Teacher perspectives on the evaluation of teachers

Views on the evaluation of teachers were investigated in a sample of Barbadian primary and secondary school teachers. Their perceptions of existing evaluation were compared with their stance on literature recommendations for teacher evaluation. Questionnaire responses revealed strong support for teacher evaluation in principle, and for general recommendations in the literature on the conduct of teacher evaluation. However, there was equally strong dissatisfaction with the existing system of teacher evaluation, which was perceived to be aimed primarily at fulfilling administrative requirements, with insufficient emphasis on promoting improved teacher performance. Strategies in use did not appear to be designed to facilitate communication between evaluator and evaluated. There were significant differences between primary and secondary school teachers on most of the issues investigated.