ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to examine the factors that influence the selection of particular indicators as components of an indicator system, and to derive a general set of principles that would make the selection process more systematic. The chapter therefore starts with a clarification of the term 'indicator', and then considers what may be learnt from the history of indicator systems in other fields. In the light of this analysis, the chapter looks at the major considerations that govern the selection process and at how they have been embodied in lists of criteria proposed by workers in the field, before proposing such a set for use with educational indicators.
