What do we know about internal school evaluation? A systematic review
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21067775 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sarah I Hofer (LMU Klinikum, corresponding author), Sandy Taut (Staatsinstitut für Schulqualität und Bildungsforschung), Doris Holzberger (0000-0001-6535-289X, Technical University of Munich) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 90 |
| Pages | 101612 |
| Publication date | 2026-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Studies In Educational Evaluation (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0191-491X • E-ISSN: 1879-2529 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.stueduc.2026.101612 |
| OpenAlex | W7163015441 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 47 |
Although internal school evaluation (IE) is widely recognized as a key tool for data-based school development, there is limited understanding of what makes it effective. Conducting a narrative literature review, we examined the methods used in IE and IE research, the effectiveness of IE, and factors that influence its outcomes and processes. Based on a systematic literature search and coding process, 19 empirical studies were included in the analyses. The effectiveness of IE seems to depend on the interplay of contextual factors (e.g., schools’ IE capacity), characteristics of the evaluation such as its systematic, research-based design, strong stakeholder involvement, shared leadership, and long-term implementation, and finally, human factors, most prominently, self-efficacy beliefs and the staff’s attitudes toward evaluation. The review highlights the need for more research using diverse methods that also considers classroom-level variables and explores theories of change rather than focusing on IE as a general treatment
Educational assessment · Educational research · Evaluation methods · Program evaluation · Research methodology · Educational and Psychological Assessments · Educational Assessment and Improvement · Evaluation and Performance Assessment
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Factors Influencing the Functioning of Data Teams
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Matching Internal and External Evaluation in an Era of Accountability and School Development
What have we learned about stakeholder involvement in program evaluation
Evaluating school inspection effectiveness
Unbundling evaluation use
Factors influencing the utilisation of a school self-evaluation instrument
School evaluation
Mapping Evaluation Use
The State of the Empirical Research Literature on Stakeholder Involvement in Program Evaluation
The Historical Development of Evaluation Use
Program Staff Perceptions of Barriers to Evaluation Implementation
A Multidisciplinary Model of Evaluation Capacity Building
Comparing effects and side effects of different school inspection systems across Europe
Perspectives on Evidence-Based Research in Education—What Works? Issues in Synthesizing Educational Program Evaluations
Causal inference on human behaviour
Behavioural science is unlikely to change the world without a heterogeneity revolution
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |