Perceived Challenges and Strategies Related to the Teacher Ranking System among Elementary School Teachers: A Qualitative Study
Keywords:
Teacher Ranking System, Teaching Quality, Elementary School Teachers, Thematic Analysis, Professional Identity, Educational EvaluationAbstract
The present study aimed to identify the perceived challenges, consequences, and coping strategies of elementary school teachers regarding the teacher ranking system and its impact on teaching quality. This study was conducted using a qualitative approach and thematic analysis method. Participants included elementary school teachers and school principals selected through purposive and informed sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved, resulting in interviews with 28 participants. Data analysis was conducted through open, organizing, and global coding processes. To ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, qualitative credibility criteria were applied throughout the research process. The findings revealed that the teacher ranking system was associated with three major categories of challenges: structural and executive challenges, psychological-emotional tensions, and social-communication challenges. Results indicated that the system increased administrative workload, ambiguity in evaluation criteria, and distrust in professional assessment, leading to teacher burnout, anxiety, and erosion of professional identity. Furthermore, the ranking system negatively affected teaching quality by promoting excessive standardization of instruction, reducing educational creativity, weakening teacher–student interactions, and distorting assessment and feedback processes. In response to these conditions, teachers adopted various coping strategies, including performative behaviors, protective reactions, and individual and collective forms of resistance to preserve teaching quality and reduce systemic pressures. The findings suggest that the teacher ranking system, rather than enhancing educational quality, has redirected teachers’ professional practices from authentic teaching toward documentation, performance display, and compliance with administrative indicators. In addition to negatively influencing teaching quality, the system has challenged teachers’ professional relationships, psychological well-being, and occupational identity. Therefore, revising evaluation mechanisms, reducing administrative pressures, and adopting supportive and development-oriented approaches appear essential for improving the effectiveness of the teacher ranking system.
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