Accountability and Professional Ideology in Education
Pierre Canisius Kamanzi
Abstract
This article compares principal and teacher perceptions in Canada, regarding the effects of implementing accountability policies. Based on data extractedfromtwo questionnaire surveyscarried out withteachers (n = 4,554) and schooladministrators (n = 2,144) respectively, their perceptions regarding the impact of certain accountability practices on their respective tasks, and the positive effects expected by governments were analyzed. In both cases, the analysis revealed significant differences: compared to teachers, principals perceived a stronger impact of this policy on their work and more positive effects. These divergences are interpreted as the effect of professional ideology differences. Comparative analyses between educational systems showed that the scope of these differences varies across Canadian provincial and territorial systems.