About TALIS - TALIS

TALIS in Ukraine: Background and context

The TALIS National Research Centre in Ukraine builds its operations on prior experience with similar international studies, with the participation of the EdCamp Ukraine NGO.

Ukrainian Educational Research Association, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, conducted the “National Monitoring Survey of School Principals and Teachers of General Secondary Education Institutions on Teaching and Learning” (using TALIS methodology and tools) in 2017.

3,600 teachers and 201 principals were surveyed.

Source

A joint initiative by the EdCamp Ukraine movement and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, “Teach and Learn: Mapping Ukrainian Teachers’ Professional Growth” (2018), had used the adapted TALIS tools.

8,427 teachers were surveyed, including 405 principals.

Source

Key findings of the previous TALIS cycle, 2018

Two out of three surveyed teachers reported teaching was their first career choice. The key motivation was to contribute to children's development (90 %). Although principals report mentoring being important, only 22 % of new teachers receive it.

While 90 % of teachers reported satisfaction with their jobs, and 91 % do not regret their career choice, only 26 % feel valued by society.

18 % of respondents reported significant work-related stress, with 49 % identifying excessive administrative tasks as the primary cause.

Only 39 % of teachers and 47 % of principals are satisfied with their income.

14 % of teachers aged under 50 plan to leave the profession within the next five years.

The average age of teachers is 44 years (there is a trend toward an aging teaching workforce). Nearly one-third of teachers work in schools with at least 1 % of refugee students. While 80 % of schools integrate cultural diversity into their curricula and address discrimination, 14 % of principals report cases of bullying.

Teachers reported significant autonomy in teaching (over 90 % of respondents), but their involvement in decision-making at educational institutions is limited: only 56 % of principals report their role in management, and 42 % mention their influence on school policies and curricula.

Teaching accounts for only 78 % of class time (the remainder spent on discipline and administrative tasks), and this figure has decreased in recent years. Only 41 % of teachers allow students to engage in self-assessment.

Over 90 % of teachers and principals take professional development programs. Only 44 % are involved in peer learning and experience sharing, and mere 9 % provide feedback to their colleagues based on classroom observation.

Learn more:

Volume 1: Teachers and School Leaders as Lifelong Learners

Volume 2: Teachers and School Leaders as Valued Professionals

Volume 3: TALIS-PISA link

TALIS publication and documents:

Educational changes in countries that considered TALIS data

Slovakia

Slovakia has introduced national reforms aimed at reducing administrative burden on teachers, optimizing, automating, or completely eliminating many redundant procedures.

Austria

Austria has expanded the autonomy of teachers and school leaders, particularly in implementing flexible teaching schedules. Schools have also been enabled to form clusters for joint management and economic benefits through scaling.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan has adopted new legislation on teaching, raising the entry threshold for the profession (from 60 to 100 out of 140 points during selection) and increasing salaries.

South Africa

South Africa timely enhanced teachers’ ICT skills, enabling schools to be better prepared for remote learning during the pandemic.

China

Shanghai (China) recognized that teachers in the city and surrounding areas face one of the highest workloads in terms of hours worldwide, coupled with one of the highest frequencies of Public Classroom Observations (e.g., demonstration lessons, inspections). It was also found that while teachers are skilled at developing instructional materials, they struggle to share them, leading to duplicated efforts. As a result, practical solutions have been developed, including platforms for teacher experience and resource sharing.

TALIS Implementation in Ukraine

Respondents

As part of TALIS 2024, 251 schools in Ukraine participated in the survey. A total of 4,305 lower secondary teachers (Grades 5–9) were selected to participate, of whom 4,244 successfully completed the questionnaire, representing a 99% response rate. In addition, 251 school principals participated in the survey, resulting in a 100% response rate among principals.

Responding to challenges

Achieving these response rates is particularly significant given the challenging conditions under which the survey was conducted. The team carried out its work under martial law, despite prolonged power outages, unstable or unavailable internet access in some regions, and other security-related challenges.

Co-ordinated teamwork

The successful implementation of TALIS in Ukraine was made possible by the co-ordinated efforts of a large team from across the Ukrainian education community. The organisation and implementation of the survey involved 48 regional co-ordinators, school principals, school co-ordinators in 251 schools, and six national quality observers who helped ensure that the survey was administered in accordance with TALIS technical standards.

Value

The survey is particularly valuable because it captures the state of Ukrainian education during one of the most challenging periods in its history. The findings will provide an important baseline for assessing future changes and will help inform the recovery of the education system on the basis of reliable, internationally comparable data.

What happens to the data next

Data processing

Once the fieldwork has been completed, the next important stage of TALIS begins: the processing, validation, and analysis of the data collected. At this stage, data quality checks are carried out, responses are anonymised, and the international database is prepared in accordance with OECD methodology.

Comparative analysis

Once all procedures have been completed, an international comparative analysis will be conducted, allowing Ukraine’s results to be compared with those of other participating countries.

Report and analytical materials

The TALIS international report and national analytical materials will be published once data processing has been completed. They will provide an important evidence base for education policy development, support teachers’ professional development, and inform decision-making aimed at improving the quality of education in Ukraine.

Teaching and Learning International Survey

TALIS aims at:

Short video about the study :

TALIS sites

The fourth cycle of TALIS and TALIS+ covers 59 countries/economies as participants

TALIS globally

TALIS in Ukraine

Learn more on Data Protection

More on the survey sample

How TALIS is administered

Globally, the expanded fourth cycle (TALIS+) is taking place between 2024 and 2026.

Testing study instruments

Data collection

Publication of the initial survey results

Learn more about the survey stages

Media campaign (informing of educator community and the public), participation of authorized representatives in international meetings and seminars on organizing and conducting TALIS 2024–2026

Implementation of tasks outlined in TALIS 2024–2026 program documents, including the creation of sample of TALIS participants

Translation and adaptation of TALIS 2024–2026 program documents, materials, and survey instruments

Preparation, processing, and summarization of potential participants lists of TALIS 2024–2026 field trial

Field trial of TALIS 2024–2026

Data review and summarization of TALIS 2024–2026 field trial for the main survey

Preparation, processing, and consolidation of lists of educators from schools participating in TALIS 2024–2026 main stage

Conducting TALIS 2024–2026 main stage

Preparation and summarization of information on the results of TALIS 2024–2026 main stage for a report

Official publication of TALIS 2024–2026 results report

TALIS Framework

How the study defines the ongoing teacher growth

Training to become a teacher

Attract

Grow

Teaching Profession

Support

Enhance

Amplify

Retain

Research topics

Topics covered by TALIS 2024–2026

9 main + 2 additional topics

Four special focuses of TALIS 2024–2026, relevant for Ukraine:

The importance of TALIS

TALIS’ importance for Ukraine

It helps gain a deeper understanding of teachers who continue to work with students amid the war.

It informs development of educational policies that will contribute to improving teachers' work conditions.

It enables the identification of aspects of the teaching job that require improvement, for enhancing educational effectiveness, as well as the well-being of both students and teachers.

Conducting the study in Ukraine supports the Sustainable Development Goals, e.g. Goal 4, Target 3—ensuring equitable access to professional education and the availability of qualified teaching personnel.

Ukrainian adaptation

TALIS Specifics in Ukraine

The survey questionnaires have been partially expanded and adapted, particularly focused on:

Filling out of the questionnaires will be less impacted by the wartime conditions compared to earlier international studies (PISA, SSES).

For the first time since the full-scale war, the study will include schools located in active combat zones or even under temporary occupation (provided that their representatives are not residing in occupied territories).

History of TALIS

The history and experience of TALIS worldwide and in Ukraine