Reputation at Stake? Exploring Pressure in the Norwegian "Soft" Accountability System

• In Event: The Enactment of Accountability, Learning Standards, and Data Use Policies in Education: Global Perspectives

Abstract

Objectives
The goal of this paper is to explore whether and under what circumstances school actors experience pressure related with low-stakes accountability measures, and how and to what extent accountability pressure felt by school actors is triggered by reputational concerns.

Perspectives
Pressure on school actors forms a key component in the Theory of Change behind accountability reforms. By raising pressure on school actors, motivation is anticipated to rise, leading to the adoption of more effective educational strategies. Existing research has tried to investigate the effects of accountability pressure on behavior by taking the consequences at stake and the control exercised by the account-holder as proxies of pressure. To our knowledge, no study has until now focused on the subjective pressure felt by school actors (that may be also present where no material consequences are at stake) and the determinants of this pressure. Few studies have provided indications of factors that could contribute to pressure in contexts where administrative accountability and consequences are low, such as school blaming in the media (Elstad, 2009) or self-imposed pressure (Haugen, 2019). It remains however an unresolved puzzle how all these factors interact. The paper addresses this gap by focusing on the Norwegian case, which is an ideal case to explore what determines pressure in different contexts because of local variety in accountability regimes and consequences at stake.

Methods
The methodology of the paper is mixed. By conducting ordinal logistic regression, the quantitative analysis explores the determinants of different levels of pressure among school actors. The results obtained by the quantitative scrutiny are enriched by the content analysis data of qualitative data, derived from in-depth interviews with school principals.

Data Sources
The quantitative data were gathered by means of an electronic survey administered to school leaders (n=196) and teachers (n=867) in a representative sample of Norwegian schools. The qualitative data derive from ten in-depth interviews with school principals.

Findings
Findings from the quantitative analysis show that Norwegian school actors experience high levels of performative pressure, which is triggered, to a large extent, by reputational concerns. Findings also highlight the key role played by external audiences, including the media and parents, in determining this pressure. Finally, part of the pressure felt by school actors seems self-imposed, as some leaders and teachers have internalized test scores as proxies of their professional success. The qualitative component deepens our understanding of the institutional and contextual factors, as well as personal factors, that determine differences between schools and school actors within the same local accountability regime.

Significance
By focusing on the level of accountability pressure experienced, instead of the “objective” level of pressure (as defined by the stakes attached and control exercised by the formal account-holder), this study is better equipped to portray the micro-dynamics triggered by accountability systems. Moreover, it provides new insights into the determinants of pressure in a ‘soft’ accountability system. As such, if contributes to the emerging literature showing that accountability pressure and side-effects are not limited to high-stakes accountability modalities.

Authors

• Marjolein Camphuijsen, Autonomous University of Barcelona

• Antonina Levatino, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

• Antoni Verger, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona