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These are some of the findings of the OECD/TALIS survey. The results provide a view on the working conditions of teachers and principals and how they feel about their own learning environment. In Finland, the study comprised about 2,800 lower secondary school teachers and 150 principals. In all, the survey involved 48 countries, 155,000 teachers and 8,900 principals. The data were collected in spring 2018. Each participating country can draw on the results in developing their own education policies.

“The survey provides policy-makers, teachers and principals with a large set of international comparative data on school as a working environment and thus gives them an opportunity for further development of teachers’ work, educational assessment and education policy,” says Project Manager Matti Taajamo, who works at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, Ģ��ֱ��, and is in charge of the Finnish portion of the international study.

Teachers and principals in focus

The survey data were collected by questionnaires for teachers and principals. The questionnaires were designed in collaboration with international research partners. The survey was conducted by means of online and paper questionnaires in spring 2018.

“The respondents were selected by random sampling. From each country, about 150 to 200 schools and about 20 to 30 teachers plus the principal from each school were involved. In Finland the teachers’ response rate was very high, 94%,” states Associate Project Manager Eija Puhakka.

Students’ wellbeing is important to teachers

Finnish teachers are highly educated and qualified for their work. They are satisfied with their profession and would still opt for it if they were to choose again. Student–teacher relationships are good and based on strong mutual trust. Students’ wellbeing is important to teachers, and this is one reason why they would like to advocate for smaller teaching groups.

Teachers find that their work is appreciated

In Finland teachers are more satisfied with their profession than their colleagues are in the other participating countries. The positive sides of the profession outweigh the negative ones. Teachers would still choose this career for themselves if asked again. In comparison to other participating countries, Finnish teachers believe that the teaching profession is more highly appreciated in society.

ICT skills the most needed area for teachers’ in-service training

For Finnish teachers, the most needed areas for professional development include ICT skills, student assessment practices, and teaching for students with special needs. During the past five years, professional development needs have increased the most in student assessment practices.

ICT already a more familiar tool in teaching

The use of ICT in classes has increased in Finland more than in the other countries. In 2013, only 18% of teachers used ICT in teaching, whereas in 2018 the percentage had risen to 51%.

Problems with maintaining order

Although the atmosphere in classes is mainly pleasant, much of teaching time is spent on maintaining order in response to students’ disruptive behaviour. Moreover, in Finland – together with New Zealand, Malta, Belgium, and South Africa – there seems to be more intimidation, verbal abuse and mental bullying among students on a weekly basis than in the other countries.

Mentoring for new teachers should be increased

Finnish teachers and principals consider mentoring for new teachers important, but it is available only in a fifth of schools. In Finland, two-thirds of schools have no mentoring programme at all. This result is the third lowest among the participating countries. Around 5 % of Finnish teachers work as mentors for new teachers, and conversely, 4% of teachers have a mentor to support them.

Widely supported survey

TALIS 2018 is a project led by the OECD, and coordinated by IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement). In Finland the survey was conducted by the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, Ģ��ֱ��.

The survey is supported by

The Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM), Finnish National Agency for Education (OPH), the Trade Union of Education in Finland (OAJ), the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the University of Helsinki, and the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (KARVI).

TALIS 2018 (Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018)

Further information:

Project Manager, Senior Researcher Matti Taajamo, Ģ��ֱ��, Finnish Institute for Educational Research, tel. +358 40 805 4281, email: matti.taajamo@jyu.fi

Associate Project Manager, Data Coordinator Eija Puhakka, Ģ��ֱ��, Finnish Institute for Educational Research, tel. +358 400 545 105, email: eija.puhakka@jyu.fi

Counsellor of Education Kristiina Volmari, Finnish National Agency for Education, tel. +358 29 533 1276, email: kristiina.volmari@oph.fi

Counsellor of Education Armi Mikkola, Ministry of Education and Culture, tel. +358 29 533 0214 email: armi.mikkola@minedu.fi

A bulletin and a report of the survey results were published on the TALIS website on 19 June 2019: