The data team® procedure had been extensively studied since 2009 by a team of researchers working are the University of Twente. This study focuses on the functioning and the effects of the teams that use the data team® procedures in primary, secondary and higher education. For the study of the Swedish data teams we work together with the University of Gothenburg. This study aimed to address the following research questions:
- How do the teams following the data team® procedure function?
- Which factors influence the process and the results of data-based decision making in data teams? What is the role of the school leader in this?
- How does the process of knowledge creation and knowledge sharing evolve within a data team and between members of the team and their colleagues?
- What are the conditions for knowledge sharing for a team that follows the data team® procedure?
- What are the characteristics of the social networks of the teams?
- What are the effects of data-based decision making in teams that follow the data team® procedure:
- On the professional development of teachers?
- On school improvement?
- How sustainable is the data team® procedure for the implementation of data-based decision making?
- How can the data team® procedure support teachers in using the results of a diagnostic test to improve instruction in the classroom?
The study distinguishes between three groups of respondents: the teachers in a team following the data team® procedure, their colleagues in the same school, and teachers from schools without a data team. During the project, data is collected from these three groups at different times and in different ways. The most important instruments for data collection are a survey on data-based decision making, a survey on social networks, interviews and observations. The survey has to be completed by all three groups of respondents at the start of the study, one and a half years later, and again at the end of the study. The survey on social networks has also been administered several times. All data team members and several of their colleagues have been interviewed. The researchers have observed some of the data team meetings. In addition to field notes, other data have been collected by means of audio recording data team meetings and studying the data team logbooks. The results of our studies can be found on this website under publications. If you have any questions regarding the study, please do not hesitate to contact one of the researchers.