Exploring Situation-Specific Skills to Boost Teachers’ Use of Analytics

Good teaching is fundamentally supported by teachers’ situation-specific skills, such as noticing, understanding, and decision-making, enabling educators to adaptively respond to the dynamic and diverse needs of their students. Such skills allow teachers to identify opportune moments, especially with the help of learning analytics, for applying various learning strategies, thereby optimising educational experiences for their students. However, the development of these competencies does not occur in isolation. Teachers require structured support and targeted interventions to cultivate these skills. Our study aims to fill a gap in the existing literature by exploring the development of situation-specific skills within the context of efficient research-based learning strategies. By adopting a technology-supported teacher inquiry process, our research investigates the influence of specific interventions on the evolution of these crucial skills among teachers, as well as the concerns linked to the applied innovation. Through this inquiry, we aim to broaden the understanding of skills development within educational settings and offer practical insights for improving teacher efficiency. Our findings demonstrate a rise in teachers’ situation-specific skills, even when the participants are still novices in the teacher inquiry process, the application of research-based learning strategies, and using technology for data collection and informed decision making. The research also underscores the importance of supporting teachers in developing the competencies needed to successfully utilise ‘science of learning’ strategies and adapt them to classroom situations, contributing to the discourse on promoting technology-enhanced educational practices and outcomes.