The Effects of Performance Appraisal on Secondary School Teachers' Work Engagement in China-Based on the Mediating Effect of Teacher Identity

The level of teachers' work engagement plays a crucial role in determining the quality of education. Secondary schools, being a vital component of China's basic education system, exert a significant influence on the overall educational quality in the country. This research delves into the connection between performance appraisal and the work engagement of secondary school teachers, while also exploring the mediating role of teacher identity. Employing a correlational research design, the study distributed 4848 questionnaires across 202 middle schools (comprising both middle and high schools) in eight cities within Henan Province, China. The returned 4290 valid questionnaires resulted in a commendable validity rate of 88.5%. The research methodology integrates descriptive statistical analysis, difference testing, and structural equation modeling to analyze survey responses and questionnaire retrieval outcomes. The study's findings reveal that while secondary school teachers exhibit a high level of identity, there is room for improvement in the fairness of performance appraisal and work engagement. Moreover, a fairer performance appraisal demonstrates a significant and positive correlation with work engagement and teacher identity. Additionally, teacher identity serves as a substantial predictor of teachers' work engagement and partially mediates the impact of performance appraisal on teachers' work engagement. These outcomes offer a foundational understanding for further enhancing the equity of performance appraisal for secondary school teachers in China. The study also recommends strategies to bolster teachers' self-identity by promoting fairness in performance appraisal, thereby fostering improvements in teachers' work engagement and, consequently, elevating the overall quality of education.