Data Use, Analysis, and Collaboration Across a University Educator Preparation Program: A Self-Study

• In Event: Striving for Continuous Program Improvement: Teacher Education Programs Explore Their Data Practices

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the existing and potential opportunities that stakeholders in the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Education and Human Development Educator Preparation Program (EPP) reported having to analyze, use, and collaboratively engage with program data. We sought to investigate current data-use practices to see how data could potentially be used in the future.

The following research questions guided our study:

1. What opportunities do EPP faculty and administrators report having to analyze, use and collaboratively engage with program data?, and

2. What opportunities do clinical faculty and PK-12 school partners report having to analyze, use and collaboratively engage with program data?

We employed a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design to answer the above research questions (Ivankova, Creswell & Stick, 2006), first distributing a survey and then conducting semi-structured interviews with willing program stakeholders (with approval from UTSA’s Institutional Review Board (IRB)).

We operationalized data-use practices via a 25-item survey adapted from earlier instruments provided by the US PREP organization (US PREP Self-Study Toolkit, 2019). There were eight demographic-oriented items followed by 17 items related to data-use practices and observations. Participants were provided with an online link to the survey via email. Participants rated statements about EPP data analysis, use and collaboration on a Likert scale, with one being “not important” to ten being “very important”. At the end of the survey, participants could indicate their willingness to be interviewed for the qualitative phase of the study. The researchers then contacted those who had volunteered for the interview and conducted face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured survey protocol. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics; interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis and iterative coding cycles (Saldaña, 2013).

Findings indicate that while data-use practices exist and attitudes toward data-related inquiry are mostly positive, potential exists for development of systematic, concrete data-use practice across the EPP. Possible implications of these findings could assist EPP stakeholders to inform curriculum offerings, ensure compliance with Texas Education Agency requirements, meet the needs of local PK-12 public school districts via fieldwork and clinical teaching, and ultimately produce teacher candidates that are “college to career” ready upon graduation.

Authors

• Kristen Lindahl, The University of Texas - San Antonio

• Jennifer Swoyer, University of Texas - San Antonio