Teachers´ Performance in the Late Phase of Their Career

Author(s):

Bohumira Lazarova

Conference:

ECER 2009

Network:

11. Educational Effectiveness and Quality Assurance

Format:

Paper

Session Information

11 SES 05 B, Physical Education and Teacher's training for its Effectiveness

Paper Session

Time:

2009-09-29

08:30-10:00

Room:

HG, HS 47

Chair:

Ineta Luka

Contribution

The paper focuses on the performance of primary school teachers in the late phase of their career. Teachers over 50 years of age comprise (and will continue to do so in the future) a large proportion of the teaching population and it is apparent that their needs, expectations, professional attitudes and thus also work performance are specific. However, they have not been a subject of many investigations so far. The author presents preliminary results of a three-year research project conducted at the Faculty of Sports Studies Masaryk University in Brno, whose primary aim is to identify the circumstances of professional activity of senior teachers, identify and suggest understanding of changes in their performance and factors underlying these changes. All of that from the point of view of senior teachers (i.e. over 50, with 20 and more years of experience), younger teachers (to 35 years) and school management.

Method

In the first stage of the investigation the author chose qualitative approach and in this paper present results of conducted focus groups with younger and senior teachers. The paradigm of viewing the changes in the performance of senior teachers follows the pattern: causal conditions (influence of age on professional performance) – the context of the performance (i.e. above all the specificity of teaching, changes in teaching and changes in the society in the last 10 to 20 years) – intervening conditions (above all teacher´s personality, his/her lifestyle, school climate) – strategies of conduct and coping with problems (specific or merely “typical“ coping with age handicaps in profession) – result (emotional experience of performance, self/evaluation of teacher and changes in self-concept). Attention is paid in particular to specific changes in professional performance (professional handicaps) and the context of these changes as perceived by the interviewed teachers.

Expected Outcomes

These preliminary results serve among others as a basis for the following quantitative investigation. The research results then can be inspirational not only for teachers themselves but also for school managements and school politicians in their effort to find measures strengthening motivation of teachers in the late phase of their career, further enhancing the quality of their performance and facilitating their professional activity.

References

Berliner, D. C. (1994) Teacher expertise. In Husen, T. & Postlethwaite, T. (Eds.) The international encyclopedia of education. London: Pergamon. Bivona, K. N. (2002).Teacher morale: the impact of teaching experience, workplace, conditions and workload. Available at http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1a/50/b4.pdf. Botwinik R. & Rothman Press, M. (2006). Career option for retired teachers. The clearing house. Washington, vol. 79, no 3, pp. 145-146. Huberman, M. (1989). The professional life cycle of teachers. Teachers College Record, vol. 91, no.1, pp. 31-57. Keeping teaching attractive for 21st century (2004). Key topics in education in Europe. The teaching profession in Europe: Profile, trends and concerns. Report IV. Brussels: Eurydice. OECD report (2003) Country background report for Sweden, p. 74. Leshem, S. (2008). Novices and veterans journeying into real-world teaching: How a veteran learns from novices. Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, vol. 24, no 1, pp 204-215. McCann, T. & Johannessen L. R. The role and responsibility of the experienced teacher. English Journal. Urbana, 2005, vol 95, no 2, pp. 52-57. Mc Creight, C. (2000). Teacher attrition, shortage, and strategies for teacher retention. Texas, A&M University, Department of Professional Programs. Melnick, S. A. & Meister, D. G. A comparison of beginning and experienced teachers´concerns. Educational Research Quarterly. (2008). West Monroe, vol. 31 no. 3, pp. 39-56.

Author Information

Bohumira Lazarova

Masaryk University

Faculty of Sports Studies, Faculty of Arts

Brno

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