The interplay of user beliefs and situated characteristics in explaining school performance feedback use

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study explores predictors of school performance feedback (SPF) use. In total, 470 Flemish educational professionals were surveyed about their use of SPF from school-external, low-stakes standardized assessments. A path analysis was conducted in order to investigate how individual user beliefs impact SPF use at the school level and how those beliefs mediate the effects of school-level features pertaining to school organization, performance, and voluntariness. Findings include that users’ cognitive attitude and perceived expectations of others have a small effect on engagement with SPF in schools, and that these predictors mediate the effects of certain organizational characteristics. Whereas performance levels do not impact school-level feedback use, voluntariness in feedback pursuit and particularly an SPF-oriented school culture emerge as drivers. Implications for practice include the need for stimulating ownership in data-based decision making. Suggestions for further research are also discussed.