Techniques for Research (revision)

An Analysis of The emotional impact of

performance-related pay on teachers

in England

2005 TOC \o "1-3 " \h \z HYPERLINK \l "_Toc6 " I . Introduction PAGEREF _Toc6 \h 1

HYPERLINK \l "_Toc7 " II . Purpose of the Research PAGEREF _Toc7 \h 2

HYPERLINK \l "_Toc8 " III . Audience PAGEREF _Toc8 \h 3

HYPERLINK \l "_Toc9 " IV Methodology PAGEREF _Toc9 \h 4

HYPERLINK \l "_Toc0 " 4 .1 Sources and Samples PAGEREF _Toc0 \h 4

HYPERLINK \l "_Toc1 " 4 .2 Methodology PAGEREF _Toc1 \h 5

HYPERLINK \l "_Toc2 " 4

.2 .1 Data Collection : Documentary Analysis PAGEREF _Toc2 \h 6

HYPERLINK \l "_Toc3 " 4 .2 .2 Data Collection : Semi Structured Interview PAGEREF _Toc3 \h 6

HYPERLINK \l "_Toc4 " 4 .2 .3 Data Collection : Case Studies PAGEREF _Toc4 \h 7

HYPERLINK \l "_Toc5 " V . Results PAGEREF _Toc5 \h 8 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc6 " VI . Evaluation of the research PAGEREF _Toc6 \h 9 I . Introduction

Modern public policy has been determined largely by quantitative analysis measuring efficiency and effectiveness . In the United States private companies and public sector agencies have long tied pay rises to performance . Performance , in this sense , is the measure of efficiency and effectiveness with which an individual , or group perform a particular task or set of tasks . This performance oriented culture however , is at odds with professions that are largely emotional in nature as teaching is (Mahonya , Menter and Hextall 2003

The British government , hoping to .bring together a tighter system of annually assessing individual teacher 's performance , in to set targets for improvement , and a new pay policy that rewards good performance ' instituted such a performance-advancement system called The Threshold (Mahonya , Menter and Hextall 2003 . However , the government failed to foresee or account for any emotional impact the policy might have upon teachers and the educational institution in general . The government saw the policy as a needed improvement , that would create a more professional educator by providing a more defined career path and provide motivation for continuous improvement among the teaching corps . These goals would be accomplished by introducing professional criteria for advancement and by awarding pay rises according to performance measured by those criteria . Teachers , on the other hand , viewed the new policy with suspicion at best and open hostility in many cases . Many felt the process required to complete The Threshold was demeaning . Others felt that it would or did distract teachers from actually teaching since the professional standards would interfere with emotional investments in their pupils in favour of `meeting their numbers ' This conflict between those of technical , and analytical practise and those of emotional impact was pointed out by Andy Hargreaves

II . Purpose of the Research

It is the dichotomy between the perceptions of the government and those affected by the policy that prompted the research project The Emotional Impact Of Performance-Related Pay On Teachers In England ' by Pat Mahony , Ian Menter and Ian Hextall . Their develops new evidence concerning the emotional impact Threshold had upon teachers based on data the group had collected for an earlier ESRC...