Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Carol R. Philips

Abstract

At an elementary school in the northeastern region of the United States elementary teachers struggled with using data to make instructional decisions. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore elementary teachers' perceptions about how their teaching experiences prepared them to use data to make lesson decisions. The theoretical-conceptual frameworks of this study were Bandura's self-efficacy, a theoretical framework of data use at the building level, and organizational routines framework. The data collected from interviewing eight elementary teachers revealed their perceptions of having to use data to make lesson decisions and how these perceptions influence their teaching practices. The data were organized and categorized as theoretical, organizational, and substantive. The themes that emerged from the coded data were the demands of too many strands of data, the need for additional building of teacher data knowledge capacity, barriers to data fidelity in the classroom, and the need for a supportive infrastructure. This study may result in positive social change for teachers at this elementary, district administrators, and personnel at nearby school districts by providing insights on how to best support elementary teachers with appropriate targeted training for using data to make lesson decisions.

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