TALIS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is the largest international survey that provides a voice to teachers and school principals. The TALIS questionnaires ask about a wide range of issues, including professional development, teaching beliefs and practices, feedback and appraisal, recognition and job satisfaction, and school leadership and management. TALIS relies on teachers' and school leaders' expertise as professionals to describe their experiences, schools, and working conditions as accurately as possible.

TALIS is the outcome of a collaboration between its participating entities (countries and territories), the OECD, an international consortium, Education International (representing teacher unions) and the European Commission. It also benefits from the input of other social partners, such as UNESCO. TALIS is a periodic survey: after its first four successful cycles in 2008, 2013, 2018 and 2024, the fifth cycle of TALIS will take place in 2030. Find out how to join TALIS.

TALIS aims to contribute to the debate about teaching as a profession. In the 2024 cycle, the TALIS survey focused on the following main themes: teachers’ learning and development, teachers’ work practices, occupational perceptions, institutional environments for teaching, and teacher, leader and school characteristics. Four cross-cutting themes were also included: diversity and equity, the educational use of technology, social and emotional learning, and education for environmental sustainability.

TALIS also has an optional module, TALIS Starting Strong, targeted to staff and leaders in early childhood education and care settings.

Most TALIS modules are surveys collecting self-reported data. The 2024 cycle had an optional module, the Teacher Knowledge Survey, which also included an assessment of teachers' general pedagogical knowledge. This focuses on teachers' knowledge of general pedagogy, namely their knowledge of instruction, student learning and assessment.

More information on the conceptualisation of the themes can be found in the conceptual frameworks:

• Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024 Conceptual Framework
• Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018 Conceptual Framework
• TALIS Teacher Knowledge Survey 2024 Conceptual and Assessment Framework

The TALIS 2024 report, Results from TALIS 2024: The State of Education, provides information about what teachers are doing, how they are doing and how they can be better supported. Teachers explain if and how they use artificial intelligence, why they became teachers and if they wish to continue teaching.

Two further volumes, on principals and environmental sustainability education, will be published in 2026 and 2027.

In addition, Results from the Teacher Knowledge Survey: What Teachers Know About General Pedagogy provides policymakers and researchers with valuable insights into the importance of pedagogical knowledge, where to find it and how to support its development.

TALIS Starting Strong 2024 also has a series of reports focused on the work and working conditions of early childhood education and care staff and leaders.

For a full list of published materials, check the publications page.

Consult the list of participants for an overview of participation over the previous and current cycles.

The first cycle of TALIS was conducted in 2008 in 24 countries. The second cycle, TALIS 2013, included 38 participants (34 participants in 2013 and 4 additional participants in 2014 and 2015). The third cycle, TALIS 2018, expanded to include additional countries, bringing the total number of participants to 48 countries and territories.

In 2024, the core survey (ISCED level 2) was conducted in 33 OECD countries and territories:

• Alberta (Canada), Australia, Austria, Belgium (the Flemish and French communities), Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye and the United States.

There were also 21 participating non-OECD member countries:

• Albania, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus,^[1],[2],[3] Kazakhstan, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Shanghai (China), Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.

Additionally, 14 countries and territories surveyed teachers and school leaders in their primary (ISCED level 1) schools, 8 in their upper secondary (ISCED level 3) schools, 17 in the TALIS Starting Strong module and 8 conducted the Teacher Knowledge Survey optional module.

^{[1] Note by Türkiye: The information in this document with reference to “Cyprus” relates to the southern part of the Island. There is no single authority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the Island. Türkiye recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within the context of the United Nations, Türkiye shall preserve its position concerning the “Cyprus issue”.
[2] Note by all the European Union Member States of the OECD and the European Union: The Republic of Cyprus is recognised by all members of the United Nations with the exception of Türkiye. The information in this document relates to the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.
[3] Collected data through the IEA International Study Centre.}

TALIS 2024 was answered by over 280 000 teachers and 17 000 school leaders from lower secondary, primary and upper secondary education levels.

Apart from participating entities and the OECD, TALIS data is available for download to anyone who is interested in exploring the data. Usually, TALIS data is used by interested researchers and data analysts working in the disciplines of social science and education. In addition to the TALIS international datasets (including a TALIS 2024 compendium), as well as the TALIS Starting Strong international dataset and the TKS datasets (also with a TKS compendium), researchers and data analysts can use TALIS online tables, and the OECD Education GPS as an aid to pursuing further research using the TALIS data.

Compared to previous cycles, TALIS 2024 has expanded in terms of scale, depth and scope.

• Scale: Increased the number of participating countries and territories, with a special focus on expanding the coverage of OECD member countries and making the survey relevant for the contexts of developing countries and territories.
• Depth: Went deeper with those questionnaire items that address particular policy relevant topics, such as teachers’ pedagogical practices, the use of technology in the classroom, professional development opportunities and education for students with special education needs.
• Scope: The core survey incorporated contingent issues such as the socio-emotional learning of students and practices linked with education sustainability and climate change. In addition to the two optional populations (i.e. primary schools and upper secondary schools), the scope included, on an optional basis, a survey module on staff members and leaders of early childhood education and care settings, and an assessment module on teachers’ general pedagogical knowledge.