Scotland’s most inexperienced teachers are more likely to be found in disadvantaged areas than in schools in more affluent parts of the country.
The finding emerges from the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) data published today, which also shows that teachers in poorer areas are “much less likely” to be satisfied with their job.
Some 19 countries and economies that participated in Pisa 2018 also distributed an optional questionnaire for teachers, which has provided detailed information on teacher demographics, instruction, teaching strategies, teacher wellbeing and school contexts.
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Of those 19, there were eight where the proportion of teachers with fewer than five years of experience was larger in disadvantaged schools than in advantaged schools.
Pisa: Teacher satisfaction
These were Scotland, Baku (Azerbaijan), Chile, the Dominican Republic, Morocco, Peru, Chinese Taipei and the United States.
The report in question - Pisa 2018 Results (Volume II): Where All Students Can Succeed - also states of the results received from all 19 countries and economies: “Teachers who work in schools that serve predominantly disadvantaged students were much less likely to report being satisfied with their current job environment than those who work in more advantaged schools.”
However, the difference was “especially marked” in Scotland, Chile, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Germany, Scotland and the United States.
Only in Macao (China) and the United Arab Emirates did teachers in disadvantaged schools report greater satisfaction with their working conditions than those in advantaged schools.
The report states: “This aligns with the results of Pisa 2015 indicating that teachers tend to be more satisfied with their job when they work in advantaged schools, even after accounting for school performance.”
In almost all countries, teachers in disadvantaged schools tended to report less positive feedback about maintaining positive relations with students and classroom management.
