Exploring the Way Teachers Feel about Feedback from Administrators and Administrator-Teacher Communication: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Teachers and principals have vital roles in the success of our schools and the two must communicate with each other; however, principals must evaluate teachers' performance. The problem investigated for this research study was communication disparity as evidenced by how teachers interpret and react to principal's feedback, teachers' perceived intent of the principal, and the principal's feedback delivery approach. Research has shown teachers do not perceive principals as educational leaders and some perceive principal's communication as abusive. Principal-to-teacher communication disparity is causing teachers to become dissatisfied and elevating teacher attrition. This study has identified and helped to understand how K-12 teachers in a representative Vermont union school district perceive their principal's evaluations and feedback in the forms of written, verbal, and a combination of the two. The intent of this qualitative inquiry and phenomenological design was to explore the essence of the phenomenon of principal-to-teacher performance evaluation to better understand objective feedback and evaluation, which may be contributors to communication disparity between teachers and principals. Of the 200 K-12 teachers recruited, 129 completed and submitted an online survey requesting their perceptions of principal feedback (response rate of 65%). Based on the submitted survey, 15 participants were selected to participate in interviews. Selection was based on having an administrative evaluation in the past three years and their willingness to participate in a live interview. Interviews were conducted with five teachers from each of the three grade clusters (K-5, 6-8, 9-12) (n = 15). Descriptive data, expressed as frequency counts, were used to categorize responses, in which themes of teacher perceptions of principal feedback emerged. Results from this study indicate teachers understood the importance of evaluations and thought their principal's intentions were respectable. Even though a majority believed the feedback was not valuable, and more than half believed principal evaluations were unproductive, their manner of communication had an effect on teachers' job satisfaction. Considering the ever-constant pressures placed on student achievement and performance, further research in principal-to-teacher communication disparity should be conducted. Further investigation can provide valuable data and research-based evidence to communication disparity related literature and theory, and its possible link to teacher performance, attrition, morale, and job satisfaction. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]