Effects of goal setting upon teachers at the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of goal setting upon teachers at the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township, Marion County.A descriptive research design was used to obtain data pertaining to the effects of goal setting upon teachers to determine the efficacy of goal setting in relation to improvement of instruction. Five hundred sixty-three teachers responded to a thirty-five item questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed for the combined responses and for discrepancies between respondent sub-groups i.e., elementary non-tenure, elementary tenure, secondary non-tenure, secondary tenure teachers.The relationship between goal setting and improvement of instruction was not clear. Teachers were not committed to goal setting as a means to improve instruction. The benefits derived by goal setting were not understood by teachers. Teachers responsibly worked toward goal attainment as a requirement of the teacher evaluation process rather than viewing goal setting 'is a vehicle to increase teacher effectiveness.Teacher acceptance of goal setting led to satisfaction and resistance or hostility led to dissatisfaction. The efficacy of goal setting as a motivational means to improve instruction was to relation to the attitude of individual teachers.Teachers spent approximately four hours, less than one full teacher workday, for conducting a self-diagnosis, identifying and writing goals, and conferencing in relation to goals. Four hours were not enough time to effect instructional improvement.Teachers and evaluators did not perceive a relationship between goal setting and application of in-classroom teaching learning knowledge or changes in instructional practices. No relationship existed between goal setting and application of in-classroom teaching-learning knowledge or changes in instructional practices.Teachers indicated receiving infrequent help from evaluators relative to in-classroom teacher practices. No relationship existed between goal setting and teachers receiving help from evaluators relative to in-classroom teacher practices.The amount of supervisory influence was increased in relation to the amount of evaluator competence perceived by teachers. Effective supervisory skills enhanced the benefits derived from goal setting for individual teachers.The influence of the evaluator over a teacher appeared to be the result of power and the capacity to reward or punish. Tenured teachers, especially secondary, were less influenced by the power base of the evaluator.Teachers appeared to be in conflict between needs of teachers to be helped at becoming more adept with needs to be perceived as competent, for which teachers must be evaluated. Teacher resistance and hostility, especially tenured secondary teachers, toward evaluators was related to goal setting.Evaluators assumed passive roles in relation to goal setting resulting in negative evaluations by teachers of the interpersonal relationships between teachers and evaluators. The relationship between teachers and evaluators was not improved via goal setting.A dichotomous relationship existed between goal setting and the total teacher evaluation plan. Evaluators experienced a role conflict between desiring to help and having to evaluate teachers.Goal setting communication between teachers and evaluators flowed multi-directionally with teachers controlling the primary input and influence for goals. Teacher ownership for goals was considered critical in regard to motivation toward goal attainment. However, the passive, almost casual, behavior of the evaluators reported by teachers appeared detrimental to goal setting.Thesis (D. Ed.