Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Europe's Lifelong Learning Markets, Governance and Policy pp 127–143Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Benchmarking, Taxonomies and Indicators for Evaluating Europe’s Lifelong Learning Systems

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 375 Accesses

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning ((PSAELL))

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the growth, influence and complexity of policy instruments supporting the data generation governance mechanism. It reviews the historical development of educational indicators to illustrate the difficulty of defining and ‘translating’ social issues into measurable variables and the possible effects of their use, overuse or misuse. Further, it outlines what is known about the policy functions of indicators, taxonomies and benchmarks as a backdrop for understanding how they have been used to govern education in the European Union (EU). In discussing the growth of benchmarking in the fields of European education, adult education and youth policy, the chapter illustrates the changes in contemporary benchmarking practices, where non-education experts contribute to the development and functioning of ‘good’ education systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bagnall, R. (1990). On the Normative Aspects of Adult Education Taxonomies. Adult Education Quarterly, 40(4), 229–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ball, S. J. (2003). The Teacher’s Soul and the Terrors of Performativity. Journal of Education Policy, 18(2), 215–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bottani, N. (1998). The OECD Educational Indicators: Purposes, Limits and Production Processes. Prospects, 28(1), 61–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bottani, N., & Tuijnman, A. (1994). International Education Indicators: Framework, Development and Interpretation. In OECD (Ed.), Making Education Count: Developing and Using International Indicators (pp. 21–36). Paris and Washington, DC: OECD Publications and Information Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carley, M. (1980). Rational Techniques in Policy Analysis. London: Heinemann Educational Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, C., & Rixford, C. (1998). Lessons Learned from the History of Social Indicators. San Francisco: Redefining Progress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dao, H., Plagnat Cantoreggi, P., & Rousseaux, V. (2017). Operationalizing a Contested Concept: Indicators of Territorial Cohesion. European Planning Studies, 25(4), 638–660.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobrianov, V. (1984). Social Indicators and Social Management. Social Indicators Research, 14(3), 313–331.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2003). Implementation of the “Education & Training 2010” Programme – Supporting Document for the Draft Joint Interim Report on the Implementation of the Detailed Work Programme on the Follow-Up of the Objectives of Education and Training Systems in Europe. COM (2003) 685 final. Brussels: European Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2004). Progress Towards the Common Objectives in Education and Training. Indicators and Benchmarks. SEC(2004) 73. Brussels: European Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2011). Commission Staff Working Document On EU Indicators in the Field of Youth Brussels. SEC(2011) 401 final. Brussels: European Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2018). Benchmarking Discussion Paper on Adult Skills and Learning Steps I–III. Brussels: European Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fasano, C. (1994). Knowledge, Ignorance, and Epistemic Utility: Issues in the Construction of Indicator System. In OECD, Making Education Count: Developing and Using International Indicators (pp. 55–79). Paris and Washington, DC: OECD Publications and Information Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferriss, A. (1974). Monitoring and Interpreting Turning Points in Educational Indicators. Social Indicators Research, 1(1), 73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gornitzka A. (2006). The Open Method of Coordination as Practice – A Watershed in European Education Policy? ARENA Centre for European Studies Working Paper No. 16. Retrieved from http://www.arena.uio.no

  • Hamilton, M., Maddox, B., & Addey, C. (Eds.). (2015). Literacy as Numbers: Researching the Politics and Practices of International Literacy Assessments. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodgson, D. (2011). Policy Rationalities and Policy Technologies: A Programme for Analysing the Raised School-Leaving Age in Western Australia. Journal of Education Policy, 26(1), 115–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, N. (2001). Benchmarking in UK HE: An Overview. Quality Assurance in Education, 9, 218–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaeger, R. (1978). About Educational Indicators: Statistics on the Conditions and Trends in Education. Review of Research in Education, 6, 276–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Land, K. C. (1983). Social Indicators. Annual Review of Sociology, 9(1), 1–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lascoumes, P., & Le Galès, P. (2007). Introduction: Understanding Public Policy Through Its Instruments—From the Nature of Instruments to the Sociology of Public Policy Instrumentation. Governance, 20(1), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawn, M. (2013). The Rise of Data in Education. In M. Lawn (Ed.), The Rise of Data in Education Systems: Collection, Visualization and Use (pp. 7–25). Oxford: Symposium.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lippman, L. H. (2007). Indicators and Indices of Child Well-Being: A Brief American History. Social Indicators Research, 83(1), 39–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martínez, J., & Dopheide, E. (2014). Indicators: From Counting to Communicating. Journal for Education in the Built Environment, 9(1), 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merry, S. (2011). Measuring the World Indicators, Human Rights, and Global Governance. Current Anthropology, 52(3), 83–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Normand, R. (2010). Expertise, Networks and Indicators: The Construction of the European Strategy in Education. European Educational Research Journal, 9(3), 407–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nuttall, D. (1994). Choosing Indicators. In OECD (Ed.), Making Education Count: Developing and Using International Indicators (pp. 78–95). Washington: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Neill, G. & Murphy, F. (2010). Guide to Taxonomies of Learning. UCS Teaching and Learning Resources. Dublin. Retrieved from http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/ucdtla0034.pdf

  • OECD. (1994). Making Education Count: Developing and Using International Indicators. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. Washington: OECD. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED411322.pdf

  • OECD. (2000). Literacy in the Information Age. Final Report of the International Adult Literacy Survey. Paris: OECD. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/41529765.pdf

  • Ozga, J. (2009). Governing Education Through Data in England: From Regulation to Self-Evaluation. Journal of Education Policy, 24(2), 149–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ozga, J. (2012). Governing Knowledge: Data, Inspection and Education Policy in Europe. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 10(4), 439–455.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rametsteiner, E., Puelzl, H., Alkan Olsson, J., & Frederiksen, P. (2011). Sustainability Indicator Development-Science or Political Negotiation? Ecological Indicators, 11(1), 61–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, K., & Lievesley, D. (2002). Constructing and Using Educational Performance Indicators. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research. Retrieved from http://research.acer.edu.au/learning_processes/11

  • Shavelson, R. J., McDonnell, L., & Oakes, J. (1991). What Are Educational Indicators and Indicator Systems. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 2(11), 1–3.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2005). Performance Indicators for Assessing and Benchmarking Research Capacities in Universities. APEID, UNESCO Bangkok Occasional Paper Series, 2, 1–46. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000152960

  • UNESCO. (2019). International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). Retrieved from http://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/international-standard-classification-education-isced

  • Williamson, B. (2016). Digital Education Governance: Data Visualization, Predictive Analytics, and ‘Real-Time’ Policy Instruments. Journal of Education Policy, 31(2), 123–141.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Gosia Klatt

Authors
  1. Gosia Klatt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gosia Klatt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

    Marcella Milana

  2. Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Gosia Klatt

  3. Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

    Sandra Vatrella

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Klatt, G. (2020). Benchmarking, Taxonomies and Indicators for Evaluating Europe’s Lifelong Learning Systems. In: Milana, M., Klatt, G., Vatrella, S. (eds) Europe's Lifelong Learning Markets, Governance and Policy. Palgrave Studies in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38069-4_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38069-4_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-38068-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-38069-4

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation