The logic, structure and process of quality evaluation in school and teaching

In all sectors of social life, quality is talked about as if it consisted of factual properties which are verifiable irrespective of the persons judging it, and as if there could never be any doubt about what quality involves. But quality is not the object of the evaluation itself, it is the result of the evaluation of an object. Quality cannot be seen, and the things that we see are not identical with quality. Quality does not "exist" apart from valuations and judgements by the evaluating persons who often differ widely in their opinions, convictions and interests and who have different inter-subjective possibilities to assert and enforce their quality ideals at different decision-making levels. Anyone who ignores the problematic role of independent decision-making, (social) selectivity and personal interests in defining the criteria which are essential to make and justify a quality judgement may still be able to postulate or make his own quality judgements, but he will only inadequately be able to provide information about the structures and processes of quality judgements which are analysed in this article.