Doctoral Thesis: Teachers Adopt New Data-Enriched Practices Through Collaborative Learning
In adopting new data-enriched practices, the usefulness of technology is not the only factor determining whether it will be embraced by teachers. A well-designed training programme plays a crucial role in supporting the adoption of new practices, as found by Manisha Khulbe, a doctoral student at the Tallinn University School of Digital Technologies.
As educational policies and institutions increasingly emphasise the importance of evidence-based practice, teachers need to develop relevant new knowledge and skills. This is why Manisha Khulbe’s doctoral research sought to understand and promote teachers’ adoption of data-enriched practices and associated digital tools
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The research combined relevant professional development and a Learning Analytics dashboard to provide teachers with extensive support for improving their data literacy. Specifically, the research focused on mathematics teachers participating in a professional development programme and encouraged them to use data to monitor the effects of the new practices in their classrooms.
To aid the teachers in data use, a dashboard was developed and tested with the teachers, with positive results. However, the usefulness of a technology is not the only factor that decides whether the technology is adopted, so teachers’ intentions to adopt the new tools and practices were further explored. It was found that engaging in collaborative and situated learning practices strengthened teachers’ intentions to adopt new tools and data-enriched practices. Surprisingly, at the end of the training, teachers’ trust in the dashboard was not a deciding factor in their intention to use it in the future.
Important outcomes of the research are design principles for integrating teacher professional development programs with theory-driven Learning Analytics dashboards and significant theoretical contributions. This research has expanded our understanding of how to effectively prepare teachers for using Learning Analytics and AI tools, ensuring that these tools are aligned with pedagogical theories and can be effectively integrated in classrooms.
Manisha Khulbe, a doctoral student at the Tallinn University School of Digital Technologies, defended her doctoral thesis, "Data Meets Teaching: Teachers' Adoption of Data-Enriched Teaching Practices Using a Professional Development Programme and Theory-Based Learning Analytics", on 30 September. Her thesis supervisor was Professor Kairit Tammets from Tallinn University, and the opponents were Associate Professor Viktoria Pammer-Schindler from Graz University of Technology and Professor Kim Schildkamp from the University of Twente.