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Challenging Appraisal Orthodoxies: Teacher Evaluation and Professional Development in the United Arab Emirates

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Abstract

This paper presents findings from a 4-year study of faculty appraisal at two higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It finds that neither teachers nor academic managers are opposed to evaluative appraisal, and, contrary to much of the literature, most are happy for evaluative and developmental elements to be combined. It then examines the apparent paradox of continuing professional development in a context where federally-funded HEIs have the money to attract more teachers than they need; the legal right to dismiss any of them for any reason; and a strong belief on the part of managers that these particular students need and deserve only the very best teachers. It concludes that these features of the UAE context present a considerable challenge to the popular notion that people are an institution’s most precious resource and need to be developed at every opportunity.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Clive Dimmock and David Hellawell for their feedback on earlier drafts of this article. I would also like to thank the editor, Douglas Davis, for his very helpful advice and summary of the reviewers’ comments.

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  1. Centre for Educational Leadership and Management (CELM), School of Education, University of Leicester, 162-166 Upper New Walk, Leicester, LE1 7QA, UK

    Justine Mercer

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  1. Justine Mercer
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Correspondence to Justine Mercer.

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Mercer, J. Challenging Appraisal Orthodoxies: Teacher Evaluation and Professional Development in the United Arab Emirates. J Pers Eval Educ 18, 273–287 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-007-9024-9

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