An important aspect of effective classroom teaching is time-on-task. The amount of classroom
time spent on teaching and learning is also discussed in Chapter 5. Again, comparisons between
new and more experienced teachers are emphasised. The percentage of time new teachers
spent on effective teaching and learning in their classes is contrasted with the time devoted to
administrative duties and keeping order in the classroom.
Finally, policy implications derived from the analyses presented in previous chapters are
outlined in Chapter 6.
Much of the analyses presented in this report compare the experiences, beliefs and reports
of new teachers compared to more experienced teachers. These comparisons are made in all
sections of this report to better illustrate the specific circumstances that confront new teachers
and how this impacts their teaching. Some caution should be taken in interpreting comparisons
of the reports of new and more experienced teachers as these often reflect differences in teachers’
perception or expectations and may not reflect actual differences in the classroom. However,
these differences remain important and worthy of attention because teachers’ perceptions exert
an important influence on their work in the classroom.
The TALIS programme
The OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is an international survey
focused on the working conditions of teachers and the learning environment in schools. Its
main objective is to help countries to review and develop policies that foster the conditions for
effective schooling.
TALIS focuses on lower secondary education (level 2 of the 1997 revision of the International
Standard Classification of Education, ISCED 97) teachers and the principals of their schools and
seeks to provide data relevant to policy on 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.
Box 1.2 TALIS 2008 international sampling and operational parameters
• 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 MarchMay
2008 for Northern Hemisphere countries.