Policy implementation, trust, and fear of the unknown in Greek schools: barriers and opportunities for educational reform
Author(s)
Brouskelis, Haris
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Teacher evaluation and accountability have become central to educational reform in Greece since 2012, a system marked by strong centralization and political volatility. This study explores how Greek teachers interpret and respond to policy reforms that are often introduced without sufficient consultation or support, creating conditions of mistrust and fear of change. Drawing on thirteen semi-structured interviews with teachers, headteachers, and regional officials, the study adopts an interpretivist, policy enactment framework to examine how educators construct meaning around evaluation, trust, and professional autonomy. The thematic analysis identified four interrelated themes: top-down control and systemic dependence, mistrust and political influence, fear of the unknown, and professional autonomy as stability. Findings reveal that teachers’ resistance is not rooted in opposition to change but in defensive responses to instability and opaque policy communication. Trust emerged as a critical condition for reform engagement, underscoring the need for dialogue and sustained collaboration between policymakers and practitioners. The study contributes to international debates on educational reform by illustrating how emotional and relational factors mediate the success of accountability-driven policies in contexts of high centralization and low institutional trust.
Date Issued
2026-01-03
Date Acceptance
2025-12-03
Citation
Power and Education, 2026
ISSN
1757-7438
Publisher
SAGE Publishing
Journal / Book Title
Power and Education
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). Request permissions for this article.
License URL
Identifier
10.1177/17577438251411486
Subjects
policy implementation
educational reform
trust
Greek schools
centralized education
fear of change
Publication Status
Published online
Date Publish Online
2026-01-03