Examining the individual and collaborative use of standardised data by primary teachers in Northern Ireland and exploring teachers' knowledge, confidence and attitudes in relation to the use of standardised data to improve pedagogy

The increased emphasis on teachers' application of standardised data to support educational improvement reflects the wider movement towards evidence-based policy and practice, both in education and other fields. At the heart of these data-related reform measures lies the assumption that standardised data will be used by teachers to improve pedagogy and as a result, learning will improve. But it is increasingly acknowledged that more attention needs to be given to the development of the capacities and dispositions which teachers need, to make effective use of standardised data for this purpose. This study explored primary teachers' use of standardised data, as well as teachers' knowledge, confidence and attitudes pertaining to the application of standardised data to improve pedagogy. A quantitative questionnaire was administered to the teachers in the primary schools within an Area Learning Community in Northern Ireland and following this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of the participating teachers. The findings within this study, suggest that primary teachers are making very limited use of standardised data for pedagogical purposes and that there is a disconnect between the data-related classroom practices to which educational policies aspire and teachers' classroom practices. Teachers very frequently lack the knowledge, confidence and attitudes needed to make effective individual and collaborative use of standardised data to improve the quality of instruction, and this is having a detrimental impact upon the way in which teachers use these data. However, the findings also demonstrate that the lack of expectations, the limited opportunities for collaborative dialogue, the restrictive professional development opportunities, and shortfalls in teacher education, are also contributing to teachers' ineffective use of standardised data, in relation to the improvement of pedagogy. The most critical challenge for school leaders is to provide primary teachers with data-related professional development opportunities, which are underpinned by an appreciation of the influence of teachers' capacities and dispositions upon the data use process and by an understanding of the factors which contribute to these capacities and dispositions. These opportunities must explicitly develop the knowledge, confidence and attitudes which teachers need, to make effective individual and collaborative use of standardised data to improve their pedagogical decisions. The recommended approach to teachers' data-related professional development is Mandinach and Gummer's (2016) 'Data Literacy For Teachers' (DLFT) framework. Inspired by research, it represents a positive step towards ensuring that the effective use of standardised data for pedagogical purposes gathers the momentum it currently lacks, and that standardised data begin to fulfil their potential in relation to improving the quality of both teaching and learning.