The PISA 2022 results highlight the importance of teacher support for students in relation to both student performance and well-being. Students who felt supported by their teachers in their mathematics lessons showed higher mathematics scores, a greater sense of belonging at school, and less mathematics anxiety. This held true even after accounting for students’ and schools’ socio-economic profiles, on average across OECD countries (OECD, 2023[2]). Additionally, PISA 2022 results show that teacher support is associated with students’ proactive learning behaviour, better self-regulation in learning and higher motivation (OECD, 2024[3]).
However, teacher support has declined over the past decade (2012-2022) in most education systems. For instance, the proportion of students reporting that the teacher continues teaching until the students understand declined in 39 countries and economies during this period. Similarly, the teaching support practice of showing an interest in every student’s learning, and that of giving extra help to students who need it, declined in 30 countries/economies. How can education systems reverse this trend and enhance teacher support for their students?
Answering this question requires an understanding of the conditions and practices that allow teachers to effectively address the diverse learning needs of their students. Drawing on PISA data, this policy paper identifies specific school contexts, teacher practices and student characteristics associated with increased teacher support for students (see Figure 1). The aim is to inform policy discussions on enhancing teacher support and to address the decline in teacher support observed since 2012.
