Annex to TOR_March 2018

OECD-UNESCO Joint Initiative:

Survey of Teachers in Pre-primary Education (STEPP)

Stepping stones for a brighter future

Background

Teachers are the main determinants of quality education and therefore at the heart of efforts toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on quality education for all. Increasing the supply of qualified teachers at all levels is defined SDG 4.c, which is one of ten SDG 4 targets.

Evidence demonstrates that quality pre-primary education provides a critical foundation for child learning and development. In recognition of this importance for later education, universal access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education has been designated as SDG target 4.2. Pre-primary enrolments have expanded by nearly two-thirds between 1999 and 2012, up to 54% globally.

Good teacher training, support, recognition and working conditions are critical for teachers to be able to provide young children with quality interactions and learning experiences, which positively influence their learning and developmental outcomes. However, many pre-primary teachers - the majority of whom are female - in low- and middle-income countries are inadequately prepared, poorly paid and lack recognition.

One key bottleneck to overcoming these inadequacies is the lack of evidence related to their training, working conditions, practices and needs - particularly in low- and middle-income countries - which can inform effective policies and strategies. UNESCO proposes to address this evidence gap by developing a survey tool for generating cross-national, policy-relevant information that can address keychallenges related to teaching and learning at pre-primary level.

Purpose

UNESCO, in collaboration with OECD, International Taskforce on Teachers for Education 2030 and other partners, proposes to develop, pilot and implement an international pre-primary education (ISCED 02) personnel survey called STEPP, for use in low- and middle-income countries, with the aim toimprove the competences, practices and working conditions of pre-primary education personnel.

Expected results

  • Contribution to the implementation of SDG 4.c on teachers, SDG 4.2 on early childhood development, care and pre-primary education, and SDG 5 on gender equality, through attention to pre-primary education personnel, the majority of whom are women
  • Improved international and national knowledge base on pre-primary education personnel in low- and middle-income countries
  • Cross-national information regarding pre-primary education personnel that can inform evidence-based policies and programmes

Expected outputs (Phase 1 and 2)

  • STEPP survey instruments and methodology, adopted to low- and middle-income countries, developed and validated
  • An international database containing survey data and the accompanying data user guide produced and disseminated
  • An International Report containing comparative survey findings and recommendations published in English, French, Spanish, and Vietnamese, and accompanying communication materials prepared and disseminated
  • National databases containing survey data
  • National Reports containing country-specific findings and recommendations published in national languages
  • International and national launches organized

Timeframe

The STEPP project was launched in mid-2015, and is currently undergoing Phase 1, which aims to develop validated survey instruments through pilot study and field trial by December 2018. Phase 2 (2019-2020) aims to implement the main study, analyze main study data and develop policy recommendations. Phase 1 (current-end 2018) has the following activities:

  • Development of personnel sampling for the Field Trial (FT)[1]
  • Translation and adaptation of FT questionnaires
  • Administration of FT survey instruments
  • Production of national datasets and international database
  • Analysis of FT data and production of International STEPP Phase 1 Report

Participating countries

The STEPP participating countries are the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Indonesia, Namibia, the Philippines, Togo, and Viet Nam.

Survey target population

STEPP will target ISCED 02 (International Standard Classification of Education 02 - pre-primary education) centres and staff. The survey will comprise three questionnaires: (1) staff questionnaire, (2) centre head questionnaire, (3) a combined centre head-staff questionnaire.

Survey themes

STEPP proposes to cover themes addressed by OECD TALIS Starting Strong Survey with the aim to harmonize the survey content as relevant. These themes are also grounded in ECCE research in low- and middle-income country contexts (Neuman, Josephson and Gua, 2015) showing their relevance to access and quality. The themes and the corresponding questions are presented in the Table below.

Themes / Proposed questions
Personnel and setting characteristics / Understanding the characteristics of personnel and the settings where they work
  • Who are the pre-primary education personnel, and how do their characteristics compare?
  • What settings do they work in? How do these settings compare?

Training and professional development / Preparing and developing pre-primary education personnel
  • How are pre-primary education personnel prepared, developed and supported in their work? Who provides training and professional development to pre-primary education personnel?
  • What are their training and professional development needs?

Pedagogical beliefs and practices / professional practices / Ensuring quality learning environments and practices
  • What do pre-primary education personnel do (including administrative tasks)?
  • How do they develop children and monitor their development and learning?
  • What do they believe about children’s development and learning? About quality environments?
  • How do they work with other colleagues, parents and professionals from other sectors?
  • How is leadership organized within the setting?

Working conditions and job satisfaction / Attracting, motivating and retaining pre-primary education personnel
  • How motivated and satisfied are they in their work?
  • What are their perceptions on how the society values their work?
  • What are their main challenges in being motivated and effective in their work?

Implementation strategy

UNESCO is responsible for the overall implementation of the STEPP project. The Secretariat is ensured by the Section of Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality (ED/IPS/IGE), UNESCO Headquarters. An International Advisory Group (IAG), consisting of experts and partners (Education International, UNESCO Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), International Taskforce on Teachers for Education 2030, OMEP, OECD, UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), UNICEF) is established to provide advice on the project content and process. National teams are established in participating countries, consisting of relevant ministries, research and teacher training institutions, UNESCO Field Office, partner organizations, etc. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) supports the design and operationalization of the STEPP survey instruments and methodology in Phase 1. Coordination with OECD to align the content and methodology of STEPP with those of its Starting Strong TALIS (currently implemented in high-income countries) is carried out.

Contact

Yoshie Kaga (), Section of Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality, UNESCO Headquarters

1

[1] Field trial is a small-scale survey to test the FT questionnaires in participating countries. The indicative FT sample size is 30 ECCE centres / 240 teachers/auxiliary.