Data-Driven Decision-Making in TEFL Curriculum Development

An explorative study into the possibilities and restrictions of data-driven decision making in TEFL curriculum development was conducted to distinguish for which purposes different types of data were being used by principalsand university instructors at the academic levels and which variables promoted or hindered data use. Principals anduniversity instructors of four colleges at Shiraz universities participated in the study and they were interviewed to obtain the required data. It was revealed that the principals mainly used data for the following purposes: (1) seekingresponsibility demands and legitimizing actions (2) planning and policy development (3) observation and needsanalysis (4) evaluating and scaffolding. Teachers used data mainly for the following purposes: (1) monitoring progress and identifying areas of need, (2) instructional purposes, (3) evaluating teachers’ performance (e.g., their own performance). The participants reported that factors such as a lack of access to relevant data, which coincidedwith the needs of the users, a lack of time, and a need for training might have hindered more effective data use in curriculum development. Teacher collaboration and involvement, a clear vision, norms and goals for data use, and having a designated data expert were the promoting data use factors. The results of this study showed that several decisions made were not based on data use and they were based on limited observations. Accordingly, teacher colleges may have an essential role in making future teachers more data wise in curriculum development. Teacher colleges can include training of data analysis and data use skills in their curriculum. If a careful approach is followed (e.g., designing the professional development course and testing it to make sure the goals are met) then, it is feasible to fulfill important preconditions for a learning organization which is capable of using the data in terms of reflecting on its performance, and improving it if necessary

کلیدواژه ها:

data-use ، curriculum development ، TEFL