Teacher perceptions of evaluations in Rhode Island, USA

Abstract

Teacher evaluations are a common accountability-based practice in the United States, measuring for teacher effectiveness and high quality pedagogical skills. This study aims to understand teacher perceptions of evaluations used in Rhode Island, USA, focusing on teacher experiences with observations, evaluations, and receiving scores and feedback from leaders in the school. The theoretical framework of the research provides literature about US practices for evaluating teachers, the significance of accountability in education both nationally and in Rhode Island, effective practices for observation and evaluation feedback, and the relationship between accountability-based practices and teacher autonomy at the school, district, and state levels.

Following an interpretivist paradigm, I use phenomenography to interview how ten teachers experience the concept of evaluations. The findings reveal three core categories: Perceptions of Accountability-Based Practices, Perceptions of Leadership Involvement, and Barriers and Opportunities to the Evaluation Process. The findings show that evaluations have the opportunity to provide quality feedback for teachers’ growth and may validate teachers who are doing well with their scores. However, it is also revealed that frequently a number score on an evaluation does little to help a teacher improve, teachers may have feelings of subjectivity from evaluators scoring them, and many teachers feel anxiety and or a need to perform for school leaders when being observed and evaluated.

This study provides the opportunity to further assess if current teacher evaluation practices are effective in identifying high quality teachers, and providing feedback that leads to growth in teaching skills. Through the experiences provided by the participants, the goal of this thesis is to explore options within and beyond evaluations on how to improve teaching skills, support student success, and provide high quality teachers in education.