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Establishing Links between Research on Educational Effectiveness and School Improvement: Constraints and Perspectives

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A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 16278

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Panayiotis Antoniou

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Guest Editor

Department of Education, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2109, Cyprus
Interests: organisational effectiveness and improvement at the teacher and school level; human resource management and professional development; program and school evaluation; validating and measuring the impact of a dynamic approach to teacher professional development which aims to the application of effectiveness research to the improvement of educational practice; identifying specific levels of teaching competences and providing specific suggestions for improvement in each level

Prof. Dr. Leonidas Kyriakides

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Education, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, CY-1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
Interests: educational evaluation; educational effectiveness; school improvement; quality and equity in education; teacher professional development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Educational effectiveness research (EER) addresses the question of what works in education and why, for whom, and under which conditions. At the same time, research on school improvement aims to support schools in their attempts to promote quality in education. However, the two fields although closely related, have different priorities and have utilised different approaches. For example, from a methodological perspective, EER has mainly used quantitative approaches, whereas research on school improvement has mainly used qualitative approaches, something that has created difficulties in the attempts towards a fruitful merging of the fields.

This Special Issue is in line with the attempts of the research community to establish links between educational effectiveness research (EER) and research on school improvement. Many researchers have identified that an important constraint of the existing approaches of modelling educational effectiveness is the fact that the whole process does not contribute significantly to the improvement of teaching practice. Taking this into consideration, this Special Issue aims to contribute to the discussions and to highlight current practices related with the use of EER results for improvement purposes. The results of the studies to be included in the Special Issue could therefore provide valuable insights related with the extent to which EER can be used for improving teaching practice and student attainment. It is important to note that the focus of the Special Issue is not only on improving quality of education but also equity, in the sense of providing the best possible opportunities for all students to progress irrespective of their personal and background characteristics.

The Special Issue will address different approaches for school improvement that have utilised in various ways and the knowledge base of EER and of school improvement research, and their strengths and limitations will also be discussed. The extent to which research on EER and research on school improvement could be merged will also be further elaborated.

Finally, the Special Issue aims to include studies that relate not only to school and teacher improvement but also to improving other contextual and operational school characteristics such as school leadership, school culture and ethos, teacher collaboration, teacher job satisfaction, etc. This is important, since to better understand how improvement takes place in a school, it is important to analyse how the members of the school team collaborate, exchange new ideas, and design their action plans for improvement.

Dr. Panayiotis Antoniou
Prof. Dr. Leonidas Kyriakides
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

educational effectiveness
school improvement
teacher professional development
quality in education
equity in education
school management
teacher collaboration

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 782 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How and under Which Conditions Can We Best Combine Research on School Effectiveness with Research on School Improvement? Establishing Connections Using the Dynamic Approach to School Improvement

by Panayiotis Antoniou, Leonidas Kyriakides and Evi Charalambous

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(8), 537; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12080537 - 09 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1660

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss how and under which conditions can we best combine research on School Effectiveness with research on School Improvement by utilizing the Dynamic Approach (DA) to School Improvement. We firstly elaborate on the difficulties that exist in trying to merge results from research on School Effectiveness with research on School Improvement. Then, we discuss the need and potential benefit from merging the two research strands, and finally we propose a fruitful merging with reference to the DA framework. Studies that have utilized the DA are also presented and their implications for research, policy and practice are discussed. The last section summarizes the results of the studies that have utilized the DA to highlight conditions that could facilitate a productive merging of the School Effectiveness and School Improvement research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Establishing Links between Research on Educational Effectiveness and School Improvement: Constraints and Perspectives)

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20 pages, 315 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Theory-Led Evaluation of a Scalable Intervention to Promote Evidence-Based, Research-Informed Practice in Schools to Address Attainment Gaps

by Riikka Hofmann and Sonia Ilie

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 353; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12050353 - 18 May 2022

Viewed by 2760

Abstract

Evidence-based practice is a salient solution that has been presented to address the persistent educational attainment gap linked to economic disadvantage. However, most schools do not engage with research, and we know little about facilitating school-led research use at scale. Linking different approaches to studying educational effectiveness, equity and change, and drawing on cultural-historical activity theory, this study develops intermediate theory about the mechanisms influencing institutions’ success in using research. In the context of the Opportunity Area Programme, supporting place-based interventions in the UK’s most socio-economically disadvantaged regions, we conducted a theory-led evaluation of the Evidence-Based Practice Fund (EBPF), aimed at supporting school-led research engagement to improve learning outcomes. We analysed the documentation of 83 EBPF projects, 8 focus groups, and a school survey. We demonstrate that enabling schools to address locally identified needs motivates research engagement but formulating these as stimulus for change requires scaffolding. Schools were keen but needed re-translation to use research to address those challenges. Low-key school-to-school support was found adequate. Leadership support and collaboration were significant but require relational expertise and professional learning to be effective. This study demonstrates that the use of research by schools at scale is possible and can transform a school’s agency in developing their own practice to improve equity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Establishing Links between Research on Educational Effectiveness and School Improvement: Constraints and Perspectives)

20 pages, 288 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quality Teaching: Finding the Factors That Foster Student Performance in Junior High School Classrooms

by Vasiliki Polymeropoulou and Angeliki Lazaridou

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 327; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12050327 - 07 May 2022

Viewed by 1877

Abstract

In this study, we examined the characteristics of secondary school teachers that are effective at promoting student performance. Using a multilevel analysis design, we examined teachers’ instruction using the effective factors in the Dynamic Model of Educational Effectiveness (D.M.E.E.). The research involved 21 teachers and 697 students. Written tests in Modern Greek were administered to the student sample at both the beginning and the end of the school year 2016–2017. An observer assessed teacher factors through three different instruments, and a student questionnaire was also used to evaluate teacher effectiveness. The data showed the effects that teachers in the sample had on the learning development of their students and highlighted effective teaching skills and weaknesses. Implications for practice to promote teacher effectiveness are drawn. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Establishing Links between Research on Educational Effectiveness and School Improvement: Constraints and Perspectives)

16 pages, 796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unique Problems Require Unique Solutions—Models and Problems of Linking School Effectiveness and School Improvement

by Tobias Feldhoff, Marcus Emmerich, Falk Radisch, Sebastian Wurster and Linda Marie Bischof

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 158; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12030158 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3420

Abstract

The article aims to outline the proposals for linking school effectiveness research and school improvement that are currently relevant in international discussion and to ask how they deal with the ‘technology deficit’ at the level of model improvement. We will first show the difference between school improvement and school effectiveness. Then, we outline areas showing basic problems associated with linking school effectiveness and school improvement. After that, we present a summary of two relevant models for linking school effectiveness research and school improvement—Comprehensive Framework of Effective School Improvement and Dynamic Model of Educational Effectiveness—and subject them to critical analysis. The result of the critical analysis is that the question arises whether a link between the two traditions leads to a complementation of their respective problems of observation rather than to a compensation of them. This, in particular, concerns the problem of causality, which gives rise to theoretical and methodological considerations in both fields of research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Establishing Links between Research on Educational Effectiveness and School Improvement: Constraints and Perspectives)

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23 pages, 319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Potential to Build Collective Capacity for Organisational Learning in the Context of Teachers’ Use of Digital Technology for School Improvement

by Susila Davis-Singaravelu

Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 33; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci12010033 - 07 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2238

Abstract

This article considers how digital spaces focused on whole school improvement combined with supportive leadership may be mobilised towards building collective capacity for evidence-informed practice and organisational learning. This topic originated from a qualitative, multi-method design-based research (DBR) project that studied practitioners’ use of an online resource for primary school practitioners called Pathways for school improvement, designed by Oxford University Press (OUP). Semi-structured interviews, participant observations and a documentary analysis were conducted with teachers and senior leaders in five primary schools across England between 2014 and 2016. Connections were made with the dynamic approach to school improvement (DASI) that encourages practitioners to systematically engage with a variety of evidence in their reflections and efforts to design school and classroom improvement strategies. Pathways’ four-step system and series of systematised tasks under each step seemed to provide opportunities for practitioners to explore elements of theory and practice in conjunction with empirical and pupil performance data, and potentially guide them through how to collaborate with others in developing specific whole school approaches to improvement. Opportunities and challenges in developing collective capacity for improvement are also explored. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Establishing Links between Research on Educational Effectiveness and School Improvement: Constraints and Perspectives)

Review

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18 pages, 2170 KiB

Open AccessReview

Models on Teaching Effectiveness in Current Scientific Literature

by Roberto Sánchez-Cabrero, José Luís Estrada-Chichón, Alfonso Abad-Mancheño and Lidia Mañoso-Pacheco

Educ. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 409; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/educsci11080409 - 05 Aug 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3597

Abstract

Knowing what defines ‘effective teaching’ contributes significantly to the appropriateness and validity of the instruction provided to pre-service teachers during their initial training. This may help them to perform as expert teachers before finishing their university training. This study aims to reflect upon the most significant models and theoretical contributions of each of the five most common methods for investigating teaching effectiveness in the current scientific literature. To that end, the main scientific sources within this field of study have been obtained on the Internet through the Web of Science (WoS), Scopus and ERIC. The sources were selected for their relevance to the topic, which was determined by assessing the citations generated by the academic works and the impact of the journals in which they were published. The results show that the key and most central factor salient in teaching quality is related to the teachers themselves and their training. Thus, any educational model that seeks educational excellence must focus foremost on ensuring care and respect for teaching professionals, beyond economic investment, resource availability, or any other factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Establishing Links between Research on Educational Effectiveness and School Improvement: Constraints and Perspectives)

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