Teacher's Attitudes on Pay for Dissertation

In other fields, going the extra mile, investing extra weekend or evening time, or providing exemplary presentations and materials usually results in some form of bonus. In teaching, however, much of this is expected -- before and after school tutoring, evening performances, weekend events, out-of-pocket expenses for supplies and materials not covered in the budget (See: Johnson, 2004).

Thus, while still presenting the overall debate from the public administration, governmental, and even sociological (parental, community) views, the proposed study will focus on specific views and attitudes that teachers' hold towards a pay for performance concept. The study will examine current and proposed legislation adopting such a compensation package, as well as a qualitative evaluation of the efficacy of such programs within the 21st century educational climate. The study will quantitatively analyze the data based on demographic and psychographic indicators such as age, gender, ethnicity, teaching level, education level, length of time teaching, subject area, demographics of the school and classroom, classroom level, type of school (public, private, etc.), community (rural, suburban, urban), areas of specialization, and previous experience.

Qualitative measurements will include initial focus groups designed to establish robustness and relevance of questionnaire, surveys distributed to reasonable geographic areas, and follow up interviews as time allows. The data will then be quantitatively cross-tabulated to find statistical commonalities, with attitude ranges codified to allow for greater ease of analysis. Every attempt will be made to establish a broad enough sample group that will account for a reasonable distribution of variables. Unfortunately, while a longitudinal approach would be useful, it is not within the scope of this study. Finally, besides analyzing general attitudes towards pay for performance, the study will examine, based on the data collected, the most appropriate and realistic alternatives that will both enhance student learning and provide greater fiscal rewards for teachers (See: Johnson and Papay, 2010).

Research Questions-

Overall Hypothesis: Most teachers' do not view the pay for performance compensation model based on standardized test scores to be viable or indicative of student learning or teacher performance.1. What is the overall attitude towards the basic paradigm of tying teacher compensation levels to student performance on standardized exams in the core subject areas?

2. What impact, if any, do demographic and/or psychographic variables have on teachers' attitudes towards pay for performance?

3. How important is pay, as a motivating factor for time spent to most teachers'?

4. Is a quantitative measurement an adequate means of establishing student or teacher performance within the contemporary pedagogical environment?

5. How should teachers who are not involved in core tested subjects, then, be evaluated so that they are on a level playing field?

6. How does the issue of score inflation -- increases in scores larger than the improvement in learning -- fit into the paradigm?

7. What socio-economic or cultural factors limit, or enhance, then, the ability for a teacher to fiscally succeed?

8. If the data shows that there is a direct correlation between certain demographic modifies and student performance, how do we incent top performing teachers to take jobs in less popular or desirable communities?

9. What would be the ideal way to measure learning, from a teachers' perspective?

10. Is a pay for performance environment productive to teacher attitude?

11. Is a pay for performance environment conducive to long-term teacher retention?

12. How can teachers' be measured on academic performance when they control less than 1/3 of the child's day?

REFERENCES

Special Ed Groups Try to Shape Pay-for-Performance Movement. (June 2010). Special

Education Report. 36 (2): 2.

Adams, S., Heywood, J., and Rothstein, R. (2009). Teachers, Performance Pay, and Accountability. EPI Books. Cited in:

http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/books-teachers_performance_pay_and_accountability/

Johnson, S.M. (2004). Finders and Keepers: Helping new Teachers Survive and Thrive in Our

Schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Johnson, S.M. (May 2010). Merit Pay for a New Generation. 67 (8): 48-52.

Marshall, W. (July 1, 2010) School Reform or Edujobs? Progressive Fix. Cited in:

http://www.progressivefix.com/tag/teacher-incentive-fund

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