Mokoena, M: Effects of appraisal on teacher learning

South Africa faces challenges of teacher professional development due to imbalances of the past. Developmental appraisal system (DAS) policy was introduced as an attempt to enhance teacher competency and the quality of education. The aim of the study was to gain insight into how the implementation of government policy on teacher appraisal, as a form of teacher development influences the way teachers strive to learn and seek to change their practices in different resource contexts. In the context of developing countries, there is very little research on what teachers do to change their practices and the way they learn. The question is: Can teacher development, as conceptualized in DAS promote teacher learning? i.e. can DAS provide teachers with the requisite skills, knowledge and attitudes for improving the quality of teaching and learning in South African classrooms? The focus was on policy breakdown, looking at the views of implementers, viz. teachers at the level of the school. Teacher learning as framework provided conceptual focus. This book provides a different focus on appraisal and teacher learning in the context of a developing country.