Performance appraisal systems — equity perceptions of mathematics teachers: an exploratory study

Abstract

This study investigated equity perceptions of a school based performance appraisal system in a subject discipline. Participants were 110 mathematics teachers (females = 10%) and 12 school principals (females = 25%). They completed a questionnaire on distributive, procedural and interactional justice regarding the performance evaluation process. The School principals and eight of the teachers were qualitatively interviewed to elaborate on their performance appraisal equity perceptions. The quantitative data were descriptively analysed to characterize negative and positive perceptions and the qualitative data were thematically analysed. The findings show that respondents perceived inequity in the distributive, procedural and interactional aspects of the performance based scheme. Equity was marginally more endorsed regarding just one category of interactional justice. The study underscores the importance of perceptions of equity in performance appraisal systems in work organisations.