Evaluating The Methodology of Self-Assessment and its Impact on Improving School Performance: A Case Study

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the self-assessment methodology and its relationship to improving school performance. To achieve this, the study adopted a qualitative approach using a case study design to diagnose the reality of a girls' secondary school in Riyadh. The sample included school staff and several documents. The study used multiple research tools to ensure the accuracy of the results (triangulation), including interviews, a questionnaire, and document analysis of program reports and external evaluation results issued by the Education and Training Evaluation Commission. The results revealed a fundamental deficiency in the current methodology, characterized by centralized planning and the isolation of the executive staff from strategic objectives. Furthermore, the implemented programs lacked precise performance indicators and mechanisms for measuring impact. This deficiency led to what the study described as a "measurement crisis" that obscures the true picture of performance. The analysis revealed a significant gap and contradiction between the results of the internal self-assessment and the results of the external evaluation, which revealed a decline in learning outcomes and the level of beneficiary satisfaction. Based on this, the study presented a practical development product: the "Procedural Guide to the School Program Lifecycle". This guide aims to shift school practices from individual initiatives and routine documentation to a structured, data-driven, and governance-based institutional approach. The study also recommended decentralizing planning, intensifying practical training in indicator development and impact measurement, and linking all school initiatives to improvement plans that address actual gaps in learning outcomes.