Teacher Commitment, Working Conditions, and Differential Incentive Policies

The push for more complex, intellectually demanding approaches to teaching suggests that teacher commitment will continue to be important for effective education. This article develops a framework for assessing how differential incentive policies affect teacher commitment. It identifies seven key wo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of educational research 1993-12, Vol.63 (4), p.489-525
Main Authors: Firestone, William A., Pennell, James R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Career Ladders
Collaboration
Collaborative learning
Commitment
Cooperation
Educational administration
Educational Environment
Educational Facilities
Educational Policy
Educational psychology
Educational research
English teachers
Feedback
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Incentives
Learning
Merit Pay
Personnel Policy
Policy Formation
Professional Autonomy
Professional Orientations
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Recognition (Achievement)
Selection
Teacher
Teacher Motivation
Teacher organizations
Teacher Participation
Teachers
Teaching Conditions
Teaching methods
Work Attitudes
Work Environment
Working conditions
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Summary:The push for more complex, intellectually demanding approaches to teaching suggests that teacher commitment will continue to be important for effective education. This article develops a framework for assessing how differential incentive policies affect teacher commitment. It identifies seven key workplace conditions that contribute to teacher commitment: job design characteristics, feedback, autonomy, participation, collaboration, learning opportunities, and resources. This framework is used to assess the effects of such differential incentive policies as merit pay and career ladders. The selection mechanisms in these two programs are found to reduce autonomy and collaboration, but the job enrichment aspects of career ladders are found to increase participation, collaboration, and resources. We recommend combining policies that increase participation, collaboration, and feedback rather than continuing to experiment with differential incentives.
ISSN:0034-6543
1935-1046
DOI:10.2307/1170498