Researchers from the University of Oviedo have participated in the composition of the international TALIS 2013 report on teaching and learning. The experts of the Asturian academic institution have identified the characteristics and the presence in the Spanish education system of the so-called reflexive teachers. They make up a model of teacher who is particularly interested in receiving a wide and long formation with active learning methods.

Moreover, these teachers attend courses in which teamwork plays a key role, as they work alongside other colleagues from their center or field of knowledge. The experts demonstrated that the work of the reflexive teacher positively affects the quality of education.

An analysis of the data gathered by the research reflects that 14.2% of Spanish teachers fit in this profile; 54.7% fits partially and, finally, 31.1% does not have these characteristics. In this second edition of the TALIS report, 106,000 teachers from 33 have participated. In Spain, samples were taken from 3,339 teachers and 192 directors.

The team from the University of Oviedo is made up by Samuel Fernández Fernández, José Miguel Arias Blanco,  Rubén Fernández Alonso, Marcelino Fernández-Raigoso Castaño and Joaquín Burguera Condon, researchers from the Department of Education Sciences. The results of the research will be shown today and tomorrow in Madrid, as part of the TALIS Congress.

Teachers with an individual profile that is more sensible to reflexive professional development is characterized by their experience and teaching steem, being a woman and having clear priorities of formation and an interest in lifelong learning. Their teaching model is affective and successfully and actively manages the learning time of their students. This model of educator is more common in small centers, which may suggest that having a bigger ratio of students per teacher could negatively impact their education.

TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey) is an international study of the OCDE that gathers the opinions and knowledge of teachers and directors of education centers of Primary and Secondary Education and Baccalaureate through surveys, in order to provide information on the processes of education and different aspects of learning and teaching. These teachers and directors have provided information on their working conditions and learning environments; initial formation and professional development of the teachers; evaluation and feedback provided by the teachers; school environment; leadership at the school, etc.