The skills that students need to contribute effectively to society are in constant change. Yet, our education systems are not keeping up with the fast pace of the world around us. Most schools look much the same today as they did a generation ago, and teachers themselves are often not developing the practices and skills necessary to meet the diverse needs of today’s learners.

Our view of teachers is coloured by our own experience as students. This firsthand – and often dated – knowledge is augmented by the portrayal of teachers and their working conditions in the media. Thus, in many countries, the traditional view of teaching is one in which teachers work alone in classrooms, behind closed doors, often with larger numbers of students than they can realistically handle. In some countries, teaching is seen as a job without real career prospects that young people enter if they cannot get into a better one. The fact that pay tends to be lower than that of other college graduates is compensated for by the fact that teachers often enjoy more holiday time and are seen as working fewer hours than their colleagues in other fields.

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.

This chapter introduces the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and provides information about the participating countries and economies and the teachers and schools surveyed. It describes the objectives of TALIS as well as the main themes covered by the survey and this report, and provides information to explain why these themes were chosen as a policy focus for this study. This chapter also provides an outline of the report to follow.

This chapter provides background information about the teachers surveyed as part of the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and the schools in which they work. The first part of the chapter focuses on demographic characteristics such as the age and gender of teachers, their formal education and their previous work experience. The second section of the chapter provides a profile of the schools in which teachers work, with particular emphasis on school background information, resources, composition of students at the school, the level of autonomy enjoyed at the school level and school climate. In addition, this chapter begins to look at issues of equity in education systems by examining the distribution of teachers across the systems and also provides a basis for analyses conducted in subsequent chapters of this volume.

Unlike other chapters of this volume, which take the teachers’ perspective in the analyses, the data in this chapter focus on principals and the schools in which they work. This chapter provides details about the increasingly demanding role of school principals; their responsibilities; the instructional leadership they provide; their demographic characteristics, formal education, prior work experience, and engagement in professional development; and their satisfaction with their work. Findings from the cross-national comparisons are used to draw inferences for policy and practice.

This chapter focuses on the professional development experiences of teachers. Professional development refers to activities that aim to advance teachers’ skills and knowledge, with the ultimate aim of improving their teaching practice. The chapter looks at what studies say about the importance of professional development and then discusses reports from teachers about the different types of development opportunities they receive (including induction and mentoring programmes). It also examines the range of variables related to teachers and schools that might influence the amount of professional development that a teacher undertakes. The discussion then moves to the development needs that teachers identify and the barriers that prevent teachers from getting the professional development they desire. It concludes with recommendations for policy makers, school leaders and teachers.

Teacher appraisal and feedback are important components of teachers’ careers and development. The primary purpose is to provide teachers with valuable input to better understand and improve their teaching practice. However, teacher appraisal and feedback can also be used to identify professional development or career opportunities for teachers. This chapter looks at teachers’ access to both formal appraisal and formal and informal feedback from sources internal and external to their schools. The chapter explores the focus and content of the appraisal and feedback that teachers receive, as well as any consequences that result. Finally, the chapter discusses whether other factors, such as increased school autonomy, have an influence on the nature and occurrence of teacher appraisal and feedback.

This chapter examines different types of teaching practices, teachers’ beliefs and classroom environments. Specifically, the chapter examines the teaching and professional practices that teachers report using in their work and their beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning. The chapter provides analyses of teaching environments and explores the relationship between teaching practices, teachers’ beliefs, classroom environments and school leadership. Implications for policy and practice are discussed based on the results presented.

This chapter focuses on teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Self-efficacy refers to the level of confidence teachers have in their abilities, while job satisfaction is the sense of fulfilment and gratification that teachers get from working. The chapter looks at some of the themes previously examined in this report (professional development, appraisal and feedback, school leadership, teacher characteristics) and investigates whether they influence teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy and job satisfaction. The discussion then considers teacher and school characteristics that might serve to lessen the effects of potentially challenging classroom circumstances for teachers. It concludes with recommendations for policy makers, school leaders and teachers.