Educacion

This article was downloaded by: [190.255.229.174] On: 03 March 2012, At: 09:12 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

School Effectiveness and School Improvement: An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice
Publication details, including instructionsfor authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/nses20

School self-evaluation and student achievement
Roelande H. Hofman , Nynke J. Dijkstra & W. H. Adriaan Hofman
a c a b

GION, Groningen Institute for Educational Research, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
b c

Hanze University Groningen, The Netherlands UOCG, University of Groningen, The NetherlandsAvailable online: 10 Mar 2009

To cite this article: Roelande H. Hofman, Nynke J. Dijkstra & W. H. Adriaan Hofman (2009): School self-evaluation and student achievement, School Effectiveness and School Improvement: An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice, 20:1, 47-68 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09243450802664115

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Fullterms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-andconditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make anyrepresentation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of theuse of this material.

School Effectiveness and School Improvement Vol. 20, No. 1, March 2009, 47–68

School self-evaluation and student achievement
Roelande H. Hofmana*, Nynke J. Dijkstrab and W.H. Adriaan Hofmanc
GION, Groningen Institute for Educational Research, University of Groningen, The Netherlands; bHanze University Groningen, The Netherlands; cUOCG, University of Groningen, TheNetherlands (Received 8 February 2007; final version received 2 September 2008) In the last 2 decades, educational systems have developed accountability policies in which schools maintain autonomy for their pedagogical, instructional, and organizational practices (internal control). At the same time, they are held accountable to public authorities (external control) for the quality of their education.It is not clear whether these contrasting types of accountability policies contribute to the improvement of schools’ educational quality. In this study, the general research question is whether there is a relationship between school selfevaluation (SSE) and student achievement. Using a database of 81 primary schools and 2,099 students, an analysis of variance and a multilevel analysis show whichfactors characterize the type of SSE that contributes to students’ cognitive achievement. Some SSE perspectives seem positively related to student achievement. Keywords: school (self-)evaluation; accountability; school improvement; student achievement
a

Downloaded by [190.255.229.174] at 09:12 03 March 2012

Introduction and research problem In the last 2 decades, a transition has beennoticeable in the governance philosophy of successive national governments, combining devolution of authority with a strong emphasis on the quality of education. According to Eurydice, a useful European database, during this time, improving the quality of education became the central concern of educational policy in many European countries (Wastiau-Schluter, 2004). ¨ Several Western European countries...