A system for appraisal or a 'tyranny of conformity'? A study on the EPMS and teacher resistance

• Main Author: Nur Muhammad Iman Azhar
• Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/55836
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Raising teaching performance is one of the main attributes to improving students’ learning. To ensure the standard of teachers is at an acceptable standard, teacher evaluation is key to the raising of educational standards. There are many different types of teacher appraisal systems available. However, recently, performance-related pay-based systems are becoming more popular due to a number of benefits which includes retaining high-quality teachers with performance incentives, and raising teacher motivation. Furthermore, these appraisal systems create a common discourse in the determination of the ‘good teacher’. Singapore’s Enhanced Performance Management System (EPMS) is one such appraisal system. This paper aims to explore (a) the effectiveness of the EPMS as an appraisal system; and (b) how the EPMS becomes a site of resistance for teachers against the official rhetoric of ‘the good teacher’.