Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1982. / Also available in print.

The subject of the dissertation This dissertation focuses on a controversial area of quality management in education: teacher-appraisal. The research is set in the Hungarian maintained sector secondary educational context but with an outlook on developments on the international scene. The ultimate objective of the investigation is to examine and theorise how an appraisal system needs to be linked to a specific context and the norms which professional teachers have in that context. In order to achieve this I designed, piloted and critically analysed an internal secondary school teacher appraisal scheme which is based on (i) a systematic in-depth review of the relevant academic background and (ii) the comprehensive study of the specific context. The nature and scope of work undertaken The project consists of two closely related phases. Phase 1 is a four-part preliminary study, which lays the theoretical foundation for the second phase of the investigation by exploring the distinctive features of the Hungarian context and surveying the available academic knowledge of the subject. The first part is a review of the current context for teacher appraisal in Hungary, the second part is a comprehensive review of both the Hungarian and the international literature on the most controversial appraisal-related issues, the third part is a review of some selected earlier and existing models of appraisal, and the fourth part presents and evaluates a set of large scale surveys of the opinions of three key cohorts of stakeholders (teachers, pupils and their parents) in Hungarian secondary education. Phase 2 consists of two overarching sections, which uses the knowledge acquired in Phase 1 in order to obtain direct experience of how this knowledge can be applied in a specific context. My purpose in this phase is to devise, analyse and evaluate a teacher appraisal scheme which is theoretically well-founded, reasonably practicable, and in full compliance with the norms and the specific legal and moral requirements of Hungarian education. The first part, building on the findings and conclusions of the first phase of the investigation, draws up the general theoretical principles and practical details of a proposal for a pioneer secondary school teacher appraisal scheme. The second part describes in detail the piloting of this scheme on a small but typical population, and presents the analysis and discussion of the data from both the piloting proper and the follow-up review of the piloting process. While findings from the pilot seem to have confirmed the validity of the proposed scheme, they have also revealed that the sociological-societal environment (lack of motivation and lack of resources) might prove to be a serious obstacle in the path of the introduction of appraisal in secondary schools in Hungary. Contribution made to the knowledge of the subject treated On the basis of empirical evidence from the research, it was possible to (i) establish a general theoretical framework that can provide a sound basis for a conceptual model for linking teacher appraisal to specific contexts and the norms stakeholders have in that context, and (ii) develop a practical methodology for a design process which can help administrators devise an appraisal scheme which conforms to the accepted norms of stakeholders in a particular educational context. This design process can be divided into two distinct phases: generalising a methodology for formulating a roughly-tuned national-level proposal on the one hand, and establishing a standard procedure for the local-level fine-tuning of this proposal to the specific contexts and norms of a particular institution on the other.

M. Ed. / The purpose of performance appraisal can be seen as a means to improve the organization's performance through the enhanced performance of individuals. When people think about performance appraisal, they often refer to a number of more specific positive objectives such as, (Fisher, 1996:11): to review past performance; to assess training needs; to help develop individuals; to audit the skills within the organization; to set targets for future performance; and to identify potential for promotion. The problem, however, often stems from the negative perception of individuals that may believe that performance appraisal is simply used by an organization to apportion blame and to provide a basis for disciplinary action, or to demote or find fault with employees. Some people see it as a stick (Fisher, 1996:11) that management has introduced with which to beat people. And if that is their attitude — with or without cause, performance appraisal is doomed to failure. Improvement in performance (Redfern, 1984:1) is widely acclaimed as a most desirable goal of personal evaluation or appraisal, yet the types and kinds of evaluation procedures developed often make the attainment of this goal very difficult. A performance appraisal provides a periodic opportunity for communication between the person who assigns the work, and the person who performs it, to discuss what they expect from the others and how well those expectations are being met (Maddux, 1986:9). Performance appraisals are not hostile proceedings, nor for that matter are they social chitchat. They are an essential communication link between two people with a common purpose. Leading these discussions is not always easy, but the principles and techniques for effective sessions can be learned and applied by everyone. Too often appraisals are left until the last minute and then done in a hasty and unprofessional manner. When this occurs, the results are poor. The superior feels guilty and the employee unimportant and let down. The Government's educational reforms have created an unprecedented rate of change in schools (Healy, 1994: 9). They have also raised basic questions about the purpose of education and the nature of school management and leadership. In this context, there is an urgent need for all of us with an interest in education to step back and reflect on recent educational reforms, to reaffirm old truths and successful practice where appropriate. We need to sift out and implement the best of new ideas, modifying or abandoning those, which are a distraction from the central purpose of schools. This will ensure that an education of high quality is a guaranteed opportunity for all children and young people. Few in education would seriously question the principle of appraising the performance of educators. It is clear that leadership of high quality is a crucial ingredient of successful schools. We should therefore be seeking new insights into ideas, which contribute to effective leadership and making sure that we learn the lessons when things go wrong.

Teacher appraisal has long been a contentious and contested area in educational management. The recent implementation of a new system of appraisal in Eastern Cape Schools has led to renewed interest in the role and management of appraisal. The objective of this study was to investigate principals' perception of the management of staff appraisal. An interpretive paradigm was adopted and the research is a case study of four secondary schools in Port Elizabeth. Two methods were used in collecting data, namely, questionnaires and interviews. The content comparative method was used to analyse the data. The findings of this study showed areas of continuities and discontinuities with the literature and the new document on appraisal. There is a clear understanding among the principals interviewed that staff appraisal should be used to assess individual teacher performance and that it should also be developmental. There is clear support from the principals on the involvement of other stakeholders. They see the process as transformative and participatory. They find it acceptable and are willing to be involved. However, the findings also indicate a lack of readiness on the part of the principals to fully embrace a fully participative and developmental approach to appraisal. On the strength of these findings I conclude the thesis by making recommendations for policy, principals, teachers and for future researchers in the field.

D.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complexities which constitute an effective teacher and promote a positive learning climate, a field study methodology was employed to develop an evaluative instrument and to gain descriptive data. For the purpose of developing an instrument to describe and measure effective teachers, 24 actual learning sessions (classes) were observed, extensive notes taken, and tape recordings were made in order to isolate and describe the behaviors which seemed critical to the situation being studied. This was done by observing the teacher as he taught and the learners while they learned. The teacher was reputed to be an "effective" teacher and was chosen for this reason. At the end of the 24 sessions the perceptions, observations, and inferences of the investigator were measured against those of the learners in the same classroom situation to determine how congruent they were. The results of the study also confirmed the reputation of the teacher. This information was utilized in the development of scale items. In addition, a second study was designed as a measure of the same teacher, teaching another course, and different students (92 second year medical students). A questionnaire was designed to test the overall effectiveness of the teacher, by the students, and just as important as the rating was the information elicited from the students regarding the teacher and the class process. This was done by way of open ended questions, and the coding of these questions by the investigator. This information too became useful in developing scale items. Once the scale items were developed by the empirical method described above, the items were pretested on teachers teaching in the same department as the exemplar teacher. The results of the pre-test were statistically significant correlations between the scale items and a student rating of the overall effectiveness of the teachers being studied. The scale items were refined and tested on another larger and different samples of teachers. The teachers in this sample were teachers at Portland State University in various departments. Thirty teachers participated in the testing of the instrument. This part of the study was designed to compare the instrument developed by the investigator using the process of a trained observer (direct observation) against a study designed and developed by the traditional survey method of scale development which utilized factor analysis to select scale items. The correlation between the b10 scales (a split model design was used--one half the students answered the investigator's instrument, one half the students answered the criterion instrument) was nearly perfect.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The democratic South Africa’s dual challenge in overcoming its own divisive history as well as addressing global economic imperatives, has led to transformations in education. Policy production thus takes place in an atmosphere infused by economic, political, social and cultural effects of globalization. Embedded within the wave of curriculum reform, are new forms of learner assessment which have shifted from being largely norm-based and summative to one which is formative, standards- based and continuous. The new discourse on assessment requires a ‘paradigm shift’ for most teachers implementing the new assessment policy. Although education policy reforms in schools challenge teachers’ existing practices and increases teachers’ work load, they seldom give due attention to teachers’ identities. My research raises questions about the political rationalities that have informed policies on a new conception of the ideal teacher as assessor and how these political rationalities have intersected with the individual lives and identities of teachers. This study investigates at a micro-level, the workings of how teachers govern themselves in their work and in general as human beings. The constitution of teacher identity through discourses and discursive practices of the assessment reform is central to the argument of this thesis which is guided by the following critical question: Within the historical context of the current wave of curriculum reform in South Africa, how is teacher identity constituted in the discourses and practices of assessment reform? Data was obtained from ten teacher participants through interviews, classroom observations and document evidence. Using the biographical / life history approach and teachers’ narratives of self, I explore patterns by which experiential and emotional contexts, feelings, images and memories are organized to form the teachers’ identity. My analytical strategy draws from the work of Foucault (1954-1984), Giddens (1991), Wenger (1998), Bourdieu (1977), Frankl (1984), Laclau and Mouffe (1985), Maslow (1943) as well as other scholars. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences