DATE: 09 January 2015

TO: Shelly Martinez, OMB

THROUGH: Kashka Kubzdela, NCES

FROM: Patrick Gonzales, NCES

RE: Program for International Student Assessments (PISA) 2015 Main Study (OMB# 1850-0755 v.16)

OMB granted clearance for the PISA 2015 Field Test and Main Study Recruitment on September 19, 2013 

(1850-0755 v.14). The purpose of this memo is to summarize changes between the activities and materials 

approved in the field test package and those that will be used in the PISA 2015 Main Study as described in 

Parts A and B and appendixes in this submission (the attached final U.S. versions of the 2015 main study 

questionnaires have been approved by the PISA Governing Board and PISA international consortium).

Appendix D – Nonresponse Bias Analysis Plan

The following phrase was added to the NRBA plan qualifying that per NCES standards, the NRBA analyses 

would be done only if the response rates fall below NCES standards: “If school response rates are below 

NCES statistical standards”.

Part A - Procedural

In the PISA 2015 Field Test and Main Study Recruitment request approved on September 19, 2013, we 

indicated that we planned to subsample 8 students to return for a second assessment session to take the 

financial literacy assessment on computer. We will now subsample 11 students to ensure that we have the 

same number of students assessed as expected. This change is a result of a review of data from those 

countries that administered financial literacy in the field test and is being implemented across all countries 

administering financial literacy in the main study. We have updated Part A and Part B to reflect this 

procedural change. This change does not affect the burden estimate.

Part A - Burden

We have updated the burden estimates (see Section 12 of Part A) to reflect the possible participation in PISA 

2015 of two states that desire state-level estimates (in addition to the participation of Puerto Rico which was 

included in 1850-0755 v.14). The revised overall estimate is based on a national sample, two state samples,

and a Puerto Rico sample.

Appendix C - Questionnaire Items

Changes between the field test and main study questionnaire items, including revisions to the field test items, 

new items, and eliminated field test items (more items were field tested than were planned to be used in the 

main study), are listed below in tables. In the main study, one student questionnaire form will be used, 

whereas the field test used 3 forms with items rotated across students. As discussed in the briefing NCES 

provided to OMB in June 2014, the field trial evaluated whether the items and scales functioned properly to 

measure the target constructs: (a) that they were intended to measure (validity), (b) in a cross-nationally valid 

manner, and (c) efficiently. In some cases, the field trial was used to compare alternative measurement 

approaches for measuring constructs. Several new, innovative measurement methods were introduced in the 
2

PISA 2015 field trial. These appeared throughout the questionnaires, but primarily in the student and teacher 

questionnaires. Statistical analyses of the field test data conducted by the International Consortium focused 

on evaluating the psychometric functioning of (a) items within scales and (b) the scales themselves. Some of 

the new methods were deemed successful and the PISA Governing Board approved their use in the main 

study questionnaires. The selection of items for the main study also took into consideration research risk, 

policy implications, country priorities, implementation issues, and per-item and per-construct timing 

information.

Additionally, Appendix C presents the student locator items that will be asked of students to support a 

possible future methodological study to validate PISA by relating student performance on PISA 2015 to other 

cognitive, education, and employment outcomes. In addition to the items that were cleared for use in PISA 

2012 (1850-0755 v.13), we will also ask students for email addresses of a relative or another contact to 

facilitate follow up.

Summary	of	Changes	to Field	Test School	and	Student	Questionnaire	Items

A. School Questionnaire Items

1. Modified Items

2. Deleted items

B. Student Questionnaire Items

Note: There is only 1 form of the student questionnaire for the Main Study. Each student will complete the questionnaire 

estimated at 30 minutes. Also, there are no new items in the Student questionnaire for the Main Study (i.e., added post field 

trial).

1. Modified Items

2. Deleted items

C. General Teacher Questionnaire Items

1. Modified Items

2. Deleted Items

D. Science Teacher Questionnaire Items

1. Modified Items

2. Deleted Items

A. School	Questionnaire	Items

1. Modified	Items

2015 Main Study 

Item # Item

General 

Direction

Note: The estimated time to complete has been reduced from 60 minutes to 45 minutes

SC002 Note: Stem has been updated to school year of interest

As of February 1, 2015, what was the total school enrolment (number of students)?

SC018

Note: Responses Q03NA and Q04NA have been deleted.

How many of the following teachers are on the staff of your school?

Q03TA) Teachers with less than an associate's degree

Q04TA) Teachers with an associate's degree
3

SC037 Note: Responses Q11NA, Q12NA, Q13NA have been deleted.

Do the following arrangements aimed at quality assurance and improvements exist in your school and where do they 

come from?

Q11TA) Policies on negative consequences for teachers performing poorly

Q12TA) Policies on rewards for teachers performing exceptionally well

Q13TA) Policies on the continuing professional development of particular poorly performing teachers

SC040 Note: Responses Q01NA, 04NA, 06NA, 07NA, 08NA, 09NA, 10NA, 13NA, and 14NA have been deleted.

Based on your last internal school evaluation results, did your school implement any measures in the following 

areas?

Q01NA) School's educational resources (e.g., textbooks, computer, library materials, laboratory materials)

Q04NA) Extra-curricular activities (such as participation, content)

Q06NA) Assessment practices

Q07NA) Social climate in school

Q08NA) Teacher cooperation

Q09NA) Use of ICT for teaching and learning

Q10NA) School management (leadership, counseling, cooperation, school program)

Q13NA) Diversity management

Q14NA) Cooperation with external partners

SC041 Note: Responses Q02NA and Q07NA have been deleted.

Thinking about the last external evaluation in your school. Do the following statements apply?

Q02NA) We used the results of the external evaluation to draw up clearly defined measures.

Q07NA) The effects triggered by the external evaluation "disappeared" very quickly at our school.

SC063 Note: Responses Q01NA, Q07NA, and Q08NA have been deleted.

Do the following statements about parental involvement apply to your school?

Q01NA) Our school invites parents to participate in school-wide activities on a regular basis.

Q07NA) Our school identifies and integrates resources and services from the community to strengthen school 

programs, family practices, and student learning and development.

Q08NA) Our school keeps parents informed about their child's progress.

SC064 Note: Responses Q05NA01 and Q06TA01 have been deleted.

During 2012-2013 academic year, what proportion of students’ parents participated in the following school-related 

activities?

Q05NA01) Volunteered to support school activities (e.g., volunteered in the school library, media center, or 

cafeteria, assisted a teacher, appeared as a guest speaker) _____

Q06TA01) Assisted in fundraising for the school. _____

2. Deleted Items

Item # Stem

SC005

Do the following statements about ICT use apply to your school?

SC006 How many instructional days per calendar week does your school provide to students in 10th grade?

SC007 How many instructional days are intended in this school year for students in 10th grade?

SC008 On approximately how many days in the last 12 months was your school closed or deviated from the 

regular curriculum because of the following reasons?

SC011 Which of the following statements best describes the schooling available to students in your location?

SC015 About what percentage of your total funding for a typical school year comes from the following 

sources?

SC020 How many teachers in your school are teaching any of the following science subjects?

SC021 Which of the following procedures for recruiting teachers is more common at your school?

SC022 Is the completion of a teacher education or training program required to teach at your school?

SC023 In your school the completion of a teacher education or training program is required to teach. How

strict is this rule?

SC024 In the last academic year, did you fill all vacant 10th grade science teaching positions at your school?

SC026 For how many days within a school year is a teacher in your school required to take part in professional 

development activities?

SC028 Does your school have a formal policy concerning professional development activities?

SC029 Does your formal school policy concerning professional development activities include the following 
4

topics?

SC030 What resources does your school provide for professional development activities?

SC031 Which proportion of all professional development activities attended by science teachers from your 

school has been dedicated to each of the following three areas?

SC033 Please indicate the frequency that each of the following occurs in this school following a teacher 

appraisal.

SC038 Did the last internal evaluation at your school address any of the following?

SC039 Thinking about the last internal evaluation in your school. Do the following statements apply?

SC043 Which policies regarding grade retention are implemented in your school?

SC044 Which measures to support students at risk of academic failure are implemented in your school?

SC045 Among the students in your school’s final grade, what proportion of them left school without a diploma 

or alternative credential (e.g., a GED) in the last academic year?

SC046 Does your school have a policy on additional instruction for grades with 15-year-olds (e.g., tutoring, 

private lessons, additional instruction)?

SC047 How do your school, district or other governing authority or government handle additional instruction?

SC049 Schools differ in the way they address cultural diversity. For each of the following pairs of statements, 

please choose the statement that the majority of teachers in your school would agree with.

SC050 How many teachers in your school would agree with the following statements?

SC051 Do the following statements reflect practices for multicultural learning in your school?

SC054 Do the following statements regarding students’ lunch apply to your school?

SC055 Who pays for the following things at your school?

SC056 Which of the following statements about science education apply to your school?

SC057 Does your school offer science lessons in addition to the science classes offered during the usual school 

hours?

SC058 What is the purpose of these additional science lessons?

SC060 Do you agree with the following statements about science education at your school?

SC062 Think about the teachers in your school. How much do you agree with the following statements?

SC065 Which statement below best characterizes parental expectations towards your school?

SC066 Which of the following statements about science related collaboration is true for your school?

B. Student Questionnaire

1. Modified	Items

2015 Main Study 

Item # Item

ST011 Note: Responses Q13NA, Q14NA, and Q15NA have been deleted.

Which of the following are in your home?

Q13NA) A DVD player

Q14NA) Flat screen TV/Plasma TV/LCD TV

Q15NA) Cable TV/Pay TV/Satellite TV

ST012 Note: Response Q04NA has been deleted.

How many of these are there at your home?

Q04NA) Cell phones without Internet access

ST034 Note: Responses Q07TA, Q08TA, and Q09TA have been deleted.

Thinking about your school: to what extent do you agree with the following statements?

Q07TA) I feel happy at school.

Q08TA) Things are ideal in my school.

Q09TA) I am satisfied with my school.

ST064 Note: Response Q04NA has been deleted.

To what extent can you choose the following for your science courses?

Q04NA) I can choose from different teachers teaching the same course(s).

ST082 Note: Responses Q04NA, Q05NA, Q06NA, Q07NA, Q10NA, Q11NA, Q15NA, Q16NA, Q17NA, and Q18NA have 

been deleted.

To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements about yourself?

Q04NA) I like to be in charge of groups or projects.
5

Q05NA) I enjoy sharing ideas.

Q06NA) I convince others to see things my way.

Q07NA) I enjoy exchanging ideas.

Q10NA) I like convincing peers.

Q11NA) I enjoy bringing a team together.

Q15NA) I enjoy cooperating with peers.

Q16NA) I am open to all sorts of opinions.

Q17NA) I enjoy providing feedback.

Q18NA) I am flexible when working with a team.

ST092 Note: Responses Q03NA, and Q07TA have been deleted.

How informed are you about the following environmental issues?

Q03NA) Acid rain

Q07NA) Energy shortages

ST093 Note: Responses Q02NA, and Q09TA have been deleted.

Do you think problems associated with the environmental issues below will improve or get worse over the next 20 

years?

Q02NA) Energy shortages

Q09NA) Acid rain

ST095 Note: Responses Q01NA, Q02NA, Q03NA, Q05NA, Q06NA, Q09NA, Q10NA, Q11NA, Q12NA, Q14NA, and Q16NA 

have been deleted.

To what extent are you interested in the following science topics?

Q01NA) The concept of an organism (e.g., unicellular and multicellular)

Q02NA) Humans (e.g., health, nutrition)

Q03NA) Populations (e.g., species, evolution, biodiversity)

Q05NA) Structure of matter (e.g., particle model, bonds)

Q06NA) Chemical changes of matter (e.g., chemical reactions, energy transfer)

Q09NA) Interactions between energy and matter (e.g., light and radio waves)

Q10NA) Change in Earth systems (e.g., plate tectonics, constructive and destructive forces)

Q11NA) Earth’s history (e.g., fossils, origin and evolution)

Q12NA) Earth in space (e.g., gravity, solar systems, galaxies)

Q14NA) Explanations of how things work

Q16NA) How science can help solve environmental problems

ST098 Note: Responses Q04NA, Q11NA, Q12NA, and Q13NA have been deleted.

When learning science topics at school, how often do the following activities occur?

Q04NA) The conclusions of experiments integrate students’ arguments.

Q11NA) Students have the opportunity to repeat experiments and compare observations.

Q12NA) Students are encouraged to question and critique scientific arguments made by other students.

Q13NA) Students are required to engage in discussions among

ST103 Note: Responses Q02NA, Q04NA, Q05NA, Q06NA, Q07NA, Q09NA, Q10NA, Q12NA, Q13NA, Q14NA, Q15NA, 

Q16NA, Q17NA, Q18NA, Q19NA and Q20NA have been deleted.

How often do these things happen in your classes for this science course?

Q02NA) A small group discussion between students takes place.

Q04NA) Current scientific issues are discussed.

Q05NA) Students make calculations using scientific formulas.

Q06NA) The teacher uses an interactive white board.

Q07NA) Students do their own scientific study and related research.

Q09NA) Students carry out practical work.

Q10NA) Students write up laboratory reports.

Q12NA) The teacher discusses questions of practical relevance.

Q13NA) Students read materials from a textbook.

Q14NA) Students take notes from the board.

Q15NA) Students discuss materials from a textbook.

Q16NA) Students watch videos.

Q17NA) Students use the internet.

Q18NA) The class corrects homework or a test.

Q19NA ) Students fill out worksheets.

Q20NA) Students present something to the rest of the class.

ST107 Note: Response Q04NA has been deleted.
6

How often do these things happen in your classes for this science course?

Q04NA) The teacher provides individual support for advanced students.

ST123 Note: Responses Q05NA, Q06NA, Q07, Q08NA, and Q09NA have been deleted.

Thinking about this school year: to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Q05NA) My parents support school rules and school discipline.

Q06NA) My parents try to protect me from family problems that may interfere with my schooling.

Q07NA) My parents encourage me to learn new skills.

Q08NA) My parents provide me with support to complete school tasks.

Q09NA) My parents ask me questions to initiate a deeper understanding of what I’m studying.

ST131 Note: Responses Q02NA, Q05NA, Q07NA, Q09NA, Q10NA, and Q12NA have been deleted.

How much do you disagree or agree with the statements below?

Q02NA) Some ideas in science today are different than what scientists used to think.

Q05NA) There are some questions that scientists cannot answer.

Q07NA) New discoveries can change what scientists think is true.

Q09NA) It is good to have an idea before I start an experiment.

Q10NA) One important part of science is doing experiments to come up with ideas about how things work.

Q12NA) In science, there can be more than one way for scientists to test their ideas.

2. Deleted	items

Item # Stem

ST009 What is your mother currently doing?

ST010 What is your father currently doing?

ST017

Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to ten at the top. The top of the ladder 

represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you.

ST018 Thinking about your life: how much do you disagree or agree with each of the following statements?

ST020 How old were you when you arrived in the United States?

ST023 Which language do you usually speak with the following people?

ST024

Discrimination refers to negative behavior directed against people because of their membership in a particular 

group. Would you describe yourself as a member of a cultural or ethnic group that is discriminated against in the 

United States?

ST025 Thinking about your experiences in school: to how many teachers in your school do the following statements 

apply?

ST028 When you eat lunch at school, where do you usually get the food you eat?

ST029 During the past 7 days, how many days did you eat or drink the following?

ST030 Were you taught any of the following in your classes this school year or last school year?

ST033 How much do you disagree or agree with each of the following statements about yourself?

ST036 Thinking about your school: to what extent do you agree with the following statements?

ST037 How often do these things happen in your classes?

ST040 Thinking about the teachers at your school: to what extent do you agree with the following statements?

ST041 Who pays for the following things at your school?

ST042 How many weeks did you spend on the following activities during your school vacation?

ST045 Regarding the activities mentioned in the previous question, do you or your family have to save money in advance to 

them?

ST046 How often do you do the following things with your parents or someone else in your home?

ST048 Is your mother working as an employee or is she self-employed?

ST049 At her job, does your mother have any formal responsibility for supervising the work of other employees?

ST050 How many people work for your mother’s employer at the place where she works?

ST051 Does your mother work on her own or does she have employees?

ST052 How many people does your mother employ?

ST053 Is your father working as an employee or is he self-employed?

ST054 At his job, does your father have any formal responsibility for supervising the work of other employees?

ST055 How many people work for your father’s employer at the place where he works?

ST056 Does your father work on his own or does he have employees?

ST057 How many people does your father employ?

ST058 How many class periods per week are you typically required to attend for the following subjects?

ST066 How often do these things happen in this science course?

ST067 In classes for this science course, approximately what proportion of the class time is usually lost due to class 

interruptions described in the previous question?
7

ST069 Think about your last two science class periods in the course you named above. About what proportion of time 

were you not concentrating on things related to this science course?

ST070 This school year or the last school year, have you taken additional instruction in the following subjects?

ST072 Think about your last two sessions in your additional science instruction. How often do these things happen in this 

additional, non-compulsory science instruction?

ST073 Think about your last two sessions in your additional science instruction. About what proportion of time were you 

not concentrating on things related to this additional science instruction?

ST074 During the last ten sessions of additional science instruction, how many did you miss?

ST075 The following questions ask about the most recent day you attended school. At what time did you do the 

following?

ST077 On the most recent day you attended school, how long did you study in the morning before going school?

ST079 On the most recent day you attended school, how long did you study after leaving school?

ST083 How often do you do the following at school?

ST084 How often do you do the following out-of-school?

ST085 How well does each of the following statements below describe you?

ST086 How well does each of the following statements describe you?

ST087 To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements about yourself?

ST088 To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements about yourself?

ST089 To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements about yourself?

ST090 Please read the descriptions about the following three students. Based on the information provided here, how much 

would you disagree or agree with the statement that this student is organized?

ST091 What kind of work do your father and mother do for their main jobs?

ST096 How interested are you in the following school subjects?

ST099 Within the last month at school, has a computer or a similar device (e. g., a tablet) ever been used for the following 

purposes in your science classes?

ST102 How often do these things happen in your science classes?

ST105 How often do these things happen in your classes for this science course?

ST106 How do you respond to the teacher’s feedback for this science course?

ST108 Thinking of your past two lessons in this science course: how much do you disagree or agree with the following 

statements?

ST109 Thinking of your past two lessons in this science course: how much do you disagree or agree with the following 

statements?

ST110 Thinking of your past two lessons in this science course: how much do you disagree or agree with the following 

statements?

ST112 How much do you agree with the statement below?

ST115 How informed are you about these topics?

ST116 Please read the descriptions about the following three students. Based on the information provided here, how much 

would you disagree or agree with the statement that this student is anxious about taking a test?

ST117 Please read the descriptions about the following three students. Based on the information provided here, how much 

would you disagree or agree with the statement that this student is anxious about taking a test?

ST118 To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements about yourself?

ST120 Thinking about your school: to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

ST122 Thinking about people who are important to you and how they view science: to what extent do you disagree or 

agree with the following statements?

ST124 Did you attend pre-school?

ST132 How easy do you think it would be for you to perform the following tasks on your own?

ST133 We are interested in what you think about the need for scientific skills in the job market today. How much do you 

disagree or agree with the following statements?

ST134 How much do you agree with the statements below?

ST135 How important should Lucy rate the statements below in her decision to buy the medicine?

ST136 How strongly should the statements below affect Joel’s decision to buy a helmet?

ST137 How strongly should the following statements affect Sandra’s decision to set up a training plan?

ST138 How strongly should the following statements affect Sandra’s decision to set up a training plan?

ST139 How strongly should the following statements affect Sandra’s decision to set up a training plan?

ST140 How strongly should the following statements affect Sandra’s decision to set up a training plan?

ST141 How much do you disagree or agree with the following statements about yourself?

ST142 Below you can see pairs of different occupations. In each line, please choose the one that you admire more.

ST143 How much do you disagree or agree with the statements about the use of new technologies (e.g., tablet computer, 

smartphone, Blu-ray player) below?

ST144 If you were in a position to decide on the application of a certain technology, which of the two arguments is more 
8

important in deciding to use each new technology?

ST145 How often do you use the following?

General	Teacher	Questionnaire

1. Modified	Items	

2015 Main Study 

Item # Item

General 

Direction

s

Note: The time to complete the teacher questionnaire has reduced from 45 minutes to 30 minutes.

TC007

Note: Responses Q03NA and Q04NA have been deleted.

How many years of work experience do you have?

Q03NA01) Year(s) working in other education roles (do not include years working as a teacher) ____

Q04NA01) Year(s) working in other jobs ____

TC026

Note: Responses Q03NA and Q08NA have been deleted.

We would like to know how you generally feel about your job. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the 

following statements?

Q03NA01) I would like to change to another school if that were possible.

Q08NA01) I think that the teaching profession is valued in society.

TC055

Note: Responses Q09NA, Q10NA, Q12NA, Q15NA, and Q16NA have been deleted.

To what extent do you use the following approaches to assign final semester grades to students in 10th grade?

Q09NA) I recognize exceptional academic merit (e.g., taking part in a national contest).

Q10NA) I use a set scale of percentages of correct responses to assess the students' performance.

Q12NA) I consider the quality of homework.

Q15NA) I consider students’ behavior (e.g., disruptive or supportive behavior).

Q16NA) I base grades on my overall judgement of student's learning.

TC060

Note: Responses Q01NA, Q03NA, Q05NA, Q08NA, Q10NA, Q11NA, Q12NA, Q13NA and Q14NA have been 

deleted.

Q01NA) The principal gives us a sense of purpose

Q03NA) The principal has high expectations for us as professionals

Q05NA) The principal is aware of my expertise

Q08NA) The principal delegates activities that are critical for attaining objectives

Q10NA) The principal takes the community’s aspirations and requests into account

Q11NA) The principal ensures that staffing is equitable

Q12NA) The principal regularly observes classroom activities

Q13NA) It is easy for staff to approach the principal

Q14NA) The principal has brought a lot of autonomy to the school
9

2. Deleted	Items

Item # Stem

TC003 Have you taught 10th grade in the last 12 months?

TC008 Did you submit a written application for the position as a teacher directly to your school?

TC009 You did not submit an application to your school directly. Did the district or other governing agency assign you to 

your position?

TC010 Was your current position at your school your first choice?

TC011 How important were the following reasons for applying to work at this particular school?

TC016 You attended a standard teacher education or training program.

What level of formal education did you reach there?

TC017 For how many months did you attend the teacher education or training program?

TC019 During the last 12 months, did you participate in any of the following professional development activities, and if 

yes, for how many days did they last?

TC022 How many days within a school year are you required to take part in professional development activities? 

TC023 How does your school support your professional development activities?

TC024 Teachers play an important role in communication with parents. From your perspective, to what extent are the 

following topics of parent-teacher communication important?

TC025 To what extent are the following ways of communicating with your students’ parents important to you?

TC047 In your teaching, to what extent can you do the following?

TC049 For these activities, do teams use online collaboration tools such as email, chat, shared documents, etc.?

TC050 What do you do to improve your students’ collaboration skills?

TC027 To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements about your teaching practices?

TC056

Please estimate the percentage of students in 10th grade at this school who have the following characteristics.

TC057 Schools differ in the way they address cultural diversity. For each of the following pairs of statements, please 

choose the statement that the majority of teachers in your school would agree with.

TC058 How many teachers in your school would agree with the following statements?

TC059 Do the following statements reflect practices for multicultural learning in your school?

TC061 In relation to the most successful countries in international comparison studies, how much is the education system 

in the United States losing ground?

TC062 To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements regarding your school?

TC063

During the last academic year has there been at least one internal evaluation at your school?

TC064 Did the last internal evaluation at your school address any of the following? 

TC065 Thinking about the last internal evaluation in your school. Do the following statements apply?

TC066 Based on your last internal school evaluation results, did your school implement any measures in the

following areas?

TC068 Concerning the feedback you have received at this school, to what extent has it directly led to a

positive change in any of the following?

Science	Teacher	Questionnaire

1. Modified	Items

Note	that	TC007	and	TC026	are	general	and	science	teacher	questionnaire	common	items	that	have	

been	modified.	

2015 Main Study 

Item # Item

General 

Directions Note: The time to complete the teacher questionnaire has reduced from 45 minutes to 30 minutes.

TC007

Note: Responses Q03NA and Q04NA have been deleted.

How many years of work experience do you have?

Q03NA01) Year(s) working in other education roles (do not include years working as a teacher) ____

Q04NA01) Year(s) working in other jobs ____
10

TC026

Note: Responses Q03NA and Q08NA have been deleted.

We would like to know how you generally feel about your job. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the 

following statements?

Q03NA01) I would like to change to another school if that were possible.

Q08NA01) I think that the teaching profession is valued in society.

TC031

Note: Responses Q01NA, Q02NA, Q03NA, Q05NA, Q06NA, Q08NA, Q09NA, Q10NA, Q12NA, Q16NA, Q17NA, 

Q19NA, Q21NA and Q22NA have been deleted.

To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements about regular cooperation among your 

fellow science teachers and yourself?

Q01NA) We pursue the same educational objectives.

Q02NA) We decide together what teaching materials should be used in lessons.

Q03NA) Apart from end-of-term conferences, we rarely discuss what targets students are expected to achieve in 

science.

Q05NA) We communicate information about subject-related issues.

Q06NA) We cooperate constructively on ways of teaching science.

Q08NA) We use our planning periods to work together.

Q09NA) We exchange tasks that we used to create written tests.

Q10NA) Our criteria for grading tests differ very little.

Q12NA) We discuss ways to stimulate students' science skills.

Q16NA) I discuss lessons with other science teachers even outside official meetings and conferences.

Q17NA) We exchange teaching material.

Q19NA) Our discussions mostly focus on the achievements of our students.

Q21NA) We discuss strategies for coping with professional problems.

Q22NA) We talk in an open manner about our experiences with classroom teaching.

TC033

Note: Responses Q01NA, Q02NA, Q03NA, and Q07NA have been deleted.

To what extent can (or could) you do the following?

Q01NA) Explain basic scientific ideas (such as energy or photosynthesis) to my science class

Q02NA) Design good test questions for my students

Q03NA) Provide an alternative explanation, for example when students are confused

Q07NA) Identify science related misconceptions through scrutiny of student work

TC034

Note: Responses Q03NA, Q05NA, and Q07NA have been deleted.

To what extent can (or could) you do the following?

Q03NA) Pass an entrance exam for a science bachelor’s course at college

Q05NA) Recommend high-quality science presentations in the media (TV, magazines) to my students

Q07NA) Use formal models to explain scientific phenomena
11

2. Deleted	Items

Note	that	TC003,	008,	009,	010,	011,	016,	017,	019,	022,	023,	024,	and	025 are	general	and	science	

teacher questionnaire	common	items	that	have	been	deleted.	

TC003 Have you taught 10th grade in the last 12 months?

TC008 Did you submit a written application for the position as a teacher directly to your school?

TC009 You did not submit an application to your school directly. Did the district or other governing agency assign you to 

your position?

TC010 Was your current position at your school your first choice?

TC011 How important were the following reasons for applying to work at this particular school?

TC016 You attended a standard teacher education or training program.

What level of formal education did you reach there?

TC017 For how many months did you attend the teacher education or training program?

TC019 During the last 12 months, did you participate in any of the following professional development activities, and if 

yes, for how many days did they last?

TC022 How many days within a school year are you required to take part in professional development activities?

TC023 How does your school support your professional development activities?

TC024 Teachers play an important role in communication with parents. From your perspective, to what extent are the 

following topics of parent-teacher communication important?

TC025 To what extent are the following ways of communicating with your students’ parents important to you?

TC027 To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements about your teaching practices?

TC032 For the following pairs of statements, please choose the response that is more prevalent in your school.

TC035 Below you will find descriptions of four science teachers. Please read each of the descriptions of these teachers, 

then state to what extent you disagree or agree with the highlighted final statement about the respective teacher.

TC036 Keeping your main science subject in mind, how much do you disagree or agree with the following statements?

TC038 How often do these situations occur in your science classes?

TC040 Does the curriculum for science for 10th grade include the following topics?

TC042 In which format is the intended science curriculum for 10th grade made available to teaching staff?

TC044 Are students informed about the availability and content of the science curriculum (e.g., during a school assembly 

or in a newsletter)?