are moderated by teacher appraisal practices based on student academic performance data at the school system-level. Three-level hierarchical modelling in 46 education systems is conducted based on the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) from 2018. Results show that the effect of classroom socioeconomic composition on teacher turnover intentions increases as a function of performance-based teacher appraisal. However, this is only true when the appraisal is conducted by external authorities, and not so when conducted by the school management team. The models are then re-run by school consequences of appraisal such as dismissal, financial bonuses, or sanctions, and then by teacher characteristics, including gender, experience, and teaching subject. Experienced teachers in socioeconomically disadvantaged classrooms are more likely to change schools in school systems with more performance data-based teacher appraisal. These results underscore the potential pitfalls of performance data-based accountability systems for students in socioeconomically disadvantaged educational settings.

Gender aspects of professional guidance of teachers in Kazakhstan

This article presents certain results of the international research project Teaching and Learning In-ternational Survey (TALIS). The study is being implemented at the initiative of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The focus of the TALIS project is principals and teachers working in secondary schools of the general education system, regardless of the form of owner-ship (public and private schools). Kazakhstan is also participating in this project, among many countries from around the world. The purpose of this work is to show the need to study the socio-demographic characteristics of teachers, including age and gender. In addition to the fact that these data characterize the general portrait of the country's teachers, it is necessary to study all issues in the context of the indi-cated characteristics, to identify the opinions and assessments of various social groups. For the analysis of secondary data, statistical methods (frequency, two-dimensional, correlation) of a special program for processing data from quantitative studies SPSS were used. The results of the survey of teachers of the TALIS-2018 project show positive trends in terms of striving for gender balance in the teaching profes-sion: the analysis of age groups by gender showed that in recent years, more and more young male teachers have entered the teaching profession. Such an analysis will allow taking into account the needs and expectations of different groups of teachers, based on this information, it is possible to make mana-gerial decisions for the training and retraining of teaching staff, assessing their needs and, in general, for purposeful work to support teachers. Key words: gender aspects, career choice, teacher, international project, TALIS, motivation, career guidance.

The more the merrier? A network analysis of construct content validity in school leadership literature

School leadership research literature has a large number of widely used constructs. Could fewer constructs bring more clarity? This study evaluates construct content validity, defined as the extent to which a measure's items reflect a theoretical content domain, in school leadership literature. To do so, we reviewed 29 articles that used Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) as data sources to study school leadership, and developed a construct co-occurrence network in which nodes represented constructs in the 29 reviewed articles and ties connected a pair of constructs that used the same TALIS survey items. Among the 82 constructs, 43 constructs had overlapping measures with one another in the TALIS literature on school leadership. Results of network analysis suggest three problematic issues with constructs of TALIS literature on school leadership: (1) same measures for different constructs, (2) different measures for the same constructs, and (3) missing alignment between theoretical and operational definitions. To strive for construct clarity, we provide four recommendations for future research: (1) efforts to prevent construct proliferation, (2) alignment of theoretical and operational definitions, (3) rigorous evaluation of construct validity, and (4) following a fundamental principle of parsimony.

Satisfied teachers are good teachers: The association between teacher job satisfaction and instructional quality

AbstractInstructional quality is associated with better academic outcomes for students. This study aimed to investigate how teachers' job satisfaction was associated with clarity of instruction and cognitive activation as measures of instructional quality. In addition, we investigated whether this association between teachers' job satisfaction and instructional quality was mediated by teacher–student relationships. Drawing on the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), we compared participants from both Eastern (N = 27,106; Japan, Taipei, Korea, Shanghai) and Western sociocultural contexts (N = 20,209; Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom). Multilevel structural equation modelling results indicated that teachers' job satisfaction was positively associated with instructional quality across Eastern and Western settings. The relationship between teachers' job satisfaction and instructional quality was partially mediated by better student–teacher relationships. There were some differences between the cultural settings in how job satisfaction correlated with clarity of instruction and cognitive activation. We suggest that these differences may be accounted for by cultural characteristics leading to different approaches to teaching. Our results suggest that teachers' job satisfaction and the quality of classroom‐level relationships may be important indicators of positive instructional outcomes. While schools focus on student outcomes, they should also address teachers' job satisfaction and prioritise the importance of relationships between teachers and students in classrooms.

Do Teachers Feel Valued in Society? Occupational Value of the Teaching Profession in OECD Countries

Teacher accountability reforms implemented around the globe have heightened a sense that teachers are losing the support of policymakers and the general public. To examine the global pattern in teachers’ perception of occupational value and identify possible outcomes and predictors, we analyzed the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) data. We found an overwhelming majority of teachers feel undervalued in almost all OECD countries. In addition, teachers who feel undervalued reported less collective teacher effort for school improvement and job dissatisfaction consistently in four countries of comparison with different policy contexts—the United States, Australia, Finland, and Korea. However, the relationships between three working conditions impacted by accountability reforms—compensation, classroom autonomy, and involvement in school decision-making—and perceived occupational value varied across these four countries. Specifically, these working conditions seem to matter more in the United States, where the teacher policy context produces greater disparities across schools in teacher qualifications, distribution of qualified teachers, and degree of professional control.