The role of development appraisal teams in teacher development in schools.
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Date
2009
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to research the role the development appraisal
teams, namely the staff development team and development support group
play in developing educators in schools.
The objectives of this study were to understand the problems or challenges
faced by schools in developing educators. Provide training for the School
Management Team, Development Support Group and Staff Development
Team to enable them to perform their roles of educator development.
Evaluate and monitor the development appraisal system and educator
development.
The literature reviewed for this study examines key concepts of appraisal
across the globe that would help me understand the South African educator
appraisal system and critically evaluate it. This was done by firstly, looking at
the following concepts in both business and education: performance
management, performance related pay and staff development. Secondly,
educator appraisal systems of a few countries are examined, to establish the
background and purpose of educator development appraisal in those
countries. Why such appraisal systems were introduced? What effect they
had on educator development and school improvement? The study also looks
at the challenges those countries faced in the implementation of educator
developmental appraisal and how they dealt with those challenges.
Thirdly, the guiding principles of the South African developmental appraisal
system and the processes of the development appraisal were researched to
compare with existing practises at the research sites. Furthermore the study
explored the role and responsibilities of developmental appraisal teams,
namely the Development Support Groups (DSG), the Staff Development
Team (SDT) and the School’s Management Team (SMT), to establish how
these teams’ contribute to educator development.
The methodology used in this study is qualitative in nature. The study takes
the form of a case study of 2 schools in the Pinetown district. Semi-structured
interviews were conducted with 5 participants from each school.
The findings and recommendations of this study reveal 3 strategies that are
needed to give schools the support to overcome their difficulties. Firstly,
develop strategies to support the development appraisal system at schools.
This can be done by developing training mechanisms at schools to train
school management teams, staff development teams and development
support groups to enable these teams to perform their developmental roles.
Secondly, develop strategies to evaluate and monitor the development
appraisal system. This can be done by empowering all school’s management
teams and staff development teams to be able to monitor and moderate all
evaluations taking place during a cycle and asking for documents that support
or justify each assessment. Finally, develop strategies to compensate for the
challenges faced by each school, based on each school’s context. This can
be done by assessing each school’s context prior to assessment being
conducted and factoring these contextual issues into each of that school’s
educator’s scores.
Description
Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.
Keywords
Teachers--In-service traning., School improvement programmes.