Teacher support for student learning

Executive summary

Analysing data from PISA 2022 and previous cycles, this paper examines teacher support for students in mathematics lessons. It highlights key trends, relationships with student outcomes, school contexts, teacher practices and student characteristics linked to enhanced teacher support.

Teacher support and student outcomes

Teacher support is crucial for fostering student achievement, well-being and engagement with learning. Students who report feeling supported by their teachers tend to achieve higher mathematics scores, feel a stronger sense of belonging at school, and experience lower levels of mathematics anxiety. PISA 2022 results show that teacher support is also associated with students’ proactive learning behaviour, better self-regulation in learning, and higher motivation.

Effective teacher support has the potential to reduce socio-economic performance gaps among students. In the majority of countries/economies in PISA 2022, socio-economically disadvantaged students reported receiving higher levels of teacher support compared to their advantaged peers. Countries where disadvantaged students receive more assistance tended to show a smaller socio-economic gap in achievement across OECD countries (this system-level relationship is not observed across all PISA-participating countries).

Trends in teacher support (2003–2022)

Levels of teacher support have risen and fallen over the past two decades, increasing from 2003 to 2012 but declining between 2012 and 2022. Only one of the four teacher support practices measured in PISA – “the teacher helps students with their learning” – did not follow this inverted-U pattern, as it remained stable between 2003 and 2012, on average across OECD countries.

A detailed analysis of the 2012-2022 period shows that the four teaching support practices measured in PISA increased slightly or remained stable, on average, across OECD countries between 2012 and 2018, only to decline in 2022.

Teacher support and the school learning environment

Most of the differences in whether students feel supported by their teachers are observed within schools rather than between schools. This suggests that fostering positive learning environments within schools and classrooms is critical for teacher support.

Key aspects associated with teacher support include:

• Student-teacher relationships: Positive interactions between teachers and students coincide with greater teacher support for student learning. Demonstrations of respect and consideration of students’ well-being contribute to a supportive learning environment that integrates both pedagogical and socio-emotional dimensions.

• Classroom discipline: Effective classroom management minimises disruptions, enabling teachers to prioritise the provision of academic and emotional support. Proficiency in classroom management, combined with attentiveness to students' needs, is crucial in establishing an environment conducive to learning.

• Student persistence: Students who are engaged and motivated in their learning often reported receiving greater support from teachers. This relationship appears to be reciprocal – while teachers' encouragement can strengthen student persistence by helping them in overcoming challenges and sustaining their efforts, teachers may also be more inclined to offer support to students who display more pronounced determination to learn.

Teacher characteristics and teacher support

Which teacher characteristics are associated with key aspects of the school learning environment – specifically, the quality of teacher-student relationships and the disciplinary climate – that are linked to teacher support? This question was explored through a teacher-level analysis using data from the PISA 2022 teacher questionnaire, an optional survey with data available for 18 countries/economies. The key findings are as follows:

• Time and work-life balance: Teachers who feel they have sufficient time for work tasks and a balance between their professional and personal lives are more likely to maintain positive relationships with students and manage classrooms effectively.

• Well-being and job satisfaction: Teachers who are satisfied with their jobs and the profession as a whole report greater confidence in nurturing student relationships and fostering supportive classroom environments.

• Adaptation of instruction and individualised learning: Adaptive teaching practices are associated with stronger relationships between teachers and their students. Practices such as advising students on how to reach their learning goals, tailoring instruction to meet diverse needs, and providing individual support are linked to higher levels of teacher confidence and effectiveness. Additionally, teachers who received training in individualised learning during their initial education or through professional development reported higher confidence levels, highlighting the relevance of such programmes.

From data to policy insights

Policymakers, school administrators and educators aiming to enhance teacher support for student learning may want to prioritise:

1. Promoting positive student-teacher relationships: Foster mutual respect and communication to create a nurturing learning environment.

2. Establishing constructive disciplinary climates: Implement fair rules and disciplinary practices that encourage positive behaviour and focus, in order to optimise learning time.

3. Using adaptive teaching strategies in the classroom: Provide teachers with practical tools, resources and opportunities to share best practices, encouraging them to integrate these methods into their pedagogical practices to address diverse student needs.

4. Fostering student motivation for learning and engagement with school: Identify disengaged students proactively and address their needs.

5. Enhancing teacher well-being: Focus on improving working conditions by providing sufficient time for tasks and promoting work-life balance. Support teacher satisfaction by fostering career motivation, ensuring access to high-quality materials and human resources at school, and encouraging collaboration and self-efficacy.

6. Strengthen teacher initial education and professional development. Embed adaptive teaching strategies and individualised learning approaches into teacher education programmes and continuous professional development opportunities.

7. Addressing resource constraints: Mitigate the impact of staff shortages by ensuring schools are adequately resourced to support teachers in their roles.

8. Monitoring teacher support and planning for students’ holistic development: Regularly assess teacher support levels reported by students and the impact of social issues on students in order to address immediate needs. Develop a forward-thinking strategy to enhance teacher training, school support systems, collaborations and curriculum adaptation for sustainable improvement.

While PISA data offer correlational insights into aspects associated with teacher support, they do not offer causal evidence for the mentioned interventions. Keeping this limitation in mind, this list of potential interventions can assist education policymakers and administrators in creating supportive learning environments where students thrive academically and emotionally, and where teachers are empowered to succeed.