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What type of questions will I have to answer?

What does TALIS stand for?

The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). TALIS Starting Strong is an international large-scale survey focusing on early learning and care staff, their professional development, their work with young children, the early learning and care environment, and the impact that staff can have on the children in their care.

What does ELC stand for?

Early learning and care (ELC) refers to early learning and care for children age 3 and above (pre-primary Education) or early learning and care for children under 3 (early childhood education) in registered settings.

What does IEA stand for?

International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. IEA conducts large-scale comparative studies of educational achievement and other aspects of education. IEA are conducting TALIS Starting Strong on behalf of the OECD.

What does OECD stand for?

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation comprising of 38 countries. It is concerned with socioeconomic progress and world trade. The TALIS Survey is one of many OECD surveys.

Who does Early Years Lead Educator/Early Years Educator refer to?

Early Years Lead Educator/ Early Years Educator refers to an individual who leads, supports and works directly with children and their families. This may be ELC provision for children age 3 and above or ELC provision for children under 3.

Who does ELC Setting Manager/Deputy Manager refer to?

ELC Setting Manager/Deputy Manager refers to individual(s) responsible for the managerial and/or pedagogical leadership at the ELC setting. As part of the leadership role this individual may be responsible for the monitoring of children, the supervision of other staff, contact with parents and guardians, and/or planning, preparation and carrying out of the pedagogical work in the centre. Managers may also spend part of their time working with the children. They may or may not work with children.

What is the purpose of TALIS Starting Strong?

TALIS Starting Strong compares early childhood settings within and across countries, highlighting diversity within systems and identifying points of commonality.
Ireland, along with 16 other countries, is taking part in the survey.
 
This survey offers early learning and care (ELC) staff & leaders the opportunity to have their say on play & learning practices used by staff and their needs & barriers for accessing training. Information gained from this survey informs and facilitates policy discussions about staff’s working conditions and training needs, helping to enhance the overall quality of the workforce.

Who is conducting the TALIS Starting Strong Survey in Ireland? 

It is conducted in Ireland by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) at the behest of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

How was I chosen for this Study?

Your setting was randomly selected from early learning and care settings across Ireland. 

How do I login to complete the Survey?

As part of the pack, you received a letter providing you with your unique login details.

What do I do if I lost my login details?

Please contact us as outlined below and we can resend the login details to you:
Telephone: 021 453 5110
Email: talis@cso.ie 

What is the deadline for completing the online survey?

30th April 2024.

Will my answers be kept confidential and how long will my data be retained?

Yes. All information supplied to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is treated as strictly confidential.  The Statistics Act, 1993 sets stringent confidentiality standards: Information collected may be used only for statistical purposes, and no details that might be related to an identifiable person or business undertaking may be divulged to any other government department or body.

Data collected during the survey will be anonymised at its conclusion.  Both the anonymised data held by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and the data held by the CSO that you provide in this survey will be held no longer than October 2025, subject to survey requirements.

What type of questions will I have to answer?

Questions will centre around the following areas:

  • The play and learning practices used by staff in their work with young children
  • The amount and type of professional development available to early learning and care (ELC) staff and their needs and barriers for accessing training
  • The ways that ELC setting climate and practices, including leadership, shape the learning and well-being environment for children and impact the work of staff
  • The characteristics of the ELC workforce and of ELC settings

What's the difference between the different questionnaires?

You will be automatically asked to fill in one of the following questionnaires based upon your early learning and care role:

  • Staff Questionnaire: If you are an Early Years Lead Educator/ Early Years Educator, who leads, supports and works directly with children and their families, you will be asked to fill in the Staff Questionnaire.
  • Leaders Questionnaire: If you are an ELC Setting Manager/Deputy Manager who is responsible for the managerial and/or pedagogical leadership at the ELC setting, you will be asked to fill in the Leaders Questionnaire.
  • Combined Questionnaire Main: If you are an ELC Setting Manager/Deputy Manager who is responsible for the managerial and/or pedagogical leadership at the ELC setting and works directly with children in your setting on a regular basis, you will be asked to fill in the Combined Questionnaire Main.
  • Combined Questionnaire Short: If you are a sole operator in your ELC setting you will be asked to fill in the Combined Questionnaire Short.

How long does the questionnaire take?

Depending on which questionnaire you are asked to complete, it will take between 45-75minutes.

Who do I contact if I want more information or have problems with completing the online survey?

Gemma O'Connell Duff
Telephone: 021 453 5110
Email: talis@cso.ie 

Why you can Trust the CSO

Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.