The multilevel context of teacher accountability: findings from low- and high-performing schools in South Africa

How do teachers interpret and act on external accountability and how are these interpretations influenced by the school, community and system context in which they work? We explore this question through interviews with teachers in eight South African primary schools, divided equally between affluent, high-performing schools and deprived, low-performing schools. Some teachers adopt an agentic, professional orientation, while others follow a compliance-oriented approach. Teachers' interpretations of accountability were influenced by mutually reinforcing factors in their multilevel contexts. However, within-school variations in teachers’ mindsets and practices also indicate the influence of their own values, skills and capacity.