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11 – 20 of over 4000Gulbakhyt Sultanova, Serik Svyatov and Nurzhan Ussenbayev
The purpose of this paper is to measure individual intellectual capital (IC) of academic staff as well as to test its impact on the employability readiness of future graduates and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to measure individual intellectual capital (IC) of academic staff as well as to test its impact on the employability readiness of future graduates and the reduction of the discrepancy between competencies developed and grades obtained with the help of two indicators, i.e. intellectual capital indicator (ICI) and employability readiness indicator (ERI). While ICI measures the level of a teacher’s competencies to be transmitted in the education process, ERI measures the level of a student’s competencies developed after completing relevant courses.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an empirical research carried out in the form of a case study. Regression model is applied to find the influence of ICI on ERI. The minimisation problem is set with relevant constraints to decrease the discrepancy between ERI and traditional grade point average (GPA).
Findings
The data were collected at one Kazakh university and from experts from academia and industry by means of documentary analysis, specialised tests and structured interviews. The direct impact of ICI on ERI is confirmed and the optimal level of ICI that permits an effective decrease in the discrepancy between ERI and GPA is identified.
Research limitations/implications
A longitudinal study covering more programmes is necessary to draw conclusions concerning causality. The application of ICI as a university’s management tool is shown.
Originality/value
The novelty of this study lies in providing a consistent and simple approach for calculating a teacher’s IC and its impact on a student’s employability readiness.
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Shujie Liu, Decheng Zhao and Wei Xie
The purpose of this paper is to investigate Chinese teachers’ attitudes toward performance pay. Specifically, this study examined the extent to which Chinese teachers supported…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate Chinese teachers’ attitudes toward performance pay. Specifically, this study examined the extent to which Chinese teachers supported performance-pay programs. The study also examined the effects of these programs on teachers, particularly on their levels of collaboration, work motivation, and job stress.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was conducted in a northeastern city of China. Criteria sampling and maximum variation sampling techniques were used to select three schools, representing different characteristics of teacher performance pay (TPP) programs. In all, 150 questionnaires were administered to each of the three schools. The questionnaire contained three parts. Part 1 asked about respondents’ overall attitude toward pay-for-performance in general. Part 2 was composed of 20 closed-ended items asking respondents to rate their levels of agreement with various aspects of implementation of performance pay. Part 3 of the questionnaire comprised open-ended items.
Findings
Approximately 48.5 percent of the teachers supported the teacher-performance-pay programs. This indicated a low support of Chinese teachers in comparison to that in some countries. Regarding how teachers’ attitudes toward performance pay are related to teacher characteristics (e.g. teaching experience, professional ranking), the ANOVAs results showed no significant differences in any of the factors. This quantitative result was different from the qualitative result of this study (e.g. veteran teachers complained about the implementation of performance pay). In spite of the differences between quantitative and qualitative findings, some findings from the current study are consistent with those found in western countries.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this study was the small sample size for quantitative analyses. Future research should consider a larger sample size to conduct more advanced statistical analyses such as structural equation modeling to examine further the relations among, for example, how much the incentive pay should be, and what proportion of teachers should receive it, the level of teacher stress, their work enthusiasm, and peer relationships. Another limitation of this study was that the qualitative data were collected through open-ended questions of the questionnaire. Future research should interview teachers and principals to obtain richer voices from the teachers.
Originality/value
Very few articles published in Chinese journals surveyed the implementation of TPP. In addition, these few articles were not well-designed from an empirical sense. So far research of teacher opinions about performance pay was a missing area in China’s educational discourse. The present study provides information to non-Chinese readers who are interested in Chinese teachers’ attitudes toward TPP. It is hoped the present study adds knowledge to the literature of TPP from the perspective of Chinese teachers.
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Anna Meczynska, Roman Kmieciak, Anna Michna and Iwona Flajszok
This paper aims to propose and present a decision-making support method for poorly structured problems in schools, using the example of one of the most important and difficult…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose and present a decision-making support method for poorly structured problems in schools, using the example of one of the most important and difficult decisions that principals face: terminating a teacher's employment.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was conducted, along with observations and interviews with 30 experienced principals, in order to identify decisions made by Polish principals. In order to sort non-programmable decisions according to their importance and difficulty, data were collected from 377 principals. Opinions from two groups, consisting of 22 and 25 experts, respectively, were collected in order to identify and order a set of criteria for making a specified non-programmable decision.
Findings
The four following areas of school activities were distinguished: finances, teaching and care, internal processes, and development of organisation. Within these categories, 126 decisions made by principals were identified, 96 of which were non-programmable. One of the most difficult and important non-programmable decisions was related to the termination of a teacher's employment. In order to support decisions regarding a teacher's dismissal, 44 criteria with different importance levels were identified.
Practical implications
Principals can use the method proposed in this paper, as it increases the rationality and objectivity of making a dismissal decision. The method can also be adapted for other difficult non-programmable decisions.
Originality/value
The expert opinion method might be useful for solving poorly structured problems in the management of educational institutions. As far as it can be ascertained, no previous empirical studies have identified and ranked the most important and difficult non-programmable decisions facing principals.
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Yin Cheong Cheng and Kwok Tung Tsui
Based on the conception of total teacher effectiveness, aims to develop strategies for conceptualizing teacher effectiveness research. From the new conception, the units of…
Abstract
Based on the conception of total teacher effectiveness, aims to develop strategies for conceptualizing teacher effectiveness research. From the new conception, the units of research on teacher effectiveness are cell, array and layer. The strategies advanced for conceptualizing research include the individual unit description strategies, the within‐layer relationship strategies, the between‐layer relationship strategies, and the whole structure strategy. Based on the conception strategies, teacher effectiveness research can be shifted from traditional simplistic one‐dimensional conception to sophisticated multidimensional conception and can have various research alternatives for different research purposes and contexts. Hopefully, these strategies can provide a new direction for studying and improving teacher effectiveness in particular and school effectiveness in general.
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This paper proposes a benefit of the doubt (BoD) approach to construct and analyse teacher effectiveness scores (i.e. SET scores).
Abstract
Purpose
This paper proposes a benefit of the doubt (BoD) approach to construct and analyse teacher effectiveness scores (i.e. SET scores).
Design/methodology/approach
The BoD approach is related to data envelopment analysis (DEA), a linear programming tool for evaluating the relative efficiency performance of a set of similar units (e.g. firms, departments, individuals, etc.) who use (possibly multiple) inputs to produce (possibly multiple) outputs in operation environments typically characterised by no reliable information on the prices of inputs and/or no (exact) knowledge about the “functional form” of the production or cost function.
Findings
A major appeal of BoD is the flexibility in the construction of the SET scores. In particular, BoD puts teacher performances into a relative perspective to be evaluated optimally, thereby accounting for different values and interpretations that teachers attach to “good teaching”. Furthermore, if available, stakeholder opinion can be easily incorporated into the evaluation. The swift identification of teachers' relative strengths and weaknesses is another advantage. The advantages show in the application.
Originality/value
Several issues specific to the construction and analysis of SET scores have remained largely untouched, and hence unresolved, in the literature. One particular blank area is the weighting and aggregation of SETs into teacher performance scores. This paper contributes to the literature in that it presents a methodology that addresses this issue. To illustrate the usefulness of BoD for teacher evaluations with summative intentions and/or formative purposes, the methodology is applied to SET data collected at a university college in Brussels (Belgium).
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Jesús Cambra‐Fierro and Jesús Cambra‐Berdún
The purpose of this paper is to analyse whether teachers can be described as part‐time marketers (PTM) and therefore their influence on the perception of their organisations'…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse whether teachers can be described as part‐time marketers (PTM) and therefore their influence on the perception of their organisations' image.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to identify perceptions of students and their parents, a series of focus groups (ten) were developed. The resultant data were analysed using the NVivo software.
Findings
Teachers are identified as PTM within the educational context. Therefore, how students and their parents perceive their activity influences the image of quality of their educational institutions.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations relate to qualitative approaches. This paper considers only the Spanish context.
Practical implications
Educational institutions need to stimulate their teachers to show a positive image. Adequate strategies for selection, training and motivation are necessary.
Originality/value
Teachers can be explicitly described as marketers. Implications are discussed at the end of the paper.
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CAROLYN J. WOOD and PAUL A. POHLAND
Using content analysis, the authors examine the purposes of teacher evaluation in relation to the content items on which teachers are assessed and engage in a comparative analysis…
Abstract
Using content analysis, the authors examine the purposes of teacher evaluation in relation to the content items on which teachers are assessed and engage in a comparative analysis of teacher evaluation practices in the U.S.A. from three points in time. The overall findings suggest a disparity between the philosophy of teacher evaluation as a mechanism for improving teaching and the practice of teacher evaluation as a tool for administrative decision making, a disparity heavily weighted in favour of the latter. The authors provide evidence that this disparity is historically rooted and likely to endure.
Shakeel Sarwar, Hassan Danyal Aslam and Muhammad Imran Rasheed
The aim of the researchers in this endeavor is to identify the challenges and obstacles faced by beginning teachers in higher education. This study also explores practical…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the researchers in this endeavor is to identify the challenges and obstacles faced by beginning teachers in higher education. This study also explores practical implications and what adaptation can be utilized in order to have high performance of the beginning teachers.
Design/methodology/approach
Researchers have applied qualitative and quantitative technique to collect and interpret data. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted from the 40 beginning teachers of the case study university in order to identify various hindering factors of high performance.
Findings
Research results indicate that by addressing the 11 major hindering factors of beginning teachers' high performance, i.e. less teaching exposure, overburden, strict evaluation, lack of training, insufficient material and supplies, lack of effective communication, student counseling problems, classroom discipline problems, difficulties in assessing students' work, least expectations of career in teaching and misbehavior of students, the performance level of beginning teachers in higher education can be enhanced.
Originality/value
The current research addresses the most neglected area about teachers' performance management, that is problems of higher education teachers in their early careers. This exploration of beginning teachers' hindering issues can play a vital role in developing human resource development strategies in universities. The present research can prove to be a significant initiator for beginning teachers as they will get a glimpse of what problem areas they could face.
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Sanjiv Mittal, Rajat Gera and Dharminder Kumar Batra
There is a debate in literature about the generalizability of the structure and the validity of the measures of Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness (SET). This debate…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a debate in literature about the generalizability of the structure and the validity of the measures of Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness (SET). This debate spans the dimensionality and validity of the construct, and the use of the measure for summative and formative purposes of teachers valuation and feedback. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the aforementioned issues. Specifically the paper tests the relationship of teacher’s “charisma” trait with a measure of SET consisting of the two dimensions of “lecturer ability” and “module attributes.” The market characteristics of the paper are those of an emerging market and cross-cultural context with a specific reference to India.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, a two-dimensional scale of SET, which was originally developed by Shevlin et al. (2000) in their study in the UK, was empirically tested with Indian students and modified. Empirical data were collected from Indian students pursuing their MBA program in a north Indian university and statistical testing using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses was undertaken. The proposed relationship of a teacher’s “charisma” trait was tested as a reflective construct comprising of the two dimensions of SET with the help of the software package Amos ver 4.0.
Findings
The results indicate that the measure of SET is influenced by the teacher’s “Charisma” (trait), thus providing evidence of a halo effect. This raises the issue of validity of SET as an instrument for measuring teaching effectiveness (TE). The results provide support to the hypothesis that structure of SET is multidimensional along with the need for adapting the instrument in diverse cultural and market contexts.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the debate on the validity, structure and use of SET as an instrument for measuring TE in a developing market with cross-cultural implications such as India.
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Smadar Lev, Moshe Tatar and Meni Koslowsky
Extensive theoretical and empirical work has yielded abundant knowledge regarding teacher self-efficacy (TSE). Recent research has found significant correlations between TSE and…
Abstract
Purpose
Extensive theoretical and empirical work has yielded abundant knowledge regarding teacher self-efficacy (TSE). Recent research has found significant correlations between TSE and students’ ratings, as an indicator for teaching effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between TSE and students’ ratings of their school teacher (SRST) in the context of school level and teacher role.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 111 teachers and their 2,490 students attending junior- and senior-high schools. Teachers reported on their personal efficacy beliefs at the beginning of the school year, whereas students rated their teachers at the end of the year.
Findings
Teacher role and school level moderated the relationship between STE and SRST: the relationship between TSE and SRST is higher among homeroom classes than subject matter classes, and among junior high classes as compared to senior high classes.
Research limitations/implications
The research is based on small number of classes, which precluded more sophisticated analyses. Future research should consider additional personal and/or contextual variables to better understand the association between teacher and students perceptions.
Originality/value
This study is a first exploration of the ways teachers perceive their ability to enhance student performance vis-à-vis their students’ views of their teaching functioning.
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