Using generic and content-specific teaching practices in teacher evaluation: An exploratory study of teachers' perceptions

• Generic and content-specific practices are equally endorsed for teacher evaluation.
• Unlike scholars, teachers do not rate these practices as distinctly important.
• Teachers consider these practices more important than feasible to implement.
• Teacher-centered practices are deemed more important and feasible to implement.
• Student-centered practices are considered less important and feasible to implement.

Generic and content-specific teaching practices have largely been employed in parallel in teacher evaluation and classroom observation systems. Giving voice to teachers, we examine whether both types of practices are endorsed by teachers as criteria for evaluation purposes. Analyzing the responses of 589 Cypriot primary schoolteachers to a survey, we found that, unlike researchers, teachers did not appraise these practices as distinctly important; rather teachers' perceptions seemed to be informed by the centrality of teachers' role during instruction. Teachers also rated these practices as more important than feasible to implement. Implications for teacher evaluation and teacher education are provided.