Data som stöd i skolan: Om reflexiv användning av data och learning analytics för undervisning och skolutveckling

Abstract in English

Data use refers to a procedure in which data are processed into information that is analysed and interpreted into knowledge to serve as a basis for pedagogical decisions and actions. Research shows that data usage may promote student learning and well-being, support teachers in assessment and classroom practice, and assist schools in developing their practice. At the same time, its effects are uncertain, and research also shows that data usage can decrease learning motivation, as well as increase inequality within education. Therefore, a critical perspective is needed in this regard.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the ways in which various forms of data can be used to support reflexive school practice, including support for student learning, teaching, and schools’ local development, and problematise the opportunities and challenges that a data-based practice can entail. The aim is to provide coherent knowledge about data usage in pedagogical practice from primary school to upper-secondary school, with a particular interest in exploring how teachers interpret and translate data, using them as a resource in their classroom practice.

Based on four studies, which are presented as four articles, this thesis explores the use and impact of learning analytics on teaching and learning, teachers’ experiences of data use, meaningful aspects regarding teachers’ joint data usage, and how data usage can contribute to joint learning and school development. The first and second studies included in the thesis are reviews, a research review and a meta-review, respectively. The third and fourth studies are empirical studies in which qualitative methods of analysis are applied via method triangulation and critical hermeneutics, respectively.

Data use is framed as a theory of action. Hence, the pedagogical action theory is an appropriate framework within which to analyse actions and intended actions related to data usage. Pedagogical action theory is a modern critical theory of education that includes theories of Bildung, curriculum, didactics, and pedagogy. It also allows data usage to be studied as an interdisciplinary phenomenon that exists between pedagogy and computer science. To process and discuss results published within different scientific fields, this thesis uses critical hermeneutics, which can be applied to merge perspectives into a common understanding. To understand data usage in relation to the added complexity involved in technology use, technocultural education is also included in the theoretical framework. The combined results indicate that data can be used in a reflexive manner if usage is performed with awareness of the data and the overall milieu, as well as according to a common goal, a predetermined purpose, and an intersubjective perspective.