An Insight Into China's Primary And High School Teachers' Incentive Mechanisms

Effective incentive mechanisms are needed to attract and retain talented teachers, to boost teacher's working enthusiasm, go-aheadism, and creative spirit, to improve schools' teaching quality, and to create a sound and harmonious environment for teachers' development. Many organizations, especially those powerful ones, often attract talents through a variety of preferential policies, generous welfare packages, efficient promotion mechanisms and the creation of a harmonious working environment. The same rule also applies to a school. A school cannot lure talents without effective incentive strategies. Therefore, how to improve teaching quality and to make a school see a dynamic development by establishing a scientific, talents-friendly incentive mechanisms, and by fully boosting teachers'teaching enthusiasm and creative spirit, has become a pressing problem as primary and secondary schools are undertaking deeper reforms.I believe that it is of vital significance to study the incentive mechanisms at primary and high schools by combining the theories of incentive mechanisms and the management experiences of primary and high schools. Since the early 20th century, Western management theorists, sociologists and psychologists have been conducting in-depth researches into the issue of incentive mechanisms from different angles. They have come up with many theories on incentive mechanisms, including the Hierarchy of Needs Theory, the Two-factor Theory, the Need for Achievement Theory, the Expectancy Theory, the Equity Theory, the Goal-setting Theory, and the Reinforcement Theory etc. In recent years, Chinese scholars have also proposed the Synchronizing Incentive Theory and the Comprehensive Incentive theory, from which the studies of primary and secondary school incentive mechanisms can draw lessons and inspiration.Based on the studies of the incentive mechanisms for teachers home and abroad, the thesis conducts a systematic analysis of the status quo of China's studies of primary and highs school teachers'incentive mechanisms and points out the problems that need to be studied and solved. They include the issues of scientific incentive concepts, rationality of incentive mechanisms and equity in performance assessment etc.The author of the thesis pinpoints current state of the psychological needs of primary and high school teachers, through interviews and personal observation on teaching posts. Their needs are made up of salary levels, working environment, the right to participate in school management and honors.The salary regime lacks elasticity, and teachers' salary is low compared to their workloads; social and campus environments are not good enough; teachers cannot exercise fully their right to participate in school management; teachers'performance assessment, which is not scientific enough, is poorly implemented.The thesis offers suggestions to improve the incentive mechanisms of primary and high school teachers, according to the existing problems. The ideas include:improving the incentive theories while putting people first; creating a multi-dimensional incentive pattern and new incentive approaches, facilitating teachers' self-development, making the most of teachers' appointment system and integrating educational resources; establishing a scientific teachers' performance assessment mechanism, which includes introducing new ideas, establishing a sound assessment mechanism, and making good use of the feedback mechanism in performance assessment.