Appraisal: a process for control or development?: a study of teacher accountability, power and decision-making with emphasis on the New Zealand context

<p>This sociological-historical study aims to contribute to the understanding and analysis of the changing pattern of power and decision-making in education apparent in the development of teacher appraisal policy. The study provides an account of the factors influencing the New Zealand teacher appraisal policy draft which at the time of writing is still to be released. A range of considerations to be taken into account is exposed and the signposts for the development of teacher appraisal policy are made explicit. This is achieved by making the process transparent as well as recognising and evaluating the contribution made by participants. A key feature of this study is the examination of the 'policy importation' process as the emerging demand for greater teacher accountability in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand has resulted in the formalisation of the assessment of teachers' professional performance through appraisal policies. This study argues that three perspectives have shaped the debate on teacher appraisal: neo-liberal market; managerial; and professional. It posits that a noticeable shift has been made towards the requirements of managerial accountability and examines the reasons for this.</p>

Appraisal: a process for control or development?: a study of teacher accountability, power and decision-making with emphasis on the New Zealand context

<p>This sociological-historical study aims to contribute to the understanding and analysis of the changing pattern of power and decision-making in education apparent in the development of teacher appraisal policy. The study provides an account of the factors influencing the New Zealand teacher appraisal policy draft which at the time of writing is still to be released. A range of considerations to be taken into account is exposed and the signposts for the development of teacher appraisal policy are made explicit. This is achieved by making the process transparent as well as recognising and evaluating the contribution made by participants. A key feature of this study is the examination of the 'policy importation' process as the emerging demand for greater teacher accountability in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand has resulted in the formalisation of the assessment of teachers' professional performance through appraisal policies. This study argues that three perspectives have shaped the debate on teacher appraisal: neo-liberal market; managerial; and professional. It posits that a noticeable shift has been made towards the requirements of managerial accountability and examines the reasons for this.</p>

Factors influencing language teacher cognition: An ecological systems study

Learning about language teacher cognition (LTC) is useful for understanding how language teachers act in the classroom. Employing an ecological framework, this study aimed to explore the factors influencing language teachers’ LTCs at different levels. To this end, qualitative data using semi-structured interviews and observation were collected from 62 (30 males and 32 females) Iranian EFL teachers. The results indicated that, at microsystem level, factors such as teaching equipment and facilities, teachers’ mood and feelings, their job satisfaction, and language proficiency influenced LTC. At mesosystem level, LTC was influenced by teachers’ prior learning experience, the collaboration and collegiality among teachers working in the language institute, teachers’ self-efficacy, and critical incidents that happened when teaching or learning. Additionally, the results indicated that exosystem level factors including teacher appraisal criteria, the teaching program and curriculum, and teacher immunity affected LTC. Moreover, LTC was subject to the influence of the government’s attitudes about ELT and religious beliefs about self and interaction, and friendliness with students at macrosystem level. More importantly, it was found that the factors influencing LTC were interrelated and interconnected and in several cases, LTC was a product of joint effect of several factors at various ecosystem levels. Finally, findings in this study suggest that language teaching programs provide recent educational technology in the classroom, foster collaboration and collegiality among teachers, and clarify teacher appraisal criteria for teachers in order to help create positive language teaching beliefs.