Merit pay and the affective well-being of teachers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the merit pay program in Tennessee as it relates to teachers' attitudes and feelings toward the profession.

The sample used in this study was 75 teachers from schools located in different school districts in Tennessee. The 15 selected j schools included seven schools from East, and four schools from each Middle and West Tennessee. Ten elementary, two middle, 4nd three secondary schools were included. The selection of teachers included three Probationary, five Apprenctice, 50 Career Level I, three Career Level II, five Career Level III, and nine Non-Career Ladder teachers. Each selected teacher was interviewed using a semistructured interview guide.

An analysis of the responses of those interviewed proiiuced the following major findings:

1. Merit pay has not had an affect on teachers' teaching.

2. Merit pay has had no effect on individuals' decisions to enter or remain in the teaching profession.

3. Teachers' working relationships have changed in a detrimental way since the Implementation of merit pay.

4. Merit pay has had a detrimental affect on teachers' attitudes.

5. Teachers do not have the opportunity to observe otheif teachers teaching; however, they would like to observe others in order to get different teaching ideas.

6. Most teachers are satisfied with their careers as teachers, and would reenter the teaching profession.

7. Teachers agree with some teachers making more money than others.

8. The most important satisfier teachers receive on a datly basis is seeing children learn.

9. There are no major differences between teachers' perceptions of merit pay as it relates to selected demographic variables.