The Validity of the Teacher Perceiver Interview for Predicting Performance of Classroom Teachers

Abstract

Research addressing the selection of teachers has focused largely on preemployment decisions of individuals as applicants and on preemployment decisions of school personnel as employers. Omitted from this research is any attention to postemployment outcomes associated with these preemployment decisions. To fill this void in current teacher selection research, we conducted a series of field studies assessing the relationship between preemployment responses of teacher candidates and postemployment outcomes using a predictive validity paradigm. Preemployment responses on a commercial interview protocol purported to predict future teacher performance are assessed relative to postemployment ratings of principals and to behavioral actions of newly hired teachers. Results indicate that a percentage of the systematic variance associated with postemployment performance is accounted for by preemployment responses to a standardized commercial interview protocol. These findings are cast within the larger body of teacher selection research through a model for teacher selection, and recommendations are provided for use of the commercial interview protocol in the field setting.