Using a data-based tool to reflect on classroom climate and well-being in school classes

The everyday school life of teachers includes data in different forms and with different information content. Teachers use informal observations, learning process monitoring and examinations to support and encourage learners. However, there is often a lack of tools to systematically record and analyse social dynamics in the classroom. A joint project of Bernese institutions, funded by BeLEARN, integrates pedagogical research and IT to develop a digital social climate monitoring tool for school classes. The aim is to help teachers supplement their perceptions with quantitative data in order to improve the classroom climate and the well-being of all pupils.

Although not immediately recognisable, teaching is one of the most data-intensive professions. Teachers work implicitly and explicitly with data that comes from continuous observations from everyday school life. This includes not only information on the abilities, performance and potential of individual learners, but also on the learning climate, the classroom community and relationships between learners. Teachers are also expected to look after the well-being of all learners and a positive classroom climate. In fact, as the “invisible hand”, they have a major influence on the organisation of social processes. However, research also shows that there are often discrepancies between the teachers’ perception and the learners’ perspective. Data-based feedback on social-emotional aspects in school classes is still relatively uncharted territory – in contrast to instruments for learning assessment.

Our research focuses on developing a software application that integrates standardised student surveys, complex network analyses and data visualisations to make learners’ social-emotional data accessible to teachers in an appropriate way. This aims to promote awareness of social-emotional processes on the one hand and to support teachers in designing inclusive classrooms on the other.

A software system alone is not enough

Our research project differs significantly from the usual“IT develops an application to fulfil business requirements” scenario, as we are pursuing various research questions that can only be solved through collaboration between IT and pedagogical experts:

• Defining and measuring important concepts: it is not a big challenge to measure mathematical competences. But what about well-being or social climate? What makes a good relationship? The three subject areas to be researched are complex constructs, which is why the pedagogical concept development of the research project is supported by experts in these areas.
• Collecting the right data with the right quality: The instruments used must be objective, reliable and valid. They should differentiate between children who have good relationships and feel comfortable, included and accepted, and those who do not. We are currently trialling a combination of different scientifically based questionnaire scales for children.
• Ease of use for teachers and learners: While simplicity and accessibility are the main focus when surveying learners, visualising the relationship networks, aspects of learner wellbeing and classroom climate is a particular challenge for teachers. Teachers should not be overwhelmed by the extensive data basis, but should be encouraged to reflect and act. An intuitive, user-friendly evaluation is the key to this.
• Data protection and security: Student data is sensitive data and should be collected, stored and analysed by the teacher in accordance with data protection laws and ethical standards. How teachers handle the results of the surveys and communicate them to learners and parents/guardians are equally important questions that will be addressed within the research project.
• Integration into existing lessons: The tool should enable continuous monitoring of how learners are doing in the classroom and how well-being, relationships and climate change over time. How teachers can most effectively integrate the tool into their lessons and how student motivation and the quality of the data can be ensured over time are also active research topics.
• Teamwork: The tool is intended as a low-threshold instrument to support teachers in analysing social processes within their own class and promoting the well-being of all learners. However, teachers are not lone warriors and professional collaboration with other teachers and specialists is particularly important in difficult situations such as bullying. Accordingly, the tool should also promote cooperation with specialists in special education and school social work. How this can be implemented in practice is another research question.

The collaboration between experts in the pedagogical and IT fields aims to tackle these challenges by utilising their combined expertise. 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 inclusion of all students and an empathetic learning environment to improve learning for all.

Conclusion

The work of teachers is – even if not immediately recognisable – a data-intensive profession. Teachers gain a wide range of experience working with learners over time. In the process, teachers develop remarkable skills in collecting and utilising this data. By equipping teachers with sophisticated tools, we aim to complement – not replace – these strengths. The addition of a user-friendly tool to measure classroom climate, social relationships and student wellbeing supports teachers in their work and helps to create a positive learning environment for all students.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the BeLEARN organisation for funding and supporting this project. We would also like to thank our research partners Caroline Sahli Lozano (PHBern), Michael Eckhart (PHBern), Tina Hascher (University of Bern), Carmen Zurbriggen (University of Fribourg), Victoria Mirata (Swiss Distance Learning University of Applied Sciences), Barbara Muntwyler (Mosaikschule Munzinger). We would also like to thank our software architect Hugues Clavadetscher and our software developers Roman Schneiter and Christian Schmidhalter.