School inspections still in dispute – an exploratory study of school principals’ perceptions of school inspections

Abstract

This paper assesses attitudes of principals from one German federal state toward school inspections. The discussion about school inspections and their acceptance can be imbedded into theoretical reflections on the design of and approach to feedback in social psychology. In our study, 50 school principals were interviewed about their attitudes toward school inspections. The contents of their statements were analysed in a qualitative study. The central result was that 42% of the respondents were generally cooperative and had positive attitudes toward school inspections. The analysis of the school principals with rather negative statements (32% of the respondents) reflects a criticism of the anticipated workload in relation to the expected efficacy of school inspections and emotional as well as practical problems. Based on our findings, we discuss recommendations for action for those involved in school inspections from a social psychological point of view.

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