What does TALIS 2013 say about the time teachers report spending keeping order in

the classroom in Brazil, Chile and Mexico?

1. Introduction

In addition to being the focus of media reports, professional literature and

school staff room conversations, classroom management and student discipline are
some of the most commonly cited concerns by teachers (McCormack, 1997; Husu,
2003). Student discipline and behavior problems are also some of the areas for which
teachers report the highest levels of needs for professional development (OECD, 2009;
Jensen et al., 2012).
There are many different views about the causes of student discipline
problems, as well as about possible solutions to address these issues. Some regard
student indiscipline as a sign of a lack of interest in a perhaps outdated school format
and advocate a radical revision of school practices. Others see student misbehavior as
a result of poor parenting education and a lack of values. These proponents advocate
defining and reinforcing more assertive rules.
In any case, it is clear that classrooms with severe disciplinary problems are less
conducive to learning, since teachers have to spend time creating an orderly
environment before instruction can begin and dealing with interruptions during the
classroom. Keeping order in the classroom can really consume a large proportion of
instructional time, reducing students opportunities to learn (Cotton, 1989).
Student misbehavior also contributes to teacher dissatisfaction and stress,
affecting teachers attraction and retention. Along with low wages and low social
status, student behavior is one of the most cited reasons for Brazilian high school
students deciding not to enter teaching (Tartuce et al., 2010). It is also one of the main
reasons why secondary teachers leave teaching in England, along with heavy workload,
stress and government initiatives (OECD, 2005).
Argentina, Brazil and Chile are among the 10 countries in PISA 2012 with the
worse levels of disciplinary climate according to students (OECD, 2013). And student
misbehavior appears to produce negative effects on students opportunities to learn
especially in Brazil. Brazilian teachers report spending the highest proportion of class
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time keeping order in the classroom among teachers from all countries participating in
TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey) in 2008: around 18% of class time,
compared to an average of 13% among the TALIS countries (OECD, 2009).
One should expect that student misbehavior would cause teachers to spend
more time maintaining discipline in the classroom, but it is not the only factor that
determines the use of class time. One goal of this paper is to investigate which other
factors are associated with time spent by teachers keeping order in the classroom. By
doing this, the paper aims to contribute by identifying policies to support teachers in
dealing with student behavior.
As important as improving teachers capacity to deal with student behavior is to
reduce disciplinary problems and enhance school climate. This paper therefore also
aims as a second goal to identify the factors associated with student behavior
problems.
The study is based on in-depth analyses of the TALIS 2013 data from the three
Latin American countries participating in the survey: Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

2. Literature Review

The use of time in schools and classrooms has been a topic of considerable
research interest for some decades. John Carroll was one of the first researchers to
model the relationship between learning and time for instruction. Carrolls (1963)
Model of School Learning emphasizes time as an important variable on learning, as
expressed in the contention that the degree of learning is a function of the ratio of the
time actually spent on learning to the time needed to learn.
Carrolls ideas stimulated a wave of research on instructional time and learning.
Many studies made efforts to establish statistical associations between time variables
and student achievement (Karweit, 1984; Baker et al., 2004); others assessed the loss
of learning time and its determinants at system, school and classroom levels (Smith,
1998; Abadzi, 2007); and still others were focused on issues of teaching practices and
classroom dynamics (Stallings, 1980; Carnoy et al., 2003; Martinic et al., 2013).
Most studies focus on one or more of the following time measures: (1)
allocated instructional time; (2) actual instructional time; and (3) engaged time.
2

Allocated instructional time or just instructional time is the time students

are expected to be receiving instruction in formal classroom settings. Actual
instructional time is the portion of classroom time actually spent teaching students
particular knowledge, concepts and skills pertaining to school subjects. Engaged time,
or time on task, refers to portions of time during which students are paying attention
to a learning task and attempting to learn (Karweit & Slavin, 1981; Cotton, 1989).
Even if time is allocated for instructional activities, once the class starts, time is
not completely spent on teaching and learning. There are many sources of lost
instructional time, such as student interruptions (disruptive behavior); teacher
interruptions (e.g. disciplinary actions, calling the office); transitions; later starts; early
dismissals; recording attendance; and handing out school information (Karweit, 1984;
Smith, 1998).
Teachers with instructional practices that are considered effective by experts
have higher rates of student time on task (Espin & Yell, 1994). Students who are
actively engaged and provided with frequent opportunities to respond to academic
tasks are less disruptive and demonstrate improved academic skills (Sutherland &
Wehby, 2001). Oliver et al. (2011) conducted a review which indicates that many
studies have shown that successful classroom management enhances students
academic learning time by influencing positively their attention, engagement, and
motivation.
As Piwowar et al. (2013) point out, classroom management competencies are
an integral part of the landscape of professional knowledge and encompass a wide
variety of skills. Effective classroom management involves the application of
preventive strategies such as proactive planning, establishing rules, monitoring student
behavior, or cultivating a functioning working alliance, but also with reactive strategies
such as effectively dealing with disruption or resolving conflicts (Hawley et al., 1984;
Gettinger & Seibert, 2002; Piwowar et al., 2013).
Teachers with highly effective instruction and classroom management can
reduce, but do not fully eliminate, classroom behavior problems (Emmer & Stough,
2001). School climate may improve when school staff agree and collaborate over
disciplinary issues. This can be facilitated by the development of a school-wide
disciplinary policy that provides a framework for preventing and intervening with
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disruptions and offering collegial support to teachers (Porter, 2006). Wide consultation
with staff, students and parents through the process should ensure that these
important actors are active participants in defining the disciplinary policy, both
because there is a moral obligation to consult them and also because doing so
improves policy effectiveness (Porter, 2006).

3. Data

This analysis is based on data from the OECD Teaching and Learning
International Survey (TALIS) from 2013. TALIS is an international, large-scale survey
that focuses on the working conditions of teachers and the learning environment in
schools.
The first cycle of TALIS was conducted in 2008 and surveyed teachers and
school leaders of lower secondary education in 24 countries. In the second cycle, TALIS
2013 has expanded to include additional countries, getting to a total of 33 participants.
TALIS data are based on self-reports from teachers and school leaders and
therefore represent their opinions, perceptions, beliefs and accounts of their activities.
This means all the variables analyzed by this paper are based on teacher or school
leaders reports, not on direct observation or on administrative records.
This study is focused on teachers working in the lower secondary education in
Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

4. Methods

The first purpose of this work is to identify the factors that are associated with
the percentage of time teachers report spending keeping order in the classroom. In
order to do this, the analysis takes in to account the hierarchical nature of TALIS data,
in which teachers (and their classes) are within schools, and schools are within
countries. Teachers within a school share the same school population, climate and
internal procedures. Because of this, it is expected that two teachers randomly chosen
within the same school will tend to spend more similar amounts of time keeping order
in the classroom than two teachers randomly chosen from different schools.
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Hierarchical linear models (HLM) are commonly used in the educational field due to
their capacity to deal with the hierarchical nature of educational data (Raudenbush
and Bryk, 2002; Snijders and Bosker, 1999).
In this model, the dependent variable is the percentage of class time each
teacher reports spending keeping order in the classroom. The explanatory variables at
the teacher level are as follows:

Percentage of students with behavior problems in the target class1;

Percentage of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged homes in the

target class;

Years of teaching experience;

Gender of the teacher;

Class size in the target class;

The subject of the target class was included in the teachers initial formal
education;

The pedagogy of the subjects taught was included in the teachers formal
education;

The classroom practice (practicum, internship or student teaching) of the

subjects taught was included in the teachers formal education;

Index on teachers participation on effective professional development. It is

composed of the elements contained in the kind of professional development
reportedly attained by the teacher:

A group of colleagues from my school or subject group;

Opportunities for active learning methods (not only listening to a

lecturer);

Collaborative learning activities or research with other teachers;

An extended time-period (several occasions spread out over several

weeks or months);

Participation

in

professional

development

covering

knowledge

and

understanding of the teachers subject field in the last 12 months, with a

perceived large impact in his/her teaching;
1

Variable pertaining to the target class are reported by the teacher regarding a randomly selected class
they currently teach.

Participation in professional development covering pedagogical competencies

in the teachers subject field in the last 12 months, with a perceived large
impact in his/her teaching;

Participation in professional development covering student behavior and

classroom management, with a perceived large impact in his/her teaching;
The explanatory variables at the school level are as follows:

Percentage of teachers with more than 10% of students with behavior

problems in the school;

Percentage

of

teachers

with

more

than

10%

of

students

from

socioeconomically disadvantaged homes in the school;

School management (publicly or privately managed school);

School mean index of professional collaboration. It is composed of teachers

answers to these questions:
o Teach jointly as a team in the same class;
o Observe other teachers classes and provide feedback;
o Engage in joint activities across different classes and age groups (e.g.
projects);
o Take part in collaborative professional learning.
The second purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that are associated

with higher percentages of students with behavior problems in the class. In other
words, it aims to identify the profiles of teachers and their schools who report
having the highest proportions of students with behavior problems.
An ordered logistic regression was conducted to address this research goal. The
dependent variable was the categorical variable representing the percentage of
students with behavior problems in the target class. The explanatory variables at the
teacher/class level included:

Percentage of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged homes in the

target class;

Years of teaching experience;

Class size in the target class;

The explanatory variables at the school level included:

Percentage of teachers with more than 10% of students with behavior

problems in the school;

School management (publicly or privately managed school);

School size;

School location (according to the size of population);

School mean index of participation among stakeholders. It is composed by

teachers answers to these questions:
o This school provides staff with opportunities to actively participate in
school decisions;
o This school provides parents or guardians with opportunities to actively
participate in school decisions;
o This school provides students with opportunities to actively participate
in school decisions;
o This school has a culture of shared responsibility for school issues;
o There is a collaborative school culture which is characterized by mutual
support.
Estimations were conducted for each country to examine the factors associated

with both time spent keeping order and the percentage of students with behavior
problems within each country. For each of these outcome variables, regression
analysis was conducted separately.

4. Main Findings

Some of the main findings show that initial teacher education, professional
development and teacher professional collaboration are important players in reducing
the amount of time spend by teacher keeping order in the classroom. Findings also
suggest that teachers in schools with higher levels of participation among stakeholders
are less likely to have high percentages of students with behavior problems.
Because TALIS 2013 results and database were not yet publicized (and still
under embargo until the official release on 25 June 2014), the following figure shows
only an overview of the results obtained in this analysis. It does not show detailed

results by country. Nonetheless, the final presentation will contain the detailed results,
since TALIS 2013 data will have been released by then.

Figure 1. Results' overview

School location

Socioeconomic
background

Participation among
stakeholders

Student
behaviour

Teacher
experience
Class time
keeping order

Professional
collaboration

Formal education
Content on
subject taught

Professional
development

Pedagogy on
subject taught

Source: TALIS 2013 database.

5. References

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Tartuce, G.; Nunes, M.; Almeida, P. (2010). Alunos do ensino mdio e a atratividade da
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Con formato: Espaol (Chile)