‘Crisis and Support’: A Transformative Framework for Teacher Evaluation in Greece

Abstract

Teacher evaluation in Greece remains one of the most ideologically fraught areas of education policy, shaped by a legacy of authoritarian inspection regimes, political instrumentalization, and institutional discontinuity. Drawing on critical discourse analysis of 42 legislative texts (1982–2022) and qualitative interviews with educators and union representatives, this study explores how evaluation is culturally constructed and experienced. Framed by Foucault’s concept of disciplinary power and Bourdieu’s theory of symbolic violence, the research re-conceptualizes evaluation as a site of embedded power relations and professional identity negotiation—rather than a neutral policy tool. The study introduces the “Crisis and Support” model: a culturally responsive, dialogically grounded framework that reframes teacher evaluation as a trust-based, developmental process integrating mentoring, feedback, and reflective autonomy. Findings reveal persistent emotional fatigue and mistrust rooted in inspection-era practices. Yet, participants express a strong desire for collaborative, formative evaluation embedded in peer dialogue and school-based support. Resistance to evaluation, the data suggest, arises less from opposition to accountability than from a lack of meaningful support and professional legitimacy. While Greece reflects a broader Mediterranean pattern of centralized control and institutional mistrust, the model has potential relevance beyond the national context. Systems shaped by hierarchical inspection—such as those in Cyprus and Italy—may similarly benefit from culturally embedded, trust-oriented approaches. Its broader applicability, however, warrants further empirical validation. Although this study provides rich qualitative insight, future research would benefit from a mixed-methods design that incorporates quantitative data to enhance generalizability and test the model’s broader utility.