Research and Its Relevance for the Study of School Inspection Teams

This chapter presents two literature reviews. It examines conceptual and substantive research to situate the study on school inspection teams’ interactive scoring processes. First, the conceptual review covers judgement and decision-making literature, identifying extensive research on individual cognition but a gap in understanding scoring interactions in groups. Educational assessment research provides relevant concepts like holistic versus analytic judgements. The sociology of valuation lens illuminates how inspectors navigate orders of worth. Second, the substantive review analyses three dominant strands of school inspection research: xeffects, unintended consequences, and methodology critiques. Studies often treat inspection as a black box without investigating interactive dynamics. Some explore judgements, but little examines co-present scoring. In conclusion, inspectors’ situated scoring practices remain under-examined despite their influence on schools. Conceptually, scoring combines standardisation attempts with necessary professional discretion. This review substantiates the case for studying teams’ evaluation-centred communication to shine a light on the neglected phenomenon of joint score production.