Although the relation between accountability and learning is a key issue in the field of evaluation, the existing conceptualizations include significant gaps and shortcoming. This article seeks to bridge some of the identified gaps, overcoming the dichotomy between learning and accountability and the overemphasis on accountability, and offering a more nuanced account of various forms of positive and negative learning. We propose a theory-informed reconceptualization of both accountability and learning in order to develop an interpretative framework that recognizes their plurality and brings them together through evaluation. To make visible the analytical potential of our reconceptualization, we present the Italian higher education evaluation system as a source of illustrative examples. Our analysis confirms that accountability and learning are inextricably interconnected and that multiple forms of learning can be envisaged by taking into account the mutual relationship among organizational arrangements, evaluative practices and cultural codes. We argue that such kind of analysis allows to remove the taken-for-granted aspects of evaluation practices, challenging the often-implicit assumptions about their virtues as well as their weaknesses in order to see what evaluation actually does in a particular situation.

中文翻译：

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通过评估重新构建问责制和学习：来自意大利高等教育评估系统的见解

尽管问责制和学习之间的关系是评价领域的一个关键问题，但现有的概念化存在重大差距和缺点。本文试图弥合一些已确定的差距，克服学习和问责制之间的二分法以及过分强调问责制，并对各种形式的积极和消极学习进行更细致的说明。我们建议对问责制和学习进行基于理论的重新概念化，以开发一个解释性框架，承认它们的多样性并通过评估将它们结合在一起。为了使我们重新概念化的分析潜力可见，我们将意大利高等教育评估系统作为说明性示例的来源。我们的分析证实，问责制和学习密不可分，通过考虑组织安排、评估实践和文化准则之间的相互关系，可以设想多种形式的学习。我们认为，这种分析可以消除评估实践中理所当然的方面，挑战关于其优点和弱点的通常隐含的假设，以便了解评估在特定情况下的实际作用。