QUALITY ENHANCEMENT AS GROUNDED ACTION: A PRINCIPLED APPROACH

Universities are in permanent search for "quality", and "innovative" teaching methods are proposed as the means by which improvements shall materialize. Student evaluation of teaching has therefore long enjoyed a pivotal position as part of quality assurance (QA) procedures. This study demonstrates limitations of such evaluations and argues in favour of Grounded Action (GA) as a more productive approach. Interventions rooted in the teaching paradigm frequently run the risk of confusing means and ends, in effect making teaching rather than learning the ultimate goal. The application of GA is motivated by a desire to better understand learning as a social practice, and seeks to identify emergent tendencies and regularities based on the meticulous analysis of data. The study outlines the rationale for GA as a potentially well suited framework for QA, and the author compares various methodologies from a conceptual and ontological view.