Data in Schools: (Changing) Practices and Blind Spots at a Glance

Abstract

This review aims to provide a concise overview of the role of (digital) data and new data practices in schools. By focusing on the impact of data on pedagogical practices, it aims to shed light on how the everyday tasks of teachers and other pedagogical staff in schools are changing, particularly as a result of the generation and use of digital data. For this purpose, existing studies and previous theoretical debates on this topic are examined for their perspectives on data and data practices in schools. The pedagogical data practices of (improving) teaching and learning, assessment and counseling, (data-driven) decision-making, and cooperation and collaboration by “doing data” will be elaborated and discussed. Likewise, data practices that are missing from the studies are identified. We conclude with an overview of blind spots and further research needs.

To use or not to use learning data: A survey study to explain German primary school teachers’ usage of data from digital learning platforms for purposes of individualization

“…A positive attitude toward the usage of learning data is considered essential (Blumenthal et al, 2021). On the other hand, teachers need data literacy to analyze and appropriately interpret learning data and to set and implement learning goals (Schildkamp and Kuiper, 2010;Mandinach and Gummer, 2016;Molenaar and Knoop-van Campen, 2017;Krein and Schiefner-Rohs, 2021).…”

“…Here, the usage of learning data is considered only in a digital context. Learning Analytics help teachers and learners to individualize learning processes based on digital learning data (Krein and Schiefner-Rohs, 2021). The idea of Learning Analytics grew due to the large amount of learning data collected with the help of digital technologies (Greller et al, 2014).…”

“…Using this learning data, teachers can track and reflect on individual learning processes and implement appropriate learning support (FitzGerald et al, 2018). To date, such data usage is found primarily in research on Data-Based Decision Making (DBDM) and Learning Analytics (e.g., Mandinach and Schildkamp, 2020;Blumenthal et al, 2021;Krein and Schiefner-Rohs, 2021). Although the benefits of using (digital) learning data have been highlighted in previous research, the factors that promote or hinder primary school teachers' usage of learning data from DLP, especially in Germany, remain mostly unconsidered.…”

Mapping research approaches to data practices in schools

“…Research on data practices in schools is therefore only just beginning to emerge, even at the definitional level, since there is no uniform understanding of data and data practices in the current discourse on school and media pedagogy (Krein and Schiefner-Rohs., 2021): Thus, research can be found that, on the one hand, understands data practices in the general sense of the word as actions, performances, and resulting consequences. This understanding implies the use of data-producing technologies in everyday educational life, i.e., everything that is "done" in, with, and through "data" in school-keyword "doing data" (e.g., Selwyn, 2015;Smith, 2018;Decuypere, 2021).…”

“…Therefore, it is not surprising that algorithms, datafication, and data-based or even data-driven (Houben and Prietl, 2018) practices of educational actors in schools are receiving increasing (inter)national attention (Espeland and Stevens, 2008;Kitchin, 2016;Mau, 2017). However, although several research projects have addressed this issue, the particular role of data practices, understood as constituting elements of social life (see below; also Krein and Schiefner-Rohs., 2021), by school actors and pedagogical staff has been little explored. We therefore wondered how data and related data practices in schools have so far been addressed in research discourse internationally.…”