The place of emotions while inspecting schools: reflections of two Ofsted inspectors

Abstract

This article investigates the role of emotions of inspectors while inspecting schools as reported by inspectors themselves within an education context of increased accountability that arguably privileges rationality over emotions. The study is built on an emotion management framework that regards emotions not only as unavoidably natural and intimately linked to 'rational' judgements that people make, but also that such judgements are social constructions used to regulate expression of emotions. In-depth interview data of one retired and another, semiretired Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), inspectors were thematically analysed to assess the extent to which their emotions formed part of school inspections. In the absence of an officially sanctioned narrative of inspectors' emotions during inspections, two kinds of self-prescribed emotions emerged as key findings: emotions for accountability, to which inspectors gave expression, and emotions for improvement, that they suppressed. For an inspection body that needs to ensure both accountability and improvement of schools to justify its viability, these research claims open up a new area of discussion that should lead to a review of inspection body's stance on emotions and individual inspectors' self-reflections on the moral as well as professional obligation to pursue both emotions for accountability and improvement.

Testing for sequential bias in school inspections

“…These often result in headteachers losing their job, which suggests that the sequential bias might reflects an 'emotional costs' mechanism. This is consistent with a large qualitative literature which has documented the considerable emotional strain experienced by teachers (Hopkins et al, 2016;Perryman, 2007;Quintelier et al, 2019), school leaders (Penninckx & Vanhoof, 2015;Segerholm & Hult, 2018), and inspectors themselves (Elonga Mboyo, 2017;Segerholm & Hult, 2018), particularly where an adverse judgements has been reached. This suggests that it may simply be too psychologically costly for some inspectors to reach 'Inadequate' judgement twice in a row, even when they would otherwise have judged the second school 'Inadequate'.…”

Inspecting the Inspectorate: New insights into Ofsted inspections

“…These often result in headteachers losing their job, which suggests that the sequential bias might reflects an 'emotional costs' mechanism. This is consistent with a large qualitative literature which has documented the considerable emotional strain experienced by teachers (Hopkins et al, 2016;Perryman, 2007;Quintelier et al, 2019), school leaders (Penninckx & Vanhoof, 2015;Segerholm & Hult, 2018), and inspectors themselves (Elonga Mboyo, 2017;Segerholm & Hult, 2018), particularly where an adverse judgements has been reached. This suggests that it may simply be too psychologically costly for some inspectors to reach 'Inadequate' judgement twice in a row, even when they would otherwise have judged the second school 'Inadequate'.…”

How Dare You Kill Your Professional Judgment, My School Inspectorates? School Inspection Reviews

“…In conclusion, Mboyo's (2017) study sheds light on the role of emotions in school inspections, highlighting the expression of emotions for accountability purposes and the suppression of emotions for improvement. Understanding and managing emotions within the inspection process is crucial for fostering constructive interactions, promoting school improvement, and ensuring the well-being of all stakeholders involved.…”

“…Accountability-driven judgments prioritize external measures and focus on evaluating schools based on predefined criteria and benchmarks. Mboyo (2017) explores the role of emotions in school inspections, specifically focusing on the expression of emotions for accountability purposes and the suppression of emotions for improvement. The study highlights how emotions can influence the dynamics and outcomes of school inspections.…”