A Note on the Evaluation of Teaching Performance
| Published date | 01 January 1971 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb009658 |
| Pages | 74-78 |
| Date | 01 January 1971 |
| Author | J. THOMSON |
| Subject Matter | Education |
74 THE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL, ADMINISTRATION
VOLUME IX, NUMBER 1 MAY, 1971
A Note on the Evaluation of Teaching
Performance
J. THOMSON
The author critically examines "The Evaluation of Teaching
Performance" (Journal of Educational Administration. VII 2.
October, 1969) by T. J. Moore and W. D. Neale. An examination
of the assumptions underlying the selection of certain criteria is
made. The author challenges the interpretation of the data
alleging a bias within the framework of the Victorian Education
Department's inspectorial survey. Moore and Neale's conclusion
that their survey showed that little stress is placed by inspectors
upon product criteria in teacher assessment is also examined.
It is both refreshing and useful to have information gathered
within the framework of one of Australia's centralized education
systems made available to all those concerned with educational
administration. At the same time it is rather disappointing that
T. J. Moore and W. D. Neale's report, "The Evaluation of Teach-
ing Performance" (Journal of Educational Administration VII, 2
October, 1969) did not go more fully into the statistics of the
survey reported.
The strongest of the charges commonly made against centralized
bureaucracies in education is that they tend to be rigid and
inflexible, discouraging experimentation and undervaluing the
creative teacher while overvaluing the "efficient" conformist. It is
often further alleged that, to use the Gilbert and Levinson terms
adopted by Willower1 such systems tend to emphasize custodial
rather than humanistic values.
One tends to find those who do not work within centralized
systems making such allegations and those within the systems
defending them, as instanced by the controversy within the
columns of this journal between Eastwood and Jones.2 What tends
to be lacking in such controversies are hard data to support the
arguments of either side. The Victorian Education Department's
MR. J. THOMSON is Principal of Emerton Public School, New South Wales.
He holds the degrees of B.A. and Litt. B. of the University of New England and
M. Ed. of the University of Sydney.
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