Abstract
Globally, the appraisal of educators remains a contested issue as the process, which aims to provide support and development to educators, is generally considered a punitive measure for educators. The abolishment of apartheid in South Africa heralded several educational reforms. Among these reforms is the transition from a bureaucratic and authoritarian educator appraisal system to the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS). The system, which was implemented in 2005, was founded on democratic principles and transparency. Its overarching aim was to achieve social justice by promoting equal access, fairness, diversity, and the professional growth of educators, while acknowledging their rights.
Drawing on theories of social justice, this study explored the perceptions of educators in relation to educator developmental appraisal as a catalyst for social (in)justice. This sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study was conducted among educators in public schools in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Phase One, which was quantitative in nature, commenced with a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 26.0) as a tool for analysis. A questionnaire was administered to elicit information from (n = 296) educators at identified schools. Because many participants did not return the completed questionnaires, I identified participants at workshops hosted by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) that were willing to participate to expand the adequacy size. The quantitative phase of the study concluded with two Analysis of Variances (ANOVAS), which centred on schools’ geographical location and the post level of educators.
Using a nested design, I purposefully selected four secondary schools to participate in Phase Two of the study (based on socio-economic status), which was a qualitative case study. Data were elicited from educators, departmental heads, and deputy principals through semi-structured and a focus group interview. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was used to examine the data, complemented by a word cloud and document analysis.
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This study revealed that educator appraisal, in the form of IQMS, perpetuates social justice and injustice. An examination of the data has revealed the following social justice practices prevalent in schools: (1) developmental appraisal of educators enhances educators’ knowledge and teaching skills, thereby positively impacting learner achievement, (2) the nutritional meals served to learners in Quintiles One to Three schools motivates children to attend school, (3) transformative leaders embracing representative justice are succeeding in closing the achievement gaps in historically disadvantaged schools, (4) power sharing is evident in parental involvement, (5) educators are capitalising on learners’ background experiences to make lessons more relevant, and (6) educators are adopting diverse assessment techniques to cater for mixed-learner abilities.
The ensuing elements of social injustice, manifested during analysis of the data are to the effect that: (1) the hierarchical appraisal process is used to monitor educators to ensure compliance, (2) professional development of educators happens sporadically, (3) communities’ socio-economic status negatively impacts educators’ appraisal scores, (4) the School Management Team (SMT) is not adequately equipped to provide educators with professional development, (5) leaders fail to promote social justice as they adopt leadership styles that negate social justice tenets, (6) the burden of administrative tasks hinders curriculum delivery, negatively impacting learner achievement, (7) the banking model of education is still prevalent in South African classrooms, (8) language of learning and assessment is not reflective of the diversity of the learner population, (9) African languages have diminished in status, and (10) policies for reformation, especially admission and language policies perpetuate social injustice and work for learners of a higher social class.
Last, the findings of this study could: (1) inform future policy on the socio-economic categorisation of schools and the formulation of admission and language policies; based on access to equitable educational opportunities, (2) conscientise educational stakeholders of the injustices incurred during the appraisal process, and (3) benefit school leaders in their quest to acquaint themselves with transformational leadership styles that strengthen social justice principles. KEYWORDS: educator developmental appraisal; Integrated Quality Management System; social justice; critical theory; integrated mixed-methods research; explanatory sequential design.