Joe O'Hara

Operationalising self-evaluation in schools: experiences from Ireland and Iceland

School inspection, school self-evaluation and the relationship between them are important themes in current educational policy debates. Many education systems are seeking to find a balance between the, at times, conflicting demands for a robust, transparent and effective system of school evaluation that at the same time allows for professional growth and development within schools. These tensions play out in different ways across different systems and this paper seeks to explore points of commonality and contrast between the Irish and Icelandic experience. The paper begins by reporting research in Ireland which demonstrates that while self-evaluation is theoretically a key component of the national system of school evaluation, in reality there is little sign of it emerging in any significant way in practice in schools. In contrast, research from Iceland is reported which shows that, after a slow beginning, self-evaluation in schools is now bearing fruit in a variety of ways. From these diverse experiences, some conclusions are drawn concerning the conditions under which self-evaluation can become embedded in education systems.

Developing a Culture of Evaluation in the Irish Public Sector The Case of Education

This article is a case study of the emergence of an evaluation culture in the public sector and particularly in education in Ireland. It suggests that the emergence of this culture was strongly influenced by external bodies, particularly the EU and, to a lesser but significant degree, the OECD. It is further argued that the continuation of systematic evaluation is still dependent on external forces, since a commitment to evaluation as a tool of governance has not taken hold among key policy-makers in Ireland. However it is postulated that, notwithstanding its arguably insecure foundations, evaluation practice has moved beyond the confines of externally funded EU programmes, which saw its first introduction into Ireland. In recent years a broad quality assurance agenda within the public service and to an extent beyond has emerged.The article concludes by making the point that an evaluation culture in a particular country is hugely contextualized and influenced by the constraints of existing ideologies and relationships between different interest groups.Thus, in Ireland, in line with the corporatist and partnership-driven approaches to economic policy and industrial relations which have been dominant in recent decades, the form of evaluation which has emerged is consensual, collaborative and negotiated.

Changing School Board Governance in Primary Education through School Inspections.

This paper addresses if, and to what extent, the current working methods of the Dutch Inspectorate of Education affect the governance of school boards in schools for primary education. A key facet of the working method is the inspection meeting with the school board. Drawing upon a large quantitative study (n = 244) we are able to identify some changes in school board governance due to these inspection meetings. School boards that had an inspection meeting indicate changes in their governance of quality assurance and data use, and in the amount of data that they collect on the functioning of their schools. School boards indicate very small amounts of activities with regard to the curriculum and instruction in their schools.

The degree to which students and teachers are involved in second-level school processes and participation in decision-making: an Irish Case Study

The Education Act (1998) is a key policy document in Irish education, emphasising the rights, roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders, including parents, teachers and pupils in schools. Since 1998 the Department of Education and Skills (DES) has stressed the need to introduce an increased role for teachers and pupils in decision-making. It is therefore timely to explore the response of teachers and students to such a collaborative school environment in a rural second-level school of approximately 600 students. Transition year (TY) students (ages about 15–16) and their teachers were surveyed by questionnaire and interviewed. It finds that while the school is proactive in involving students and teachers in decision-making, a source of social, personal and professional empowerment, experienced teachers, and students in particular, want a more substantial voice. For example, most students want more say. They want class discussions or a vote, not just Student Council (SC) representation, on important and not just trivial issues. They want involvement before decisions are taken, with more feedback. Overall, participation is considered important by all stakeholders.

A positive approach to discipline: An assessment

This paper charts some of the issues which arose during an attempt by a school community in a North Dublin secondary school to develop and implement a new policy on discipline. The policy was developed over a three-year period with the assistance of a Department of Education research grant. The final programme was the subject of an extensive external evaluation under the direction of the School of Education Studies, Dublin City University and much of the material presented here draws from that evaluation.

Is it all memory recall? An empirical investigation of intellectual skill requirements in Leaving Certificate examination papers in Ireland

The terminal examination of post-primary education in Ireland, the Leaving Certificate, is often criticised for the reliance on memory recall over higher order thinking skills in the assessment process. In order to examine the evidence base for these critiques, this article presents an empirical investigation of the intellectual skills and knowledge domains implicit in the tasks in the written examination papers of 23 subjects in the Leaving Certificate in Ireland from 2005 to 2010. Data were collected from two sources: examination papers and student interviews. In an in-depth document analysis of the examination papers, 14,910 occurrences of command verbs were coded for the intellectual skill and knowledge domains required by the assessment task. As the same verb can require different intellectual skills in different subjects and in different tasks, each occurrence of every verb was assigned a specific value depending on its context. The article presents the frequencies and distributions of intellectual skills and knowledge domains within and across subjects. In light of key points in the literature search, the findings indicate concern regarding the level of challenge and stimulation for the development of students of the Leaving Certificate.

Ten years a-talking! Reflecting on the role of the EERA council from the perspective of national educational research associations

Drawing on their personal experiences, the authors reflect on the relationship between the European Educational Research Association (EERA) Council and the National Educational Research Associations (NERAs). The article will argue that while much of the work undertaken by the EERA Council is hugely valuable, at times it can be difficult to see a causal link between discussions and decisions at this level and changes in governance and practice at the level of national associations. Having said that, it is hoped that the article will give an idea of issues that emerged and challenges that might yet need to be faced in the EERA Council. These included the impact of changes in governance structures on the way EERA interacts with NERAs and other constituent groups. In addition, there has also been an ongoing debate around the definition of European in the context of educational research and the connected challenges of the identification and operationalisation of a core set of values to underpin this endeavour. Finally, the article explores the manner in which EERA Council as a representative body of national associations helped shape the processes whereby the association interacted with a range of external partners.