Abstract
M.Ed.
Educator evaluations of the past have given way to a new system of performance evaluation known as the Developmental Appraisal System (DAS). Considerable effort
and time has gone into the structuring, piloting and introduction of the new system in
order that educators could have a system, which did not only point out their weaknesses, but that their strong points could also be acknowledged and nurtured for the betterment of their professional practice. However, the aspect of context in the DAS manual has somehow been superficially presented and this aspect forms the basis of this research. The DAS manual simply states that some core criteria may be made optional on the basis of contextual factors prevailing at the institution. The manual does not explain in detail what that means and somehow leaves this to the panels to interpret explicitly and a great possibility exists that the panels might overlook this aspect to the detriment of the appraisee (person being appraised). On the other hand, another possibility exists that some educators might want to bring in their own interpretations of what context implies, which may create some misunderstandings right at the onset of such appraisal. It is thus important that the aspect of context be understood and treated with care during appraisal. School settings differ considerably where some schools are relatively disadvantaged in a number of respects such as, the environment not being educationally stimulating, socio-economic problems, political implications, etc. Others may be better off and thriving in more advantaged types of settings. Clearly, educators in the former-mentioned setting would be found to be making more sacrifices in their work to make up for the numerous deficiencies experienced, than the educators in the latter-mentioned type of setting. This then raises the issue of fairness, which this research highlights at the very beginning to try and put the issue of context and contextual factors in perspective. To be able to explore the concerns mentioned above, educators were consulted through the use of a structured questionnaire, to share their perceptions on the role of contextual factors in educator appraisal. Their responses together with the information from the literature review provided answers to the research questions.