A strong focus has been placed on accountability for the educational process and the achievement of all students. This has put tremendous pressure on teachers, as well as school administrators, superintendents, and school board members, to seek innovative ways to increase student achievement and to ensure that effective teachers are in all classrooms, so emphasis is on developing effective evaluation systems. Given the development and implementation of the Mississippi Teacher Evaluation System (MTES) in 2010, there is a need to discover the perspectives of the teachers who are evaluated within this process. The success of an evaluation process will only be successful if teachers use it to enhance their professional growth and effectiveness in the classroom. In order to gain an understanding of the perceptions of Mississippi teachers in Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) schools and their insight into the MTES, this study focused on three research questions: (1) how do Mississippi teachers perceive the usefulness of the MTES, (2) how do Mississippi teachers perceive that the MTES develops their effective teaching practices, and (3) how do Mississippi teachers perceive that the MTES supports teachers’ professional growth? A qualitative approach provided descriptive, narrative, and percentage responses to the research questions of this multiple-case study. Results showed that the majority of the TIF teachers who participated in this study perceived that the MTES to have some degree of usefulness, especially when implemented consistently across the campus. Teachers who did not experience the entire evaluation process and feedback conferences were frustrated and irritated by the process. Overall, teachers did experience an improvement in their instructional practices because of their participation in the MTES, and most perceived that the MTES supported their professional growth because of targeted professional development and the development of professional-growth goals. With timely feedback and evaluator support, teachers are enriching their teaching practices which enhance student engagement, but they are concerned that the instrument is not being implemented consistently in all schools. There is a lack of confidence in navigating the observation rubric and implementing the process with consistency.

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Although there is substantial literature on the use of performance appraisal in the for-profit world, there is little literature available concerning the appraisal of staff positions in higher education. More knowledge is needed in this area since there is considerable research indicating that performance appraisal creates benefits to an organization and its employees. This study provides a comprehensive review of the development and use of performance appraisal in the United States, and a detailed look at the purposes, benefits, and challenges of performance appraisal. The study found a very high usage of staff performance appraisal in its population of 108 Christian colleges and universities. However, it also found a significant amount of dissatisfaction with the appraisal process due to (a) lack of leadership support for the appraisal process, (b) supervisors not being held accountable for the timely completion of their appraisals, and (c) the lack of training provided supervisors for doing performance appraisals well.

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Is resilience effortlessly innate or is it an acquired skill developed through the endless battle between thriving and self-destruction? The first goal of the present research is to identify mechanisms of resilience. The second goal of the research is to identify mechanisms of resilience, solidifying and expanding upon previously identified mechanisms and examining novel mechanisms. The third goal is to clarify the resilience process as a whole by examining the order of mechanisms that individuals use to foster their resilience within the workplace. It is hypothesized that (1) Autonomous motivation will be the primary foundational mechanism of resilience; (2) Emotional intelligence, challenge appraisals, positive humour and risk-taking will be important mechanisms of resilience and mediate the relationship between autonomous motivation and resilience; (3) The order of mediators will be important in the process of developing resilience; (4) Emotional intelligence will precede challenge appraisals, and risk-taking will precede positive humour. This research project is comprised of 5 studies. Studies 1-4 use linear and multiple regressions to conduct multiple mediation models to evaluate and examine mechanisms of resilience. Study 5 uses a deductive content-analysis approach to analyze qualitative data, to help better understand the nuances of resilience that quantitative data cannot illustrate. Resilience research has many discrepancies relating to its process and mechanisms thus, this research project offers important potential fundamental contributions. By identifying and solidifying mechanisms of resilience, training, counseling, and education will be better informed to have greater success in fostering resilience within individuals and across contexts.

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