Abstract/Summary
The profession of being a school teacher involves working with data of various forms and content. Teachers use informal observations, learning process monitoring, and assessments to support and educate students. However, tools to systematically capture and analyze social dynamics in the classroom are often lacking. A joint project by Bern research institutions, funded by BeLEARN, integrates educational research and IT to develop a digital social climate monitoring tool for school classes. The goal is to help teachers supplement their perceptions with quantitative data to improve the classroom climate and the well-being of all students.
Teachers as Data Professionals
Although not immediately apparent, the teaching profession is one of the world’s most data-intensive jobs. Teachers implicitly and explicitly work with data derived from continuous observations in daily school life. This data not only includes information about the skills, achievements, and potentials of individual students but also about the learning climate, class community, and relationships among students. Teachers are expected to care for the well-being of all students and to foster a positive classroom climate. In fact, they have a significant influence on shaping social processes as an “invisible hand.” Research shows, however, that there are often discrepancies between teachers’ perceptions and students’ perspectives. Data-based feedback on social-emotional aspects in school classes is still relatively new compared to tools for assessing learning progress.
Our research focuses on developing a software application that integrates standardized student surveys, complex network analyses, and data visualizations to make social-emotional data accessible to teachers in an appropriate manner. This aims to raise awareness of social-emotional processes and support teachers in creating inclusive classrooms.
A Software System Alone is Not Enough
Our research project differs significantly from the usual scenario of “IT develops an application to meet business requirements” because we pursue various research questions that can only be solved through the collaboration of IT and educational experts:
- Definition and Measurement of Key Concepts: Measuring mathematical competencies is not a major challenge. But what about well-being or social climate? What constitutes a good relationship? These three areas of research are complex constructs requiring the project support of experts in these fields.
- Collecting the Right Data with the Right Quality: The IT system used must be objective, reliable, and valid. It should distinguish between children who have good relationships and feel well, integrated, and accepted, and those who do not. We are currently testing a combination of various scientifically validated questionnaire scales for children.
- User-Friendliness for Teachers and Students: While simplicity and accessibility are prioritized in the usability for the students, visualizing the relationship networks, the aspects of well-being and the classroom climate poses a challenge for teachers. Teachers should not be overwhelmed by the extensive data but rather be encouraged to reflect and act. Developing the right intuitive and user-friendly interface is a key part of our project.
- Data Protection and Security: Students’ data are sensitive and should be collected, stored, and analyzed by the teacher in compliance with data protection laws and ethical standards. How teachers handle the survey results and communicate these to the students and their guardians are also important questions addressed within the research project.
- Integration into Existing Lessons: The tool should enable continuous monitoring of how students are doing in the class and how well-being, relationships, and climate change over time. How teachers can integrate the tool most effectively into their lessons, and how the motivation of students and the quality of the data can be ensured over time, are a key part of this research.
- Team Collaboration: The tool is designed as an easy-to-use instrument to help teachers analyze social processes within their own class and promote the well-being of all students. However, teachers do not work alone, and especially in difficult situations such as bullying, professional collaboration with other teaching and professional staff is important. The tool must promote collaboration with professionals in school special education and school social work. How this can be implemented concretely is another research question.
Only by a close collaboration between experts in the educational and IT fields can we address these challenges. By developing a sophisticated, user-friendly tool that provides meaningful insights into the social dynamics in the classroom, the project aims to promote the social integration of all students and an empathetic learning environment, thereby improving learning for everyone.
Conclusion
The work of teachers is – although not immediately apparent – a data-intensive profession. Over time, teachers gather diverse experiences in working with students. In doing so, teachers develop remarkable skills in collecting and using this data. By equipping teachers with sophisticated tools, we aim to complement – not replace – these strengths. The addition of a user-friendly tool to capture classroom climate, social relationships, and student well-being supports teachers in their work and contributes to creating a positive learning environment for all students.
Acknowledgements
We thank the BeLEARN organization for funding and supporting this project. We also thank our research partners Caroline Sahli Lozano (PHBern), Michael Eckhart (PHBern), Tina Hascher (University of Bern), Carmen Zurbriggen (University of Freiburg), Victoria Mirata (Fernfachhochschule Schweiz), and Barbara Muntwyler (Mosaikschule Munzinger). We also thank our BFH software architect Hugues Clavadetscher and our software developers Roman Schneiter and Christian Schmidhalter.
About the Authors
- Sergej Wüthrich is a trained primary school teacher and psychologist. He works as a lecturer and research associate at the Institute for Research, Development, and Evaluation as well as at the Institute for Special Education at the University of Teacher Education in Bern.
- Kenneth Ritley is a Professor of Computer Science at the Institute for Data Applications and Security (IDAS) at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, Technology and Information. The native American has had an international career in IT, holding various leadership positions in several Swiss companies such as Swiss Post Solutions and Sulzer, and has built offshore teams in India and nearshore teams in Bulgaria.