This study explores the limitations and benefits of different approaches to conducting online focus groups and illustrates an online focus group protocol used within the Value for Schools project in Italy. According to the project evaluation design, 13 online focus groups were organized, with the participation of 101 teachers and 37 school principals. The protocol setup, incorporation, and reorganization of the indications have been discussed in the literature, addressing the methodological and practical issues, such as the selection of participants and preliminary communication with them; the web conference platform (Zoom Business); timing, as well as access times and mode; the roles of the researchers involved (moderator, co-host technical assistant, co-host-observer, co-host-animator) and their integration spaces; technological support; and animation tools. The recording and transcription tools and subsequent analysis of the textual corpus are presented. Finally, the authors discuss the validation and reliability of online focus group protocols.
Media reporting of results from the survey conducted by the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) have led to far-reaching reforms in many countries. The study on which this article reports analysed how media has responded to the survey results in the national context of Italy. Governments have been suggested to either accept, refuse or renegotiate survey results. Our research elaborated on how information on PISA results were conveyed by searches on the internet search engine Google. A review of 353 contributions published on 127 different online news portals in the period between 2006 and 2018 was analysed, with focus specifically on political communication.An exploratory documentary analysis, using quantitative and qualitative analyses, was conducted for identifying the most recurrent themes. News from four online news portals that recorded the highest number of contributions is analysed in depth, namely: Corriere della Sera, Il Sole 24 Ore, La Repubblica, and Orizzonte Scuola. Our analysis suggests that the message about PISA results transmitted by the media was neither rejected nor renegotiated in news, nor by those who contribute to political debates. Nor can the message be understood as accepted since a well-informed active process of public debate in the media and among the political decision makers has not taken place.
In Italy, the external evaluation has been introduced by the National Evaluation System of schools into 2014/2015 school year and managed by INVALSI. The present paper deepens what is the main purpose of the external evaluation of school and in which way it has been perceived by the external evaluators, according to their own experience. After describing the procedures of the external evaluation visit, the present paper shows the results from a survey administered into 2016/2017 school year to 209 evaluators after they had performed the visit of 370 Italian schools. Results underline that the aims perceived by the evaluators are learning, vertical accountability, and social accountability.
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