Hitting the mark? A user perspective on the relevance and irrelevance of school performance indicators

Abstract

Many educational systems implemented standardized tests to monitor educational quality and provide schools with performance feedback. However, one of the key characteristics that influence if and how users use such feedback is its perceived relevance. Adding to the current state of the art, this study brings in a situational perspective in the perceived relevance of performance indicators. By means of 19 in-depth interviews, this study provides insights into which feedback indicators are perceived as relevant or irrelevant and why they are. The results show that feedback relevance is not only determined by performance feedback as such, but also by the user that makes sense of it and the context in which users operate. Therefore, feedback designers face the challenge of integrating these different perspectives to facilitate actual feedback use and school improvement.