School self-evaluation at an embryonic stage: depicting teachers’ experiences with a participative project

Abstract

This case study aims to enquire into the journey of a Greek-Cypriot primary school through a self-evaluating process, in accordance to the respective guidelines proposed in the national educational reform documents. The article outlines the phases involved, beginning from the collection of information, moving to the formulation of a school development plan and ending with some preliminary impressions of teachers as implementers. Analyses of minutes of the weekly staff meetings as well as questionnaires distributed to participating teachers indicate that this self-initiated participatory approach apparently had vitality and drive but also suffered due to the lack of wider systemic support. This study underlines the significance of the ideographic and nomothetic dimension of school culture for the development of school self-evaluation (SSE). Emerging considerations appear to resemble issues of school effectiveness and school improvement underpinning SSE worldwide and the need to draw links between the two paradigms. In pursuit of a mixed approach, measures such as a focus on SSE outcomes along with the establishment of school autonomy, which could facilitate the initiation and sustainability of SSE practices in Greek-Cypriot schools, are further discussed.

Notes

*Likert-type rating scale: 1 = Not at all, 2 = A little, 3 = Average, 4 = Much, 5 = Very much.