In the series, five Chinese teachers took over a class of 50 teenagers at a school in southern England and taught them in a traditional Chinese way — no talking, no questions, and with lessons focused on note-taking and repetition. The documentary sparked heated debate on the teaching styles in the two countries.

"But the survey results showed that it could be a different story with Shanghai teachers," Zhang said.

The survey found that teachers who said that thinking and reasoning are more important than passing on knowledge to students accounted for 96 percent of the respondents, the highest proportion globally.

Zheng Yiwen, a math teacher at an elite high school in Shanghai's Changning district, said: "We prioritize giving students opportunities to think over methods to solve a question by themselves, pair discussions and group work. ... Moreover, we encourage them to give multiple answers to a question."

The survey also found that all teachers in Shanghai receive in-house training, with a veteran teacher as a one-on-one instructor.

The proportion of teachers often observing other teachers' classes was 99 percent, the world's highest.