Examining school context and its influence on teachers

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has linked data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) of teachers of 15-year-old students with school-level data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a survey of 15-year-old students. The purpose of this study is to present an exploratory analysis of the combined TALIS-PISA data by examining the relationship of school-level student measures to teacher outcomes. In other words, this paper examines how student factors in a school may influence teachers’ work, their attitudes, and their perceived needs for support. Survey responses were collected from teachers and students in eight countries. Data from 26 610 teachers were combined with student measures, aggregated by school, from 103 077 students. Regression, hierarchical linear and multilevel models were used to analyse the data. Teacher outcomes that were modelled included professional development, collaboration, and self-efficacy. Student measures included attitudes about math and school, PISA math achievement, and Economic, Social and Cultural Status (ESCS). Interactions involving teacher measures such as gender and years of experience crossed with student outcomes were examined. Separate models for mathematics teachers were also explored. Findings varied dramatically across countries, and many significant differences were found between male and female teachers as well as between mathematics and all teachers. The paper concludes with practical implications of the research.