Teachers’ Views Regarding Learning Analytics Usage Based on the Technology Acceptance Model

The article is focusing on aspects related to technology acceptance of LA in the context of school education. A survey that was based on the Technology Acceptance Model was distributed to 98 participants who work as schoolteachers and/or local educational policymakers and are geographically dispersed across two different European countries. The survey comprised of questions that span across four broad categories: a) actual usage of LA in schools, b) intention to use LA, c) perceived usefulness, and d) attitudes towards use. Regarding (a), most of the participants were aware that their educational institutions retain and use digital formats of student data as well as other data relevant to the learning process. Also, the participants could verify the existence of a respective privacy policy in their educational institutions. With respect to the perceived usefulness aspect, the participants were asked to opinionate concerning four promising types of LA usage, namely 1) real-time feedback, 2) prediction of at-risk students, 3) learning activities recommendation, and 4) student groups recommendation. All four types were well-received, but the perceived usefulness of prediction of at-risk students scored lower than the other three types of activities, while the learning activities recommendation scored higher in terms of perceived usefulness. The participants’ intention to use LA was examined in conjunction with their professionalism and that prospect was also well-received. The results are partially controversial, since the participants’ attitudes were not particularly favorable: they are moderate with respect to how much sceptic, willing and ready they feel about embarking on a LA endeavor.