THE PARADOX OF MEASUREMENT IN SCHOOL RESTORATIVE JUSTICE: CONCEPTUAL CONFUSION, EVALUATION CHALLENGES, AND EQUITY IMPLICATIONS

Authors

  • Javier Alberto Serrano Iñiguez
  • José Elías González Ramírez
  • Aleidy J. Amorocho

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56219/lneaimaginaria.v25i1.5846

Keywords:

School restorative justice, Measurement paradox, Racial equity, Indigenous epistemologies, Culturally-responsive assessment

Abstract

Restorative justice has expanded globally as an alternative to punitive school discipline, yet fundamental measurement challenges undermine its evidence base. This conceptual review examines how definitional ambiguities and measurement paradoxes in school restorative justice affect equity outcomes and implementation fidelity. We analyzed 48 core documents from Scopus and Web of Science (2000-2025) using thematic conceptual synthesis and theoretical problematization. Five interconnected paradoxes emerged: (1) definitional ambiguity reflects competing political projects rather than technical imprecision; (2) restorative practices can perpetuate racial disparities when disconnected from anti-racist frameworks; (3) fidelity requirements impose colonial uniformity contradicting Indigenous principles of contextual adaptation; (4) current instruments privilege adult performance over student transformation; (5) measurement impossibility constitutes generative opening rather than obstacle. The measurement paradox represents not a technical problem but fundamental epistemological tensions between Indigenous restorative epistemologies and Western institutional demands for standardization. These tensions actively determine who benefits from restorative practices and how they are implemented. We propose a multilevel framework (philosophical, political, programmatic, practical) that reconceptualizes measurement paradoxes as productive tensions rather than obstacles to overcome. This framework enables culturally-responsive evaluation that strengthens rather than undermines restorative justice's transformative potential for marginalized school communities. The impossibility of perfect measurement liberates us from metric tyranny, inviting alternative ways of knowing and evaluating transformation.

 

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Author Biographies

Javier Alberto Serrano Iñiguez

Secretaría de Educación

Neiva, Huila.

Colombia

José Elías González Ramírez

Secretaría de Educación

Neiva, Huila,

Colombia

Aleidy J. Amorocho

Universidad de Manizales

Manizales, Caldas

Colombia

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Published

2026-07-17

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Javier Alberto Serrano Iñiguez, José Elías González Ramírez, & Aleidy J. Amorocho. (2026). THE PARADOX OF MEASUREMENT IN SCHOOL RESTORATIVE JUSTICE: CONCEPTUAL CONFUSION, EVALUATION CHALLENGES, AND EQUITY IMPLICATIONS. LÍNEA IMAGINARIA, 1(25). https://doi.org/10.56219/lneaimaginaria.v25i1.5846

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Vol. 1 No. 25 (2026): LÍNEA IMAGINARIA (Edición Contínua)

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Articulos de Revisión Bibliográfica

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