UNDERSTANDING TEACHER PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF TEACHER APPRAISAL IN A MAINSTREAM PUBLIC SCHOOL AND A PRIVATE SCHOOL IN ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY

Abstract

Teacher appraisal is considered crucial for improving educational quality. Teacher appraisal can not only help tailor professional development for teachers and improve teaching quality, but also enhance the attractiveness of the teaching profession. Teacher appraisal serves two main purposes: teacher professional development, which takes a formative approach, and school improvement, which adopts a summative approach. For a comprehensive teacher appraisal to be effective, there must be a clear connection between these two purposes. However, in reality, the conflict between these two objectives of appraisal typically leads to one of the goals being prioritized, which negatively impacts the other. Research indicates that teacher appraisal is primarily used to hold teachers accountable for student outcomes rather than focusing on their individual professional development. This qualitative multiple case study aimed to understand teachers’ perceptions of the teacher appraisal process in two school settings: a public and a private school. The research questions addressed teachers’ understandings and interpretations of the teacher appraisal process and the factors that contribute to its effectiveness. The study’s findings revealed that most teachers from both private and public schools view the teacher appraisal process negatively, perceiving it as a bureacratic and administrative task meant to fulfill the external requirements. This perspective can be understood through the lens of performativity. Teachers expressed their concerns about the fairness issue, specificially the transparency of the teacher appraisal process, the emphasis on the outcomes and accountability-driven practices making it difficult to connect the appraisal process to their ongoing professional development. Therefore, this study emphasizes the need for more comprehensive teacher appraisal process.