Antecedents of teachers fostering effort within two different management regimes: an assessment-based accountability regime and regime without external pressure on results

Abstract

This article focuses on comparison of antecedents of school teaching intensity exerted by teachers in two quite different accountability regimes: one management regime with an external-accountability system and one regime with no external accountability devices. The methodology involved was cross-sectional surveys from two different management systems: (1) teachers working under assessment-based accountability in a city authority (N=236) and (2) folk-high-school teachers who work without tests and examinations and thereby without external pressure on results (N=366). The purpose of the study was to estimate the path coefficients in structural equation modelling in the two regimes and compare the strength of relationships between concepts in the structural models. Through this comparison we draw inferences suggesting how the strength of accountability repercussions and other leadership antecedents can influence teacher learning intensity in teaching and how strength in qualitative aspects among school professionals may influence learning intensity in teaching. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.