An integral perspective on teacher evaluation : a review of empirical studies

Teacher evaluation has been used for decades in schools as a human resource management practice to hold teachers accountable and to help them develop professionally. This paper provides a synthesis of empirical studies about teacher evaluation. We use an overarching theoretical framework, the value chain, as a guide to collect and map insights from empirical research about teacher evaluation. First, we mapped the variables that are described as significant for teacher evaluation from a quantitative viewpoint. Second, by adding the qualitative insights, we gained a more detailed understanding about how these significant relationships work. After a screening of the literature, 15 quantitative and 21 qualitative studies were included in this review. The results elaborate on the definition and measurement of teacher evaluation, the outcomes of teacher evaluation and important context variables for teacher evaluation, all found in empirical research on teacher evaluation. This review provides an overview of the empirical results from the teacher evaluation research literature about antecedents and consequences of teacher evaluation. We conclude with paths for future research