QUALITY IN BASIC EDUCATION: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This article presents a qualitative systematic review of the literature with the aim of identifying and compiling the main conceptions of quality in basic education. The academic debate on this subject, which has intensified since the 1980s, reveals the diversity of perspectives and the remarkable complexity of the issue. Marked at first by one-dimensional and restricted views, the field has gradually evolved into broader and more contrasting approaches - some focused on political action and educational reforms, others focusing on quantitative efficiency indicators, and still others emphasizing principles of equity and diversity. The research shows that defining quality in education in a simplistic or one-dimensional way is insufficient, and identifies a consensus, albeit preliminary, on the complex and multidimensional nature of the concept of quality in education. This shared understanding in the most recent literature, despite the persistence of different perspectives, highlights the need for a holistic and comprehensive approach that considers the multiple interactions between socio-political, economic and pedagogical factors. Finally, the work contributes to the field by facilitating an understanding of the different strands of thought and the ontological characteristics of the different conceptions.