The relationship between teachers’ and principals’ use of results from nationwide achievement tests: The mediating role of teacher attitudes and data use culture

Abstract

In many countries, educational policy increasingly expects teachers to use results from nationwide achievement tests for data-based decision-making. Theoretical models suggest that teachers’ data use is not only related to their attitudes and the organizational culture of data use in their schools but also to the use of data by their principals. However, the relationship between teachers’ and principals’ data use has rarely been tested, and existing studies only provide limited evidence. This study examined these relationships using data from two large-scale samples (N_{mathematics teachers} =796, N_{German teachers} = 693). Results of structural equation models show that data use by teachers is significantly associated with data use by principals. Moreover, data use culture fully mediates this relationship, but teacher attitudes do not. We replicate our results for two samples, providing evidence for the generalizability. Thus, supporting principals to develop a positive data use culture seems promising for future professional development.