Self-Evaluating Schools: Keeping Up Appearances or Revealing the Truth? The Effect of Motivation and Socially Desirable Responding on Self-Evaluation Results

• In Event: 44.037 - Achieving the Promise of Equal Educational Opportunity by Evaluation and Research in Schools

Abstract

In order to enhance the quality of education, many schools perform a school self-evaluation (SSE). Data for an SSE are often collected by administering self-report questionnaires among teachers. several factors can affect the quality of questionnaire data, and it remains unclear to what extent SSE results are valid, and ultimately, suitable to inform school policy. This study identifies respondents’ motivation and their tendency towards socially desirable responding indeed as sources of distortion in SSE results.

Authors

• Jerich Faddar, University of Antwerp

• Sven De Maeyer, University of Antwerp

• Jan Vanhoof, Antwerp University