Strategies used to appraise tutors’ work performance in private teachers’ colleges in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The study investigated the strategies used to appraise tutors’ work performance in private teachers’ college in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The study was guided by three objectives: to identify strategies used to apprise tutors in private teachers’ colleges; to assess tutors’ perception on the usefulness of the appraisal strategies applied in private teachers’ colleges; and finally, to explore the contribution of strategies used to appraise tutors in private colleges in enhancing their work performance. The study employed a qualitative approach using a case study design. The study was conducted in Dar es Salaam Region. Purposive and convenient sampling strategies were used to sample the respondents. The study involved a total of 49 respondents including 7 principals and 42 tutors. The data were collected through interview, focus group discussion, observation and documentary review. The data were analyzed by using Milles and Huberman (1994) model of qualitative data analysis and the information gathered from the documents were analyzed through content analysis. The major findings revealed that: first, in the private teachers’ colleges there was no common strategy used to appraise tutors. All sampled colleges had their own ways of appraising their employees. Secondly, on the usefulness of the appraisal strategies as used in private colleges, principals perceived the strategies as potential since they help to monitor tutors while tutors had perceived the strategies as useless since they are practiced in a bias basis. It was further found that the principals and tutors have never attended any training concerning performance appraisal. Thirdly, the findings indicated that there was no remarkable contribution of the strategies used to appraise tutors in private teachers’ colleges towards improving their work performance. From the findings, the study recommended that the government through the ministry of education has to formulate specific policy to govern and enforce the colleges’ directors and principals on appropriate proceedings to appraise tutors’ work performance in private teachers’ colleges.