Eureka! Institutional Repository

Evaluation is a structural parameter and, at the same time, an essential function of the education system. Through the evaluation, a culture of accountability and responsibility is formed, where the educational organization and its members are in constant dialogue with the social environment, monitoring the achievement of the objectives and identifying weaknesses, deficiencies and elements of educational improvement. In recent years it has been increasingly recognized that evaluation should not be understood as a 'top-down' mechanism of control and sanctions, but as a process for which teachers themselves are essentially responsible, being formulated and implemented as a mechanism for self-improvement and development. In this context, the current study compares the self-evaluation system of two countries: Greece and Scotland. During the study, a bibliographical overview of the meaning and function of self-assessment is first carried out, followed by an overview of the educational systems of these two countries and a comparison of self-assessment systems on five axes: the purpose of self-assessment, the criteria, the procedures, its use and the parties involved in its design and implementation. The comparative study shows that while there are convergences in some axes, such as in the shaping of processes and in the parties involved, divergences are noted, notably in the general philosophy of the self-evaluation system. In Greece, although the culture of self-assessment is absent and there is a climate of suspicion about its purpose and use, the legal framework approaches the issue with a philosophy of empowering educational institutions themselves, such as that adopted by Scotland.