One aim of vocational education is educating students for occupations by fostering the development of students' capacities to become successful practitioners. During their education students are usually afforded work experience. When this is the case, students learn both at school and at the workplace. Learning at the workplace requires…

Review of literature on nursing assessments using behaviorally anchored rating scales and objective structured clinical examinations found these methods inadequate for predicting nurses' clinical performance. Lacking better methods, nursing risks losing public confidence in its ability to safeguard patients. (Contains 43 references.) (SK)

Introduces the articles in this special issue, which focus on personnel evaluation across the spectrum of higher education. All relate to a growing interest in holding college professionals accountable for their job performance. (SLD)

Now that educational reform has targeted principal performance as a key to school excellence, methods and procedures for evaluating these administrators have become an increasing concern. Current studies suggest that evaluation practices used in many districts are ill-suited to improving principals' performance and professional competence. Many…

Explores implications of subjective factors that influence rating processes upon which formal performance appraisal systems are based and presents a strategy for addressing this problem which utilizes the critical incident method to focus objectively on employee behavior. A performance feedback worksheet to be utilized with this appraisal method…

Explores the various options available for the validation of selection procedures when criterion-related validity is technically unfeasible. Presents a conceptual framework, the J-Coefficient, within which all validation options can be considered. (Author)

Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) are no better or worse than other methods when assessed on a quantitative basis but have greater potential when assessed on use and qualitative criteria. Suggestions are offered for extending BARS research to process questions and domains other than performance appraisal. (Author)

Historically, training for performance appraisal has focused on the same issues as instrument development--the reduction of psychometric errors in ratings. Efforts were centered around teaching people to use rating scales properly. A review of the literature shows these programs met with mixed success. While a meta-analysis of these data are…

To reveal evolving strategies for and existing problems in performance appraisal, this report summarizes recently published research findings and expert opinions. The first section examines the purposes of performance appraisal in organizations, discusses the relationship of appraisal to the job description, and presents an overview of the basic…

This article identifies problems with current practice in evaluating employee performance and presents currently accepted performance appraisal methods (behaviorally anchored rating scales, management by objectives). A research project designed to improve appraisals for school media specialists which was field-tested in four Florida school…

Examines the principal assessment process in measuring accountability for facilitating academic improvement. The article raises several conceptual and methodological issues on developing principal assessment models, provides data on issues in the development of evaluation models for principal assessment, and presents a basic model for principal…

Results of an examination of research literature on performance-appraisal interviewing and its implications are presented in this report. The appraisal interview functions to (1) provide feedback on performance, (2) counsel and provide help, (3) discover what the employee is thinking, (4) teach the employee to solve problems, (5) help the employee…

Describes the characteristics of a statewide principal evaluation system. Even when an evaluation system is detailed, specific, and statewide, inconsistencies develop because of the special nature of principals' work. The system breaks down in the sampling of performance and outputs, and in the communication of negative feedback. (PS)

Because of the rising interest in the relevance of psychology to missions, a number of empirical studies have been completed which address various issues pertaining to missionary selection, stress, and ongoing functioning. This paper presents a critique and synthesis of the empirical literature relevant to missionary selection, stress, and…

An investigation was made of current uses of formative and summative teacher evaluation. A review of the literature on teacher evaluation systems revealed that most systems attempted to accomplish two potentially conflicting purposes: to encourage teacher development and improve instructional quality (formative), and to judge teacher effectiveness…