Sensemaking repositions institutional evaluation beyond compliance: evidence from brazilian community universities

Abstract

Institutional evaluation has become a central mechanism for quality assurance and governance in higher education. In Brazil, the National Higher Education Assessment System (SINAES) strengthened its strategic relevance, particularly through the Internal Evaluation Committees (CPA). Limited attention has been given to how middle managers experience and interpret institutional evaluation and its outcomes. This study aims to understand how middle managers in Brazilian community universities make sense of institutional evaluation, its results, and the role of the CPA within governance processes. Drawing on an interpretive phenomenological perspective, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was applied to semi-structured interviews with six middle managers. The findings reveal four interpretive dimensions: evaluation as an ambiguous governance device; organizational learning as a contingent, non-linear process; participation between symbolic and substantive engagement; and governance as an interpretive process. The study repositions the CPA as an interpretive arena of governance and organizational learning rather than a compliance structure. The findings offer practical implications for university leaders, evaluation committees, and policymakers seeking to transform assessment routines into opportunities for reflection and change.