JFES Volume 54 Issue 1 Pages 200-219
JFES Volume 54 Issue 1 Pages 200-219
JFES Volume 54 Issue 1 Pages 200-219
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The effectiveness of a training course---------------Shery Eid Mohammed
To some extent trying to achieve improvement through
accountability causes tensions. An emphasis on accountability may in
some instances lead teachers to feel insecure or fearful and reduce their
appreciation of their work (OECD, 2009). By contrast, teachers and
their unions expect opportunities of social recognition of their work and
opportunities for professional growth through the development of a
formative system of teacher evaluation (Avalos and Assael, 2006).
Teacher evaluation for improvement purposes is likely to benefit
from conditions such as:
A non-threatening evaluation context.
A culture of mutually providing and receiving feedback.
Clear individual and collective objectives with regard to improving
teaching within the school as well as a sharing of school objectives.
Simple evaluation instruments such as self-evaluation forms,
classroom observation, and structured interviews.
A supportive school leadership.
Opportunities to enhance competencies as well as resources and
means to improve practice.
Teacher evaluation integrated in a system of school self-evaluation
and quality assurance.
In turn, teacher evaluation for accountability is likely to benefit from
conditions such as:
An independent and objective assessment of the teacher's
performance.
National-level standards and criteria across schools.
An evaluation component external to the school and more formal
processes.
Well-established rules regarding the consequences of the evaluation.
Clear individual objectives with regard to all aspects of a teacher's
performance.
Well-trained, competent evaluators of teaching performance.
Impact on professional development plan.
Possibilities for appeal for teachers who feel they have not been
treated fairly.
Responsibilities for teacher evaluation
Responsibilities for teacher evaluation are typically shared between
educational authorities, including quality assurance agencies such as
inspectorates, schools and their leadership, and teachers themselves.
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discussions aimed at evaluating the teachers' fulfillment of individual
objectives set up during the previous year and determining
developmental needs for the following year (UNESCO, 2007).
The complex interrelationship of personnel and career
development and school improvement requires that the evaluation,
management, and improvement processes are embedded and integrated
in a system of school quality assurance.
The role of teachers
In some systems, teacher evaluation is based on reviews by peers, often
more experienced and with more responsibilities. This is more typical of
evaluation for improvement purposes. Evidence shows the power of
developmental peer observation of lessons with clear foci and effective
feedback in making a strong contribution to notching up the quality of
instruction. When peers are the evaluators in accountability-driven
teacher evaluation procedures, issues of legitimacy are particularly
relevant to address.
Context of the problem:
According to the results of a questionnaire in April, 2021 as a pilot
study to identify the difficulties facing EFL teachers at Zagazig
language secondary school (n=30), it was found out that, EFL teachers
lacked some evaluation practices skills. So, the researcher has realized
that in-service teachers of English were in need of training on the new
techniques of evaluation practices instead of the regular methods which
have counted for the theoretical approach rather than the practical one.
Statement of the problem
In light of the aforementioned argumentative account, it is clear that
the secondary school EFL teachers lacked the skills of evaluation
practices as had been revealed through the pilot study. It could also be
mentioned that giving the activities of a suggested training course
would help in achieving high standards of skill mastery for the EFL
teachers. Accordingly, this study attempted to address following main
question as well sub questions:
How effective is the suggested training course in developing EFL in-
service secondary school teachers' evaluation practices?
Questions of the study:
1. What are the evaluation practices needed for the EFL teachers at the
language secondary school?
2. To what extent do those teachers master these practices?
3. How can a suggested training course be designed to enhance EFL
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not tested; by offering more complete evidence of learning growth for
English language learners and students with disabilities; and by
contributing to a comprehensive view of students’ strengths and
weaknesses.
Instruments and information sources
Gathering multiple sources of evidence about teacher practice meets
the need for accuracy and fairness of the evaluation process, taking into
account the complexity of what a good teacher should know and be able
to do. A range of instruments and information sources are typically
used to evaluate teachers.
Classroom observation
Teaching practices and evidence of student learning are likely to be
the most relevant sources of information about professional
performance. As a result, teacher evaluation is typically firmly rooted
in classroom observation. Most key aspects of teaching are displayed
while teachers interact with their students in the classroom. Classroom
observations are the most common source of evidence used in OECD
countries, whether American (e.g. Canada, Chile, United States),
European (e.g. Denmark, France, Ireland, Spain) or Asian-Pacific (e.g.
Australia, Japan, Korea). Such instrument shows whether the teacher
adopts adequate practices in his more usual workplace: the classroom
(Isoré, 2009; UNESCO, 2007).
Most teacher evaluation models require the individual teacher to set
performance objectives for a given period of time in agreement with the
school management. The evaluation then assesses the extent to which
such objectives were met. The setting of objectives, as well as the
evaluation itself, typically involves individual interviews which are an
opportunity to trigger critical reflection between evaluators and
teachers.
Teacher self-evaluation
Another common instrument used in teacher evaluation is teacher
self-evaluation. The perspective of the teacher being evaluated is
essential, because it allows teachers to express their own views about
their performance, and reflect on the personal, organizational and
institutional factors that had an impact on their teaching.
Teacher portfolio
An instrument which typically complements teacher self-evaluation
is a teacher portfolio, providing evidence about key aspects of the
teacher's teaching. Different elements can compose teacher portfolios,
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school quality assurance, including the role of teaching quality in school
quality and the role of teaching quality in personal development; (v)
understanding of instrument development, including reliability and
validity of observation and other assessment tools; (vi) awareness of the
psychological aspects of evaluation; (vii) expertise with the quantitative
rating of an assessment; and (viii) mastering of evaluation-related
communication and feedback skills. These areas should receive priority
for specialized training addressed to evaluators.
Given their crucial pedagogical role, school directors should benefit
from dedicated training. Offers targeted at school leaders typically
focus on human resources development and school quality assurance,
including school self-evaluation. This usually involves personnel
management, including aspects such as structured interactions with
teachers, setting of objectives, linking school objectives to personnel
development plans, making use of various sources of information on
teaching quality and functional performance, development of
instruments, and management instruments to use evaluation results.
Guaranteeing that teachers are provided with support to understand
the evaluation procedures and to benefit from evaluation results is also
vitally important. Teachers can benefit from training modules so they
know what is expected from them to be recognized as good teachers,
and to be prepared to make the best use of the feedback received. This
contributes for teachers to appropriate the process through support
and coaching. Evaluation and feedback ought also to be important
aspects offered in initial teacher education and regular professional
development activities
New methods in teacher's evaluation
1. Emphasize the function of teacher evaluation to seek out, document,
and acknowledge the good teaching that already exists.
2. Evaluate to reassure teachers and audiences (parents, legislators)
that good work is going on.
3. Place the teacher at the center of evaluation activity.
4. Use more than one person to judge teacher quality and performance.
5. Limit administrator judgment role.
6. Use multiple data sources to inform judgments about teachers'
performance.
7. Use variable data sources to inform judgments about teachers'
performance.
8. Spend the extensive time and other resources needed to recognize
good teaching.
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- Not significant.
As indicated in table (1), Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test revealed that
the differences between the mean ranks of the control group and the
experimental group on the pretest of teaching performance were not
significant. (Z=-0.707, P>0.05). This means that both groups of the
study, the control and the experimental, were equivalent before
teaching the suggested training course.
2.Hypothesis no.2:
To test the second hypothesis of the study which states that
''there are statistically significant difference between teaching
performance of evaluation practices of the control group and the
experimental group in post observation, favoring the experimental
group. ''Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test has been to find out whether
there are significant differences as shown.
Table (2): Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test for comparing the control group
(N=15) and the experimental group (N=15) in the posttest of evaluation
practices
Ranks Mean Rank Sum of Ranks Z Sig.
Negative 8.00 120.00
Positive 0.00 0.00 -3.412 0.001*
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-Significant (P<0.05).
As indicated in table (2), Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test revealed that
the differences between the mean ranks of the control group and
experimental group on the posttest of teaching performance were
significant. (Z=-3.412, P<0.05). This means that the gain scores of the
participants of the experimental group were greater than those of the
participants of the control group.
3. Hypothesis three:
To test the third hypothesis of the study which stated that ''the
suggested course is effective in developing evaluation practices of EFL
in-service teachers at the secondary school. '' The ratio of acquisition
average of Blakes has been used.
Ratio of acquisition average of Blakes= A-B + A-B
D-B D
A= Post average
B= Pre-average
D= Maximum score
Teachers' performance average in post- observation was93.0000
Maximum score= 100
Pre-average= 54.3333
Post- average= 93.0000
So, the ratio of acquisition average =0.846 + 0.386=1.232~1.2
The ratio of acquisition average=1.2
These results indicate that the training course is very effective in
teachers' performance according to Pachman, D. Clear, A., Mayer, T.
(1971: 472-473)
Part (B): Discussion and interpretation of the results:
Discussion of the results:
Making the best use of teacher evaluation results raises a number of
challenges such as feeding information on performance back to those
who deliver educational services, most notably teachers and school
principals; developing mechanisms for the improvement of teaching
practices, notably teacher professional development; establishing
rewards, support systems and consequences that flow from evaluation
results; and developing the channels which ensure that information
generated by teacher evaluation is used for educational policy
development. These challenges highlight the importance of knowledge
management in any teacher evaluation framework.
The following two key aspects are analyzed in turn:
Formative use of results
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A key objective of teacher evaluation is to identify areas of
improvement for individual teachers, leading to the preparation of
individual improvement plans (including professional development)
which take into account the overall school development plan. Without a
link to professional development opportunities, the evaluation process is
not sufficient to improve teacher performance, and as a result, often
become a meaningless exercise that encounters mistrust – or at best
apathy – on the part of teachers being evaluated (Danielson, 2001;
Milanowski and Kimball, 2003; Margo et al. 2008). Typically, schools
are provided with autonomy to determine how teacher evaluation
results feed into teacher professional and school development plans.
School pedagogical leadership plays the key role in ensuring the
effectiveness of such link (Pont et al., 2008). Another key element are
the resources made available for professional and school development.
Summative use of results
Evaluation of teacher performance can also be used to determine
career advancement, award performance rewards or establish
sanctions for underperforming teachers. It constitutes an opportunity
to recognize and reward teaching competence and performance, which
is essential to retain effective teachers in schools as well as to make
teaching an attractive career choice (OECD, 2005). In general, teacher
evaluation frameworks might have consequences at the following levels:
Career advancement. Most countries do not link directly teacher
evaluation results with teacher pay but, instead, to career progression
(therefore establishing an indirect link with salaries). An example is
England where teachers who meet the standards for “Post Threshold,
Excellent and Advanced Skills Teachers” also access the higher pay
scale (TDA, 2007a). Most teacher evaluation models relate results to the
speed at which the teacher progresses in the career. Typically, ratings
in the top categories of the rating scale make the teacher progress faster
in the career scale while ratings in the bottom categories of the rating
scale lead to no career progression during the period associated with
the evaluation.
Decisions at key points in career. The results of teacher evaluation can
be used to make tenure decisions at the end of the probationary period,
contract renewal decisions for contract decisions and might influence
the chances of an application to a given school post.
Performance rewards. Teacher evaluation results might be used to
award rewards to teachers. Typical rewards include: the award of a
one-off monetary prize (bonus pay); time allowances and sabbatical
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Conclusions:
The results of the present study revealed that:
Promoting teacher evaluation is clearly in the national interest as
well as serving students and their families and communities. Teachers
need feedback on their performance to help them identify how to better
shape and improve their teaching practice and, with the support of
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effective school leadership, to develop schools as professional learning
communities. At the same time, teachers should be accountable for
their performance and progress in their careers on the basis of
demonstrated effective teaching practice.
Developing a comprehensive approach may be costly but is critical to
conciliate the demands for educational quality, the enhancement of
teaching practices through professional development, and the
recognition of teacher knowledge, skills and competencies. The
expectation is that teachers engaging in reflective practice, studying
their own methods of instruction and assessment, and sharing their
experience with their peers in schools, becomes regular a routine part
of professional life.
The study implications:
There are multiple challenges to successful implementation
Implementation difficulties may arise as a result of a wide range of
factors. First, there might be a defensive culture of evaluation, little
tradition of peer evaluation, feedback and sharing of teaching practices.
This might lead to some resistance to application of teacher evaluation
by particular groups in the school system. Second, there might be some
technical challenges to implementation, including: limited professional
expertise of those with responsibility to evaluate; insufficient
preparation of schools to implement evaluation procedures; limited
understanding by teachers of the purposes and uses of evaluation; a
sense of unfairness by those teachers being evaluated; the excessive
workload inherent to the evaluation process; and the reluctance of
many teachers to accept the legitimacy of the evaluators. Third, there
might be issues of lack of resources for aspects of the teacher evaluation
procedures, particularly the time needed for developmental work,
observational evaluation and feedback.
While comprehensive teacher evaluation models – e.g. with the
multiplication of instruments and evaluators - are more likely to
provide a solid basis to evaluate teachers, limited resources make trade-
offs inevitable. As indicated by Isoré (2009), comprehensive teacher
evaluation procedures imply greater direct and indirect costs at every
stage of the process: reaching agreements on the design of the system
requires time for discussions and consultations with all stakeholders
(Avalos and Assael, 2006); training evaluators is expensive and requires
time (Danielson, 1996, 2007); conducting evaluation processes induces
additional workload for both teachers and evaluators, unless offsetting
is made by reducing workload with other responsibilities (Heneman et
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Abstract
The present study aimed at examining the effectiveness of a
suggested training course for developing EFL teachers' evaluation
practices at the secondary stage. It adopted the quasi-experimental
design, with one experimental group and one control group.
Participants of the study were 30 EFL in-service teachers in the
academic year 2021/2022. They were randomly assigned into the two
groups, experimental (15 teachers) and control (15 teachers). The
experimental group received the suggested training course, while the
control group continued to practice their evaluation in the regular way.
On designing the training course, the researcher tried to crystallize the
prime and secondary elements of training courses in general and EFL
training courses in particular. Results indicated that there was a
statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the
experimental group and the control group in favoring the experimental
group. It was concluded that the suggested training course was effective
in enhancing EFL in-service teachers' evaluation practices. These
results suggest important implications for individuals who are required
to review, design, or modify teacher evaluation programs.
Key words: In-service training course – Evaluation practices – EFL
teachers – secondary stage - Egypt.
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