The OECD today released results from the largest international survey conducted among mandatory education teachers. The latest Teaching and Learning International Survey – TALIS 2024 – involved over 280,000 teachers across 55 education systems, including Portugal.
One key finding is that teachers are spending more time maintaining discipline in classrooms now compared to 2018, when the last survey was conducted. In 2024, one in five teachers in OECD countries reported issues in their classrooms.
The situation is particularly severe in Brazil, where half of the teachers report challenges. Portugal is also notable alongside Chile, Finland, and South Africa, with over 33% of teachers complaining about indiscipline.
Problems tend to worsen when younger teachers manage the classroom. According to the TALIS report, newer instructors are often assigned more challenging classes in all countries analyzed.
The survey points out that younger teachers often deal with students who are more problematic, poorly behaved, or have learning or language difficulties, raising concerns that such circumstances might lead new teachers to quit the profession.
In Portugal, 27% of teachers under 30 have indicated they might leave teaching within the next five years.
Portugal also stands out with a higher number of older teachers handling better classes: “In some educational systems, these differences exceed 15 to 20 percentage points, including Colombia, Italy, Israel, Latvia, New Zealand, and Portugal,” the researchers note.
Teachers are now more frequently utilizing classroom management strategies to calm disruptive students, although this task is easier for those with more experience.
Notably, 24% of younger teachers have requested more training to manage classroom behavior effectively.
Globally, 84% of respondents said they can calm disruptive students, and 67% feel confident motivating uninterested students.
It has also become more common to let students practice similar tasks until everyone understands the subject, with the rise particularly notable in Portugal.
The changes in Portuguese schools reveal an increase in foreign and refugee students, but fewer students from poorer families.
Over 90% of respondents report “overall job satisfaction,” although 20% regret becoming teachers. Researchers believe this reflects a partial assessment of current working conditions.
Most are satisfied with their profession and work environment. In Portugal, for instance, teachers express greater enjoyment in teaching at their current school, with many reluctant to transfer elsewhere and considering their school a good workplace.
However, Portuguese teachers frequently complain about excessive workload: More than half report stress caused by too many lessons, compared to the OECD average of 31%.
Portuguese teachers rank among the oldest and most experienced in the OECD, while also being among the most academically qualified: Over 90% hold at least a master’s degree, compared to an OECD average of just 57%.
The aging teaching workforce and difficulty attracting new professionals are widespread issues, and researchers emphasize that “salary is crucial to attracting and retaining teachers.”
The study notes that “teachers satisfied with their salaries are 25% less likely to leave the profession in the next five years,” though it argues that job satisfaction, excluding salary, is a stronger predictor of career intentions than salary satisfaction itself.
Investigators also explored the legacy of practices introduced during COVID-19 and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): In Portugal, only 30% of teachers use AI (below the OECD average), citing lack of knowledge and skills, as well as missing equipment, as obstacles.
Conversely, 13% of teachers in Portuguese schools reported that at least one class was delivered in a hybrid or online format in the month before the survey (the OECD average is 16%).
