How Do Schools Deal with School Inspection and Its Results?

The study examines whether school inspection initiates similar processes of perception and processing at different schools or whether, instead, differential effects can be observed and plausibly explained by different types of schools. To this end, schools in Berlin and Brandenburg that had undergone inspection (N = 391) were given a questionnaire on differential effects of school inspection based on the model of Ehren & Visscher (2006). This questionnaire comprises the following topics: internal reflection and reception of the inspection results, activities initiated before and after the inspection, external support, as well as perception and acceptance of the inspection procedures. Results of a latent class analysis allow for a differentiated description of five separate types (active, reactive, (self)-satisfied, active dissatisfied and passive dissatisfied schools). They also provide explanations as to why, so far, no general effects of school inspection on school development have been accounted for. Furthermore, these results provide indications for a differentiated approach by the support systems.