Leading Technological Change: Factors affecting development and implementation of a new student reporting system in a New Zealand primary school

Abstract

Learning is becoming more student-centred and interactive than in the past, and there is growing demand for integration of digital literacy into the curriculum. A new student reporting system (Spotlight), aims to provide an online platform where assessments and data on learning progress can be utilised for planning next steps. Spotlight can encourage student agency and enable parents to access up-to-date information about their child's progress. The system also aims to assist schools in meeting new Ministry of Education reporting requirements. The reflective self-study described in this thesis focused on factors affecting the development and implementation of Spotlight as an example of a new technological system in a New Zealand primary school. The researcher's narrative captures the experience of the teacher/team leader's involvement in developing the initial version of the programme, and an early trial of the prototype with three teachers in an interactive learning environment (ILE) setting. The researcher's experience was analysed using relevant literature as a framework to uncover themes that influenced the initial implementation of the student management system. Coding of the narrative revealed themes of perceived risk, emotion, time, culture and participatory design. Anecdotal evidence supported my interpretation of themes of resistance and challenges to acceptance of the new system and links to key areas of the relevant literature. Key findings from the analysis related directly to areas identified in the literature. Culture, support and organisational readiness were key factors in the success of the trial implementation. Clear communication between teachers and IT experts was necessary to develop a system that met user requirements. The system needed to be flexible to accommodate on going feedback based on teachers' experience, and improvements required to me et the changing needs of the users. This is a key principal of the participatory design process but is seldom adopted in practice. Important factors for leaders to consider when implementing change, in particular technological change, are highlighted. These include understanding the awareness of the perceived levels of skill (both existing and required) for all types of users, intuitiveness of the system design and the ability of system functions to meet the needs of the users. In conclusion, a supportive culture, beliefs and perceptions of risk within the team and in the wider school were key factors that affected implementation progress. As a result, ensuring a supportive culture, ongoing and available support, and a system that meets the needs of users are crucial elements for a change of this kind to be successful.