Performative enactments of teacher evaluation: Two preservice teachers and the edTPA

Abstract

Teacher preparation and preservice evaluation practices in the US have seen increasing influence from social efficiency and productivity logics. While analyses of the impacts of such neoliberal ascendancies are diverse and numerous, this article focuses closely on the impact of neoliberalism in preservice teacher evaluation and its impact on new teacher development. In particular, the teacher candidates who participated in this study shared their experiences with and perceptions of the edTPA, a relatively new, standardized portfolio licensure assessment published by Pearson, Inc. Analysis of qualitative case study data found that the regulatory influence of external surveillance created tensions with teacher candidates’ desire to learn and grow whilst completing their evaluation materials. Furthermore, analysis found that these candidates’ critical perspectives implicated their completion of evaluation materials. When more critical of neoliberal influences in evaluation policy, candidates’ materials were constructed in a performative manner.