Research on Data Use: A Framework and Analysis

One of the central lessons from research on data use in schools and school districts is that assessments, student tests, and other forms of data are only as good as how they are used. But what influences how they are used? This relatively straightforward question turns out to be fairly complex to an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Measurement (Mahwah, N.J.) N.J.), 2011-10, Vol.9 (4), p.173-206
Main Authors: Coburn, Cynthia E., Turner, Erica O.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beliefs
conceptual framework
Context Effect
Data
Data Interpretation
data use
Educational Change
Evaluation Research
Information Utilization
Interpersonal Relationship
interpretation
Intervention
Knowledge Level
Leadership
Learning
Motivation
Organization
Organizational Change
power
Power Structure
Public Schools
School Districts
social context
social interaction
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Summary:One of the central lessons from research on data use in schools and school districts is that assessments, student tests, and other forms of data are only as good as how they are used. But what influences how they are used? This relatively straightforward question turns out to be fairly complex to answer. Data use implicates a number of processes, conditions, and contexts. It involves interpretive processes, as using data requires that the user interpret the data and construct implications for next steps. It implicates social and organizational conditions, since the data use unfolds in the context of a multileveled organizational system. And, because data can be a source of power, particularly in the current accountability environment, data use also involves power relations. In this article, we put forward a framework for understanding the phenomenon of data use in the context of data use interventions. We draw on existing research and theory to identify key dimensions of data use that we should attend to and offer a way to understand how these dimensions might interact. In so doing, we provide guidance for studying the pathways between data use interventions and various outcomes of value.
ISSN:1536-6367
1536-6359
DOI:10.1080/15366367.2011.626729