Teacher management in a dynamic space: A study of Cambodian public higher education institutions
Chan Hum, Sing-Kai Lo

Graduate School, The Education University of Hong Kong

Abstract

Cambodian education has transformed from a traditional bureaucratic and state-centralized system to relative autonomy. While significantly improving the quality of academic programs and expanding physical infrastructures, personnel management practices in public higher education institutions are perceived as weak and fractured and should be given more research attention. Therefore, this study examines how higher education teachers express their thoughts on recruitment, professional development, performance appraisal and compensation practices in four HEIs. More specifically, the study investigates teachers^ experiences in alignment with management practices to enhance their performance competencies. This study collects data through an online survey with 120 teachers and an independent t-sample test, and ANOVA will be performed to generate the findings. The study will argue that the current teacher management practices in recruitment, professional development, performance appraisal, and compensation in the studied HEIs remain centralized and, therefore, at far-reaching institutional autonomy. Although the government decentralizes the management procedures to HEIs, the actual practices must be more consistent due to a lack of comprehensive guidelines and a less tentative institutional strategy to improve staffing autonomy. This study will inform government policymakers, university leaders and researchers about the issues of the personnel management system at Cambodian public HEIs, and opens the door for further debates.

Keywords: teacher management, dynamic space, higher education, Cambodia

Topic: Educational Management