Teachers' perceptions of the evaluation process

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ experiences with the implementation of new personnel evaluation processes and procedures in one county in Georgia. A grounded theory protocol was used to determine the perspectives of teachers participating in the new evaluation processes. Guided by symbolic interactionism, interviews were conducted, coded and analyzed. Artifacts and documents were further used to inform the researcher of the teachers’ experiences and added to the data. The researcher used constant comparative method of data analysis to describe participants’ experiences and then to draw conclusions from the data. Findings of this study indicated: (a) teachers experienced stress as a result of perceived unreasonable requirements and documentation, (b) teachers experienced both pressures and satisfaction as a result of the goal setting process, (c) participation in focus groups resulted in a positive experience due to the collaboration with other teachers, (d) conferencing with evaluators resulted in clarification, affirmation and a trust in the overall process of evaluation. Furthermore, an analysis of the data also resulted in an overarching theme in the use of time the process required for both positive and negative experiences of teachers in the evaluation.