PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL PRACTICES AND TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS IN GHANA: PERSPECTIVE OF TEACHERS IN THE KRACHI NCHUMURU DISTRICT

Abstract

This study investigated performance appraisal practices and teacher effectiveness in Public Junior High Schools (PJHSs) in the Krachi Nchumuru District and identified possible errors committed by appraisers in the conduct of teacher performance appraisals. The concurrent triangulation mixed-method research design was employed for the study. One hundred and seven (107) teachers were selected for the quantitative phase of the study using a stratified simple random proportional sampling technique, while a homogenous sampling technique was employed to select thirteen (13) participants for the qualitative phase of the study. A structured questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide were used to collect data for the quantitative and qualitative phases respectively. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20, while the qualitative data were analyzed using the grounded theory model. The study revealed that teachers in PJHSs in the Krachi Nchumuru District have positive perceptions of performance appraisal practices. The study also established a positive statistical relationship between performance appraisal practices and teacher effectiveness in PJHSs in the Krachi Nchumuru District [r= .868, n=107, p?.0005]. In addition, major errors committed by appraisers in the conduct of performance appraisals are positive bias errors (M=23.04, SD=1.213), negative bias errors (M=23.06, SD=1.164), similar-to-me errors (M=23.30, SD=1.134), contrast errors (M=22.93, SD=1.160), and leniency errors (M=22.93, SD=1.135), whereas (M=22.24, SD=1.026) stated that, the conduct of performance appraisal practices in the district are not fair. Based on this outcome, it is recommended that appraisers adopt the 360-degree module of conducting performance appraisals to achieve fairness and ensure teacher effectiveness