A PISA accompanying study aims to show the importance of English teachers' didactic knowledge for learning success. In this PISA accompanying research study, test instruments from Prof. Dr. Petra Kirchhoff from the University of Augsburg and Prof. Dr. Stefan Krauss from the University of Regensburg will be used together. The PISA National Center at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is responsible for and scientifically manages the study. What role does subject-specific didactic knowledge play in the teaching of English as a foreign language? And how important is the professional knowledge of teachers for the learning progress of pupils? A study involving Prof. Dr. Petra Kirchhoff from the University of Augsburg and Prof. Dr. Stefan Krauss from the University of Regensburg is investigating these questions. The survey is being conducted to accompany the PISA 2025 study, in which foreign language skills in English will be assessed for the first time. The 2901 teachers randomly selected for PISA will also be surveyed with regard to their professional knowledge. 

“For mathematics, we already know that there is a connection between the didactic knowledge of the teacher and teaching and learning success,” says Kirchhoff, referring to the large-scale Coactiv study, which was carried out in Germany in 2003 to accompany the PISA study. The study, which she and Krauss supervised, is now intended to show the extent of the influence of subject-specific didactic knowledge in English. “The data collected as part of this PISA accompanying study serves as a basis. On this basis, careful proposals for future teacher training can be developed,” says Kirchhoff. She sees it as a great opportunity that foreign language skills are receiving attention in the PISA study for the first time: “It is absolutely important to know where we stand in international comparison.”

The PISA study has been carried out by OCED since 2000, usually every three years. In Germany, the Center for International Educational Comparison Studies (ZIB) and the Technical University of Munich are responsible for PISA. The aim of the international school performance test is to test and compare the skills of 15-year-olds in the areas of math, science and reading. The focus of this year's survey is on scientific literacy. Reading and mathematics form the secondary domains. In addition to foreign language skills in English, the area of learning in a digital world is also covered.