History and Summary Analyses of Articles Published in the Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education: Documenting the First Twelve Years

Abstract

The Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education (JPEE) began publication in 1987 with the goal of a “journal that focuses on current thought and research in the field of personnel evaluation” (Iwanicki, 1987, p. 5). During the first twelve years, forty-eight issues have been published in twelve volumes. This article presents results of analyses of JPEE articles to answer questions on the journal's success in accomplishing its original goals, how it has impacted personnel evaluation practice, and how the focus of the JPEE has evolved through its history. All of the 293 articles that have appeared in the JPEE were coded using a process of qualitative document analysis. Each article was coded according to its contents in each of eight coding groups. The results indicate that the JPEE has published a comprehensive array of evaluation theory and practice, including the results of ninety-four research studies, reports on thirty-five specific programs or projects, twelve special issues on timely topics, and nine book reviews on books about personnel evaluation. Other conclusions note that the JPEE is highly oriented toward teacher evaluation, that it is dominated by United States authors, and that there are whole areas of educational personnel evaluation without substantial research.