Re-designing data discussions to improve teaching and learning

Project overview

The Woolf Fisher Research Centre at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work, collaborated with Professor Henning Fjørtoft from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Norway on this project.

The project is a new, exciting redesign of how teachers and school leaders present and discuss student achievement data in reading comprehension. While schools often collect and discuss such data, the international evidence suggests that not all ways of doing so are effective, and that teachers often find discussions focused solely on quantitative data (numbers and graphs) less meaningful to their classroom practices.

We worked with school leaders and teachers to redesign how reading comprehension data are presented and discussed so that it is meaningful to teachers and would lead to teachers improving their practices to support student learning.

Why this research?

In the New Zealand curriculum, there is a focus on “Teaching as Inquiry”, that is, teachers are expected to collect, analyse, and discuss data on student learning to improve teaching practices and student learning. A sole focus on discussing reading comprehension data presented quantitatively (numbers and graphs) may be less meaningful and useful to teachers.

This project will challenge those traditional approaches, drawing on recent evidence that suggests that mixing a story-telling approach with numbers and graphs is more effective in improving student learning. This project will support teachers to more effectively meet the requirements of the New Zealand curriculum (Teaching as Inquiry) and improve their students’ learning.

Project aims

The overarching hypothesis is that teachers will be more motivated and better able to improve teaching practices and student learning if reading comprehension data are presented and discussed in ways that are meaningful to them. Previous work from the Woolf Fisher Research Centre strongly suggests that redesigning school practices requires school leaders and teachers to co-design these approaches and be part of testing and evaluating the design.

As such, in this project the researchers will:

• Work with school leaders and teachers to determine an effective method of presenting and discussing data from reading comprehension assessments;
• Trial and evaluate the new approach.

The evaluation of the approach will focus on two research questions:

• Are teachers more likely to identify what teaching practices to improve as a result of the new method of presentation and data discussion?
• Are teachers more likely to be motivated to improve their teaching practices as a result of the new method of presentation and data discussion?

Further Information

News and Opinion, 31 August 2022: Re-designing data discussions to improve teaching and learning - The University of Auckland

Final report:

If you would like more information, please contact the Principal Investigator, Associate Professor Mei Kuin, Lai: mei.lai@auckland.ac.nz.