Teacher perceptions of being held accountable for student achievement: A phenomenological study

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to gain an understanding of elementary and middle schoolteachers' perceptions of being held accountable for student achievement by studying the lived experiences of teachers. The problem is that school districts' reliance on a single assessment, as the primary measure for teacher accountability, is the basis of teacher anxiety and frustration. Twenty-five participants were interviewed using a semi-structured open ended interview format and textual data was collected and analyzed. Four themes were extracted from the textual data using NVivo 8.0^© to aid in the coding process. The four themes that emerged from the interview data included: individual teacher accountability, pressure, self-reflection, and self-evaluation. The themes were important to the understanding of the participants' perceptions of being held accountable for student achievement. The research findings supported the literature on accountability for student achievement creating anxiety and frustration for teachers. The findings add to the current literature that teachers support the concept of accountability yet struggle with the current design and reporting of accountability. Recommendations are made for educators and educational leaders. Educational leaders should develop a policy review process that aligns daily practice, policy, and resource allocation. Educators and educational leaders need to develop an evaluation tool that captures multiple measures of achievement in a growth model while promoting teacher self-reflection.