What Stated Aims Should School Inspection Pursue?—Views of Inspectors, Policy-Makers and Practitioners

Penninckx, Maarten; Vanhoof, Jan

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-52536-5_11

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The study also aims to examine the general perceptions of school leaders and inspectors about the impact of quality assurance agencies on teaching and learning, using semi-structured interviews with both groups in these countries. It is an altogether novel aspect as generally, empirical studies on school inspection focus on the effects of school inspection (De Wolf and Janssens, 2007;Ehren et al, 2015;Penninckx et al, 2016;Jones et al, 2017), the role of school self-evaluation in external evaluation (MacBeath, 2006;McNamara et al, 2011;Chapman and Sammons, 2013;Brown et al, 2017;McNamara et al, 2022) or school inspectors' roles and responsibilities (Baxter, 2017;Baxter and Hult, 2017;Penninckx and Vanhoof, 2017). It is essential to know that in Dubai and Ireland, this institution is called inspection; in New Zealand, evaluation, while in Pakistan, it is called monitoring and supervision.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School inspections: a rhetoric of quality or reality?

Gardezi,

McNamara,

Brown

et al. 2023

Front. Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aims to explore the perspectives of school inspectors and leaders on the quality of school inspection in four countries with different inspection systems: Dubai, Ireland, New Zealand, and Pakistan. The study also examines the general perceptions of school leaders and inspectors about the impact of quality assurance agencies on teaching and learning in these countries. Using semi-structured interviews of school leaders (n = 28) and inspectors (n = 14), the research found that school leaders’ experiences and perceptions of school inspection and evaluation were varied in and across all four countries. While some expressed dissatisfaction with the inspectors and the process, others regarded it as a beneficial endeavor that instilled a sense of vigilance and attentiveness toward the quality standards and inspection criteria. School leaders’ experiences and perceptions were mostly positive in Dubai and mixed in the cases of Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan. Furthermore, the study found a negative correlation between the perception of school leaders and inspectors regarding the quality of inspection practices and their perception of the impact of inspection. Thus, it is imperative to establish improved avenues of communication to facilitate heightened awareness among school leaders regarding the efficacy of inspectors’ work and the comprehensive measures implemented by inspectorates to ensure the quality of their own practices. This initiative will foster enhanced trust between school leaders and inspectors, consequently amplifying the overall influence of school inspections.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School inspections: a rhetoric of quality or reality?

Gardezi,

McNamara,

Brown

et al. 2023

Front. Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Exploring the multifaceted nature of school inspectors' power dynamics: A comparative analysis of four quality assurance systems

Gardezi,

McNamara,

Brown

et al. 2024

Review of Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This research critically explores the role of school inspectors in driving improvements across diverse educational settings, focusing on the nuanced dynamics of their influence on school leaders' attitudes towards feedback. The study employs French and Raven's ‘The Bases of Social Powers’ framework to investigate the various forms of power wielded by school inspectors. The examination encompasses inspection regimes with varied approaches, ranging from high‐stakes to low‐stakes, each conferring different degrees of authority on school inspectors. Conducted in four jurisdictions—Dubai, Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan—each characterised by distinct school quality assurance systems, the research aims to provide readers, including academicians, policy makers, quality assurance personnel and school leaders, with examples of current practices and models. Through interviews with school leaders and inspectors, the findings reveal that leaders' perceptions of inspectors' powers influence both their attitudes towards inspectors and their responses to feedback. The six bases of power—reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, expert and informational—as postulated in French and Raven's framework—are identified in the school leaders' responses and highlighted in the structural dynamics of the inspection systems under study, though at varying degrees. Notably, all forms of power hold value in influencing school leaders and driving changes in their practices. While the first three focus on regulating and evaluating school operations, the latter three foster change by inspiring and guiding school leaders. The findings underscore the need for a balanced integration of these power bases in school inspection systems, tailored to the unique contexts of every country. By shedding light on the interplay between power dynamics and school leaders' responsiveness to feedback, this research contributes valuable insights to inform the development and refinement of school inspection systems. The ultimate goal is to maximise the impact of inspections and enhance the efficacy of quality assurance systems in promoting positive change and improvement within diverse educational environments.

show abstract

The development and status of self-evaluation as a component of school inspection and quality assurance: A comparison across four countries

Gardezi

2024

Heliyon

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

What Stated Aims Should School Inspection Pursue?—Views of Inspectors, Policy-Makers and Practitioners

Cited by 3 publications

References 32 publications

School inspections: a rhetoric of quality or reality?

School inspections: a rhetoric of quality or reality?

Exploring the multifaceted nature of school inspectors' power dynamics: A comparative analysis of four quality assurance systems

The development and status of self-evaluation as a component of school inspection and quality assurance: A comparison across four countries

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About