Researching Pupils’ Perspectives: What are the Quality Indicators of a Good School?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62695/GBFS7110Keywords:
Pupil voice, Quality Assurance of Schools, Mixed-Methods Research, Educational LeadershipAbstract
This paper will report on research that sought a new perspective on quality assurance by engaging pupils as assessors. The main purpose of the study was to understand how Maltese pupils judge schools and to provide knowledge on how better-quality schools could be designed. The research adopted a mixed methods approach. The quantitative research tool was a questionnaire survey with 1618 pupils. Qualitative data was collected through focus group sessions with pupils, group interviews with Student Councils and interviews with Heads of Schools and policymakers. Data was collected from a total of 42 state schools. One of the main findings was a pupil-generated list of the quality indicators of a good school. The study showed that pupils, Heads of Schools, and policymakers are all in favour of the concept of pupils as assessors of schools; however, there are a number of shortcomings that need to be addressed before the process can be effectively implemented in Maltese schools.
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