TALIS Data Services
The Teaching and Learning International Survey is an international study of teachers and teaching.
What is TALIS?
The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is a large scale, international survey designed to gather the voice of teachers on their experiences, wellbeing and needs. Over fifty OECD countries and partner economies participate.
Selected schools and teachers will take part in TALIS in mid-2024. Participants will be asked to complete an online questionnaire about their experiences and professional beliefs.
The results from TALIS provide insights on a wide range of educational matters and the environment in which teachers work. TALIS provides an opportunity for participants to provide input into educational policy analysis and development in key areas.
The survey is not an assessment of knowledge or skills, and the study will not identify individuals or schools. It cannot be used to judge quality or outcomes for participating schools.
In previous cycles in New Zealand, TALIS surveyed Year 7-10 teachers and their principals. This cycle is the first in which New Zealand’s participants will also include Year 1-6 teachers and the early learning workforce. To read more about the early learning component of the study, see TALIS Starting Strong.
Please note: New Zealand is not participating in the Teacher Knowledge Survey referenced in the OECD video above.
TALIS asks about:
- the way in which work is recognised, appraised, and rewarded
- the degree to which professional learning and development needs are being met
- the beliefs and attitudes about teaching and practice that teachers bring to the classroom
- the role of principals and the support that they give teachers
- aspects of wellbeing such as self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and sources of stress
The overall objective of TALIS is to provide robust international indicators and policy-relevant analysis on teachers and teaching. TALIS looks at themes that are not only policy priorities for participating countries but have also been shown in the research literature to be associated with high quality teaching and/or learning environments. 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 study is a collaboration between participating countries, the OECD, an international research consortium, social partners (including international teacher unions) and the European Commission.
How often is TALIS held?
Internationally, TALIS has been held three times. Previous cycles were conducted in 2008, 2013, and 2018. New Zealand participated in TALIS in the 2013 and 2018 cycles. From 2024, TALIS moves to a 6-yearly cycle.
Who responded to the TALIS questionnaires in the 2018 cycle?
Internationally, over 240,000 teachers and 13,000 principals in 48 countries participated in the TALIS survey. The study surveyed lower secondary (the equivalent to Years 7 to 10 in New Zealand) teachers in all countries with some also participating at the primary and upper secondary level.
In New Zealand, 2,257 full or part-time teachers (from any subject including learning support) and 189 principals, from 190 schools participated in the TALIS survey. The schools varied in type, including state, state-integrated, independent, and partnership schools, including Māori-medium schools. Although participation was voluntary, 79% of selected teachers responded to the survey.
A stratified sampling design ensured a spread of different sizes, institution types, state or independent schools and decile groups. The teachers who participated were randomly selected from a list of eligible teachers provided by the school. Selected teachers and principals completed the TALIS questionnaires on paper or online. In New Zealand, questionnaires were available in both English and te reo Māori.
Key findings from TALIS 2018
For more detailed findings, see the TALIS publications page.
At the end of 2017:
- Year 7-10 teachers and principals in New Zealand reported high overall satisfaction in their jobs. The proportion of teachers reporting overall satisfaction with their jobs (86%) was high but slightly below the OECD average (90%). Teachers’ satisfaction with the profession had declined from 2014. Principals’ overall job satisfaction was very high and similar to the OECD average at 94%.
- New Zealand teachers reported more frequent use of cognitive activation practices, compared to the OECD average, such as giving tasks that require students to think critically, and having students work in small groups or decide on their own procedures to solve problems.
- Teachers were generally confident in their assessment practices and classroom management. However, they reported a reduction in class time spent teaching and an increase in class time spent on keeping order and administration tasks since the 2014 survey. While more teachers reported disruptive classroom behaviour than in 2014, most teachers felt able to address this behaviour.
- A third (35%) of principals reported that incidents of intimidation or bullying among students occurred on a daily or weekly basis at their school. New Zealand also showed one of the largest increases in the percentage of principals reporting daily or weekly bullying among students between 2014 and 2017 (16 percentage points).
- Twenty eight percent of New Zealand teachers reported experiencing stress ‘a lot’ in their jobs. This was significantly higher than the OECD average of 18%. For teachers and principals who said they experienced stress a lot, time spent on administrative work was the most common source of stress. Although New Zealand teachers’ average weekly hours on administrative tasks (4.3 hours) had decreased by about one hour since 2014, this was still above the OECD average of 2.7 hours per week.
- Ninety-seven percent of teachers agreed that teachers and students at their school get on well with each other and 90% agreed that teachers can rely on each other at their school. Around three-quarters of teachers agreed that their school had a collaborative culture, and a similar proportion agreed that staff could actively participate in school decisions. In both instances this was a little lower than the OECD averages.
- Teachers were generally well-prepared to enter the teaching profession. New Zealand teachers were asked which of 10 teaching elements had been covered in their formal education or training. On average, they reported covering 8 of these elements. Almost all (96%) novice teachers reported engaging in formal or informal induction at their first or current school. Fifty-six percent of novice teachers (with fewer than 5 years teaching experience) had an assigned mentor at their current school, significantly more than the OECD average of 22%.
- Almost all teachers (98%) had engaged in some professional development in the past 12 months. The largest reported barrier to participation in professional development was that it conflicts with the teacher’s work schedule (56%). Professional development for teaching students with special needs was identified as an area of high or moderate need by over half (51%) of all teachers but was one of the areas of professional development that teachers participated in the least (32%).
- Half to three-quarters of New Zealand teachers engaged at least once a month in co-operative activities such as exchanging teaching materials or discussing specific students’ learning development. Nearly half of teachers participated in deeper professional collaboration through collaborative professional learning at least once a month (44%) and 23% of teachers regularly taught jointly as a team in the same class with another teacher. More frequent participation in deeper forms of professional collaboration had a positive association with teachers’ self-efficacy in every country, including New Zealand. In New Zealand the collaborative culture in schools was positively associated with job satisfaction.
Job satisfaction is higher on average for New Zealand teachers when:
- teaching was their first career choice,
- they participated in induction activities at their current school,
- induction included team teaching with experienced teachers,
- they reported that professional development had a positive impact,
- they agreed that the teaching profession is valued in society,
- they reported receiving impactful feedback,
- they had more autonomy in their teaching practice.
Job satisfaction is lower on average for teachers when:
- they report higher workplace stress.
Self-efficacy is higher on average for teachers when:
- they have more years of experience,
- their induction included team teaching with experienced teachers,
- they reported that professional development had a positive impact,
- when professional collaboration was higher,
- they had more autonomy in their teaching practice.
Self-efficacy is lower on average for teachers when:
- they report a poor classroom disciplinary climate.
International Publications
June 2019: OECD (2019), TALIS 2018 Results (Volume I): Teachers and School Leaders as Lifelong Learners, TALIS, OECD Publishing, Paris.
March 2020: OECD (2020), TALIS 2018 Results (Volume II): Teachers and School Leaders as Valued Professionals, TALIS, OECD Publishing, Paris.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the teachers and principals from the 190 schools who participated in the survey. Their efforts and contributions have provided New Zealand with a valuable resource. Furthermore, we acknowledge the collaborative effort of educators and researchers across the world, led by the OECD secretariat and the international study consortium.
The Ministry of Education Educational Measurement and Assessment team was responsible for New Zealand’s participation in the design and implementation of TALIS: Debra Taylor (National Project Manager), Nicola Marshall (National Data Manager), Rachel Borthwick, Anahita Paul, Brigitte Bedendo, Watson Pita and Katrina Gregory.
June 2019 New Zealand reports were prepared by the Ministry of Education Evidence, Data and Knowledge group: Hannah McCardle (Evidence, Synthesis and Reporting) and Nicola Marshall (Educational Measurement and Assessment); with assistance from Rachel Borthwick, Jessica Forkert, Gregory Keeble, Alexandra McGregor and Debra Taylor.
Further New Zealand reports were prepared by Nicola Marshall and Sarah Rendall (Educational Measurement and Assessment, EDK).