- Title
- Transforming school systems: the place of contemporary meta-analytics and systemness
- Creator
- Varanasi, Machi Raju
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2021
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- In this thesis, the concept of systemness in school systems is developed and tested using an integrated educational analytics framework. Based on using a contemporary meta-analytical approach, the study draws from longitudinal data of an example school system. The educational analytics framework is considered from a system-wide perspective of over 80 schools using longitudinal and real-time data. The conceptual background for this research originated from the analysis of the historical development and growth of school systems in the modern era in which researchers have given a wide-ranging account of the characteristics and attributes of school systems from their elite beginnings in the late 19th century to mass education by the mid-20th century. The study then delves deeper into the reform and transformation of school systems over the past five decades to decipher why these efforts did not succeed in most cases. The lessons learnt from this lack of success formed the basis for this study which sought to identify alternative frameworks closer to the practices and interactions surrounding school systems. A newly conceived six-lens integrated analytics framework using school and school system data is proposed as a more pragmatic, transferable, and replicable approach to gauging systemness and system characteristics before embarking towards transformational efforts. The research contends that the adoption of analytical, systems-focused approaches, complementary to many other approaches, leads to more achievable and sustainable transformation in school systems. Prevailing approaches are criticised as being too nebulous, broad brushed, and incoherent as public policy initiatives. What is needed is a new analytical approach to transformation that percolates the hierarchal layers of systems to reach into schools and classrooms to enhance schooling experiences and improve student learning outcomes. The framework is elaborated and exemplified using contemporary educational analytics to investigate system-held data pertaining to a variety of schooling processes and outcomes. The case study examples demonstrate the power of integrated analytics to drive and monitor system-wide transformation with evidence that is contextual, specific, granular, and real-time. Demonstrably quick, clear, integrated, and compelling, analytics provides new impetus, more nimble system coherence, greater momentum, and potentially a better chance of success in realising transformative strategies. The thesis makes an original contribution to school systems research in several ways. Firstly, this is the first time the novel six-lens, data-driven, integrated analytics framework has been captured and synthesised in the literature. Secondly, the thesis opens alternate paths for reform initiatives devoid of the rhetoric that often surrounds school policy and funding debates in most countries. Thirdly, the thesis unlocks opportunities to further research in analytics with educational and psychological theories (e.g., engagement, motivation, wellbeing, flow theory) to align the reform process more closely to the student and the learning process. Lastly, it provides new insights for governments, policy makers, and educational think tanks to ensure greater investments are made in student- and school system-centric initiatives than in bland compliance.
- Subject
- schools; school systems; analytics; systemness; machine learning
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1422712
- Identifier
- uon:37870
- Rights
- Copyright 2021 Machi Raju Varanasi
- Language
- eng
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 6 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 521 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |