.. , The assessment of an individual is an attempt to estimate the value of, or the quality of, that specific individual. (Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1983 : 52) In recent years, the focus of teacher assessment has broadened to incorporate consideration both of the assessment of potential and the assessment for professional development. The underlying focus of this project is to explore the possibilities and potentiality of Systematic Staff Appraisal, to meet the need for a process of teacher assessment, which will be formative in its intention, empowering and developmental, and which might be implementable in the South African and KwaZulu-Natal context. It is believed that this new system will help to develop the skills of the educator and identify more accurately the individual development needs of the teacher. The system is intended to increase the overall effectiveness of the individual and to move away from the subjective judgements and threats to teacher autonomy. It is a system designed to guide, support, encourage and extend good teacher practice and professional competency. The project is a consideration of some of the purposes, processes and principles involved in Systematic Staff Appraisal, and to focus on the potentiality for the implementation of this system in contributing to the enhancement of teacher quality and school effectiveness. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 1995.

This small-scale study sought to investigate “Teacher experiences and practices of Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) at a primary school in KwaZulu-Natal”. This qualitative study gathered data through the case study approach guided by the following key questions: 1. What are the teachers’ understanding of how IQMS evaluation process works? 2. What are the teachers’ perceptions of the shortcomings of the IQMS? 3. How do teachers perceive the support that they may have received or not received as a result of IQMS interventions? The study entailed interviewing the principal of a school, deputy principal, three heads of department and four level one educators; providing and administering questionnaires to ten level one educators; and doing documents analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the teachers understand the purpose of the IQMS policy but this policy is challenged when coming to its implementation. It emerged from the findings that one factor contributing to the unfairness of the system, was the tendency to give high scores on educator’s performance when the performance is not up to the standard. Level one educators argue that the system allows educators to appoint their friends to act as DSG members, and that in their minds, this presents some flaws which undermine good intentions of the policy. It was also fond that the National Department of Education made assumption that the educators have skills to evaluate themselves and that all educators are honest and trustworthy people and this in their view, contributes to ineffective implementation of the IQMS policy. The teachers feel that they needed training on self- iv evaluation prior to the implementation of this policy. The issue of the lack of physical resources in schools was also raised. These physical resources need to be used in the classroom during the teacher evaluation in class and during the professional development of educators in order to assist them to grasp the new concepts easily. It also emerged from the findings that the Teacher Unions who represented the educators during the initial stages of the introduction of the IQMS policy, did not express all the teachers’ concerns regarding the policy and as a result the educators still do not have the ownership of the policy. In the light of what has been said above, I recommended that the National Department of Education must review this policy and change some of its aspects where the teachers have concerns, for example, an expert in the subject/learning area in which the teacher is evaluated, must be appointed and serve in the DSG instead of a friend appointed by the teacher. This will eliminate the awarding of undeservedly high marks and dishonesty. The expert may be appointed within the school or from a neighbouring school or district office. I further recommended that the educators need to be trained in a workshop on how to do self-evaluation or self-reflection in preparation for their appraisal. These are the important skills that the teachers need to acquire so that they will be honest to themselves and effectively determine their real strengths and areas of development. Another recommendation is that the Department of Education must equip all the schools with support materials to facilitate learning at all levels. The professional growth of educators must be supported by the physical resources or learning materials. On the whole the IQMS policy needs to be reviewed and revised by the National Department of Education. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2010.

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of teachers with respect to the intentions of the Developmental Appraisal Policy, how the policy was implemented at school level and its influence on Teaching. How this policy came to be understood and interpreted at school level during its implementation phase is the subject of this study, focussing on a teacher-union sanctioned policy aimed at Teacher Professional Development. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies characterise the data collection strategy. A survey questionnaire was administered to 181 teachers in the Verulam Circuit in KwaZulu-Natal. Indepth semi-structured interviews were conducted using a stratified random sample of 15 teachers in proportion to the three variables namely, gender, age and race. The study's findings reveal the following: 1) The implementation of the policy was largely executed in a technical administrative fashion which provide semblances of being well understood and accepted as a new form of appraisal replacing the former "judgemental approach" to Teacher Appraisal. 2) In the actual practical operation of the proposed teacher professional appraisal procedures, teachers at the institutional level were seen to be using the Developmental Appraisal Policy in not so different a fashion as the former judgemental model, which promoted nepotism and a superficial attention to deep teacher professional changes. An important question needs to be borne in mind: Does a union-driven policy lead to deeper changes in Teacher Professional Development in a democratic ethos? 3) Most of the teachers claimed that sharing of resources and assessment techniques had positively influenced their Teaching- Practice. However, these activities had been in practice long before the introduction of the Appraisal policy. There were also conflicting views whether the Developmental Appraisal Policy or Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) Policy had caused an influence on Teaching Practice. There was very little to no evidence to suggest that the appraisal policy had influenced the teachers' Teaching Practice. 4) The study revealed that the different genders, ages and races interpreted the impact of the Developmental Appraisal Policy in relation to their unique expectations of their school context, their lived! executed experiences of teaching and their stages of development as professionals. A "one-size- fits-all" Developmental Appraisal Policy is thus discouraged. The results suggest three broad implications for school-based Teacher Professional Development viz.: • changes needed at the policy landscape (at the Department level), • changes needed at the school landscape (at institutional level), • and changes needed at an individual level. Firstly, the Department of Education as the employer tries to regulate the school from the "outside". Changes at this level include for example, the need for Department officials to rethink the way they perceive and communicate with the broader constituency of teachers. The gap between the Department as "bureaucrats" and teachers need to be narrowed. Both Department officials and teachers need to realise that they are "partners" towards improving the quality of teaching and learning. Secondly, the thesis argues that there are many changes necessary at an institutional level to engage with Teacher Professional Development. For example, school personnel such as teachers and managers need to design a flexible school timetable to accommodate time for teachers to engage with Teacher Development. Thirdly, personal factors such as love for children, passion and dedication towards the profession emerged as important factors in engaging with Teacher Professional Development. Thus, the thesis argues that Teacher Professional Development entails developing also the "inner qualities" of the teacher. Teacher Professional Development cannot be confined to faithful compliance to delivery of state-designed curricula. Finally, the thesis argues that we need to integrate harmoniously the changes at these three levels i.e. the Departmental, institutional and individual levels so that effective Teacher Development can take place. This study contributes to understanding more qualitatively and quantitatively the Teacher Development landscape of post-apartheid educational transformation from the perspective of teachers within their institutions engaging with policies targeting their professional growth. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Durban-Westville, 2003.

It has been widely publicized that approximately 98% of the teachers in the United States are rated as satisfactory (Weisberg, Sexton, Mulhern, & Keeling, 2009). This has led many Americans to think that there are very few ineffective teachers in the United States. But is this true? This study indicated that a majority of the principals in the state of Indiana (56.6%) have ineffective teachers in their schools. When ineffective teachers are allowed to stay in the classroom for multiple years, a lot of students are adversely affected by these decisions (Peske & Haycock, 2006). This research focused on defining teacher effectiveness from the perspective of school principals. Are Indiana principals competent to identify effective and ineffective teachers? This research indicated that over 94% of the principals agreed, “Without hesitation, they were able to identify effective and ineffective teachers”. When principals were asked about six common aspects of the teaching practice that lead to effectiveness, the ability to engage students was the overwhelming factor that 68% of the principals indicated as most important. The other factors included achievement score growth, ability to establish quality relationships with students, content knowledge, planning skills, and classroom management skills. What has historically happened to ineffective teachers in Indiana, specific to their contract status? Currently a very small percentage of teachers are being counseled out of the profession by their principals, and even fewer teachers are having their contracts canceled. More specifically, 92.2% of principals indicated that they counseled out less than 3% of their teachers, and 95.5% of Indiana principals indicated that they recommended contract cancelations for less than 3% of their teachers last year. Lastly, principals were asked if they would make recommendations for more teacher contract cancelations as a result of the changes in Indiana laws that define teacher effectiveness. Only 23.8% of principals indicated that the changes in law would cause them to more frequently recommend contract cancelations. Three hundred twenty K-12 public school principals were randomly selected and mailed a 36-question survey. One hundred ninety-one principals (59.7%) completed the survey. The comprehensive survey results are included in this study. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was to establish and describe the validity and reliability of an instrument based on a model of teaching behaviors conceived as magnetic lines of force.Content validity was established by reviewing the literature and identifying possible teaching behaviors which researchers felt contributed to increased pupil learning. These behaviors were presented to a panel of judges from faculty in the Teachers College, Ball State University, to ascertain behaviors which they felt increase the likelihood pupils would increase comprehension in reading. After the panel had made their suggestions, the list of behaviors was revised and used with two middle school classes at the Burris Laboratory School. Pupils were asked to identify the behaviors which they felt were associated with their increased learning. A final list of twenty items became the revised instrument for use in the study.A group of practicing teachers critiqued the list of twenty behaviors. This group was directed to identify how strongly they agreed with the placement of each of the behaviors under one of the four scales postulated.Construct validity was established by discussing the research supporting each of the scales, subscales and behaviors listed in the instrument.Each of the twenty items was judged as valid by a minimum of 70 percent of the selected panel members and the twenty items included was recognized as a valid example of the constructs identified with the exception of those items assumed to reflect firmness.It was possible to relate each of the twenty items in the instrument to research studies accepted by editors and authors in the field despite inherent weaknesses in definitions, experimental designs, and theoretical orientation. In this sense, the instrument has acceptable construct validity.The instrument was then used to gather data on a group of teacher trainees assigned to a laboratory school at Ball State University. After each teacher trainee had taught a short unit, the pupils taught filled out the instrument which had been devised.Reliability measures consisted of computing coefficient alpha for various major scales and subscales of the instrument. Computations were run by the Ball State University Center using the reliability program from the SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences DEC system –10.The coefficient alpha reliability indexes of .90 for the total scale, .86 for the cognitive scale, and .78 for the affective scale were judged acceptable for use in additional research studies in the field. The coefficient alpha reliability index of .82 for the clarity subscale, .81 for the flexibility subscale, and .78 for the warmth subscale were also judged acceptable for use in additional reliability index of .68 for the firmness subscale suggest questionable reliability for all but the most general research purposes.Recommendations were formulated to encourage further development of the model and refinement of the instrument (particularly the "firmness" subscale).

No description available.

<p>The purpose of the study was to investigate prospective &lsquo / A&rsquo / level mathematics teachers&rsquo / knowledge of the concept of a function. The study was a case study of six prospective Zimbabwean teachers who were majoring in mathematics with the intention of completing a programme leading to certification as secondary mathematics teachers. At the time of the study the six prospective teachers were in their final year of study. Prospective teachers&rsquo / knowledge of the concept of a function was assessed through task-based interviews and reflective interviews. These interviews, which were done over a period of three months, were structured to capture the prospective teachers&rsquo / subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge for teaching the concept of a function. The interviews were also meant to capture the prospective teachers&rsquo / underlining pedagogical reasons for their choices of the examples, representations and teaching approaches when planning to teach the concept.</p> <p>As part of the study a theoretical framework for understanding prospective teachers&rsquo / knowledge of the concept of a function was developed. The framework, which was developed, was used as an analytical tool in analyzing prospective teachers knowledge of the concept of a function. The results of the study indicated that the prospective teachers had a process conception of a function although some of them had given a set-theoretic definition of a function in which a function is perceived as a mathematical object. They also confined the notion of a function to sets of real numbers. Functions defined on other mathematical objects (for example, the differential operator and the determinant function) were not considered as functions by five of the six prospective teachers.</p>

This research aimed at identifying the teacher competencies of teachers teaching at an international school in Saudi Arabia. The research addressing the problems and sub-problems involved a literature review that conceptualised multicultural education and international schooling. The empirical investigation included the use of a questionnaire to gather data. The questionnaire aimed at determining the ability of teachers to function effectively within a multicultural environment. The findings, which were linked to the literature review, revealed areas of strength and weakness. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for school administrators for the design of appropriate staff development programmes to inculcate in teachers the competencies necessary to perform effectively in an international multicultural environment. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Educational psychology)

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Apprentices in South Africa must attend a technical college for their theory training. A major problem is that technical colleges experience difficulty in attracting suitable people to be appointed as lecturers in their technical departments. The majority of technical lecturers are artisans who are drawn from industry as they are needed to teach trade theory to apprentices. In most cases the young lecturer who teaches technical subjects does not have the necessary professional qualifications. One cannot assume that someone who is suitably qualified in a technical field of study is necessarily capable of successfully passing on his knowledge to the students. , The functions and tasks of the lecturer must be examined. Once these have been defined, one can concentrate on the recruitment of lecturers. The following factors must be considered: admission requirements, evaluation and acknowledgement of qualifications, promotion and conditions of service. It is not only important to recruit the most suitably qualified person but just as important to ensure that this person remains in the teaching profession. The problem is that salaries and benefits are determined by the education department and colleges cannot compete with industry. In most cases the suitable lecturers, as well as those with a few years teaching experience, are offered well-paid jobs with excellent benefits in the industrial sector. The technical lecturer is a member of the college staff. As many lecturers have the required professional qualifications, it is imperative that all lecturers fulfil the requirements set by the teaching profession. This means that most of the newly appointed technical lecturers must be professionally developed. The principal of the college plays a vital role in the professional training and development of the lecturer. He can promote this by adopting the correct managerial attitude and by creating the appropriate college climate. A good evaluation system is also important...

M. Ed. / The main aim of the research was to investigate the components of teacher competence and how these aspects can enhance teacher effectiveness. The research highlighted that teacher competence and competent feedback, during and after appraisal, can promote the effectiveness of the teachers. It was of vital importance that this research essay focused on intentionality because it is a lynch pin between competent feedback and teacher competence. Intentionality is a component of invitational feedback and a must for any educational endeavour. In order for teachers to teach effectively and facilitate learning, intentionality from educational managers will have to be employed in order to enhance the goals of the education system in South Africa. 5.2 SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT FINDINGS A descriptive analysis of how the questions pertaining to this research essay on intentionality were rated and ranked will now be offered. The questions were as follows: 5.2.1 Descriptive analysis Looking at all the questions on intentionality as an aspect of invitational feedback, the responses in general show that intentionally invitational feedback provided by educational managers is good. This is highlighted by all the mean scores which are above average when compared to the questionnaire which has the ideal score of 5, represented by always. However, educational managers can improve their skills of communication by always providing intentionally invitational feedback. The question on sincerity (= 17) has a mean score 3,35 and ranked 1,which shows that respondents view sincere educational managers as those who provide good intentionally invitational feedback. Such educational managers assist teachers in a just cause and provide competent feedback. This type of communication has purposeful intentions which will improve their skills of competence and thus promote their professional development (See: Chapter 2, 5.5 Table 4.1) The question on responsibility (B81) has a mean score 3,34 and ranked 2,which highlights the fact that respondents view accountable educational managers as those who provide intentionally invitational feedback. Accountability will enable educational managers to provide a range of developmental opportunities for teachers that will empower them in every educational sphere (See: Chapter 2, 2.5.2, Table 4.1). With regard to the question on participation (c= 93), which has a mean score 3,03 and ranked 5, the responses revealed that educational managers who employ participatory management are those who provide intentionally invitational feedback. This type of communication will allow teachers to be involved in the design of an action plan. This involvement will enable teachers to work as a team and participate in decision-making process and problem-solving situations (See: Chapter 2, 2.5.1, Table 4.1). From the analysis of the views of the respondents on items concerning intentionality as an aspect of invitational feedback, it is evident that intentionality holds together all the elements of invitational feedback because it is a purposeful act which is invitational.