Special Area Teachers’ Perceptions Of Performance Evaluation Feedback And Professional Development Provided
There is significant research showing that teachers are motivated to grow intrinsically through the feedback and professional development opportunities they receive from their principals following the evaluation cycle. The quality of this feedback greatly influences their willingness to continuously improve their practices. However, limited research exists on whether special area teachers receive meaningful feedback and professional development opportunities from their principals, who may lack specialized content knowledge, following their evaluations. The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to explore special area teachers’ perceptions of the feedback and professional development opportunities their principals provided following the evaluation cycle. Participants included teachers who were employed as elementary school music teachers, had previous experience with FS County’s teacher evaluation system, and taught in an A rated school. Analysis of the data revealed that the music teachers neither received musical feedback nor were offered musical professional development opportunities by their principals following the evaluation cycle. However, it was revealed that the participants felt overwhelming support from their principals when they asked and were permitted to attend specialized professional development focused on teaching music, which in turn, promoted individual growth.
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, Educational Leadership
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