School Evaluation Feedback Acceptance: What Works and What Does Not?

• In Event: Using Data and Research to Achieve School Improvement

Abstract

Feedback research distinguishes cognitive and affective responses as significant factors for feedback acceptance, but also focus on cognitive responses as antecedents of emotions and emphasize the interplay between cognition, emotions and feedback acceptance. However, quantitative evidence in external school evaluation research to support this view is rather thin. This study draws on quantitative data collected from 687 teachers in 80 Flemish primary schools that had recently been inspected. Using path analysis, it investigates the existence and strength of relationships between teachers’ cognitive and affective responses and teachers’ feedback acceptance. The analysis reveals that anger and feedback acceptance are predominantly explained by the perceived fairness of the evaluation process and outcome, but also by the perceived relevance of the provided feedback.

Authors

• Amy Quintelier, University of Antwerp

• Jan Vanhoof, Antwerp University

• Sven De Maeyer, University of Antwerp