Education research in Australia needs an urgent boost – here’s why
-
Loading... - Vittoria Riva
- 22 Mar 2023
- 69 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
A growing body of research has shown that systems and schools that prioritise data-driven evaluation have a greater impact on student outcomes than those who don’t.
And it stands to reason. Using data effectively helps teachers identify areas for improvement and make evidence-based decisions to improve student learning.
However, a 2022 survey of more than 900 teachers and school leaders across Australia found that while most educators are using evidence to improve student learning their classrooms, some aren’t using all the strategies necessary for those practices to be effective.
“Some key challenges are teachers' confidence in using evidence, availability of resources that are easy to understand, and culture around discussing and learning from evidence,” Dr Zid Mancenido, Senior Manager of Research and Evaluation at the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), said.
However, according to other experts, there is a bigger problem.
World leading educational psychologist Professor Herb Marsh of ACU’s Institute for Positive Psychology in Education, educational policy and programs in Australia are “rarely based on rigorous, long-term research”.
“There is a need to systematically research new strategies and policies before they are rolled out on a large scale,” Professor Marsh told The Educator. Read More…
