Greek Primary School Websites: The Construction of Institutional Identities in a Highly Centralized System

ABSTRACT

This study aims at revealing the institutional identities of Greek primary schools through analysis of their websites. The sample consisted of 150 randomly selected websites. The grid of content analysis used focused on (a) information about school life, (b) links with society and (c) presentation style. Results show that schools tend to present a celebratory image of themselves, focusing more on special moments of school life while downplaying their everyday work. This is a clear strategy of schools to buffer their technical core from public control. A second strategy identified is the schools’ effort to present themselves as “ordinary.”