In recent years the educational policy environment has emphasised data-driven change. This has increased the expectation for school personnel to use statistical information to inform their programs and to improve teaching practices. Such data include system reports of student achievement tests and socio-economic profiles provided to schools by various state education departments’ data services. This paper reports on a pilot study that explored factors affecting Mathematics and English teachers’ intentions to engage with the statistical data their schools receive and to consider these data when making decisions about their teaching practices. It was found that most teachers perceived that such data identify weak students and some teachers (mostly mathematics teachers) thought that they can help to identify curriculum topics that need attention. Most teachers felt that the reports were not easy to understand. Confidence in dealing with statistical data was a problem for many teachers, but especially for English teachers.
History
Publication title
Australian Educational Researcher
Volume
38
Issue
4
Pagination
433-447
ISSN
0311-6999
Department/School
Faculty of Education
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Place of publication
Australia
Rights statement
Copyright 2011 The Australian Association for Research in Education, Inc.