A best-evidence meta-analysis of the effects of digital monitoring tools for teachers on student achievement

ABSTRACT

In this study the effects of the use of digital student monitoring tools for teachers (DMTs) on student achievement (primary and secondary schools, mathematics, reading, and language) were investigated through a meta-analysis (n = 14). The studies were also coded for feedback and intervention features, which resulted in three groups of combinations of DMTs and interventions. The meta-analytic findings indicate that the use of a DMT overall has a moderate effect (ES = .12) on student achievement for studies in which student achievement is measured by means of researcher-independent tests. Positive effects were also found for the use of DMTs in primary education (ES = .14), reading (ES = .17), mathematics (ES = .10), and for two groups of DMT-intervention combinations (ES = .25 and .13). Our results are encouraging but should be interpreted with caution, given the small number of studies that met our stringent inclusion criteria.

KEYWORDS:

• Meta-analysis
• digital monitoring
• feedback
• effectiveness
• teachers

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by Kennisnet, a public organization for education and ICT in the Netherlands. Kennisnet did not influence the design of the study, its results, nor the content of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Janke M. Faber

Janke M. Faber was a researcher at ELAN Teacher Development, Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences, University of Twente, and is now a school inspector at the Dutch Inspectorate of Education.

Remco Feskens

Remco Feskens is the head of the psychometric research and services department at Cito and a guest researcher at the section Cognition, Data and Education at the Faculty Behavioural, Management and Social sciences, University of Twente. His main research interests include educational assessment and survey methodology.

Adrie J. Visscher

Adrie J. Visscher is a full professor at the University of Twente. His research focuses on teacher professionalization and on the use and impact of feedback to teachers.