Techno-enablement in school data management: policy practices and inter-agency governance in Malaysia

Zainudin, Nur Aiman Bin (2025) Techno-enablement in school data management: policy practices and inter-agency governance in Malaysia. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This study explores the implementation of data-driven decision-making (DDDM) within the Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB), focusing on why it has not effectively enhanced educational delivery and outcomes as intended. Despite the MEB’s clear key outcomes, the reasons for the shortfall in achieving these goals through DDDM have not been thoroughly examined. This research critically investigates the underlying issues in School Data Management (SDM) practices and proposes a solution through the lens of techno-enablement, a framework that integrates power and potential.

Drawing from Foucault’s relational power, Heidegger’s potentiality, and Valsiner’s enablementism, this study critiques the assumption that empowerment alone ensures effective SDM. It adopts a structural-relational perspective, recognising that governance structures (policy, bureaucracy, and institutional hierarchies) shape but do not fully determine decision-making autonomy. Rather than viewing SDM failures as either technocratic inefficiencies (structural) or human limitations (relational), this study examines how structural constraints and relational agency interact to enable or constrain DDDM practices.

This research used a sequential qualitative methodology and multiple phases of data collection to uncover the disconnect between policy and practice in SDM. The study investigated the experiences of 40 headteachers as school-level data managers, using online questionnaires and consultation sessions. Additionally, it focused on educational officers from District Education Offices (DEO), the Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU), engaging them through focus groups and interviews to understand the challenges of policy implementation at the district and ministry levels.

The findings revealed a significant disconnect between the policy narratives of the MEB and the lived experiences of educators, highlighting ambivalence in SDM practices. In response, this study introduced techno-enablement, a theoretical framework that explains how governance conditions determine whether SDM empowers institutions or constrains decision-making autonomy. From this foundation, the Techno-Enabler Framework is developed, identifying five interrelated enabling conditions for SDM effectiveness: Techno-Governance (policy coherence), Techno-Competency (data literacy), Techno-Networking (inter-agency collaboration), Techno-Decisioning (institutional autonomy), and Techno-Integration (policy adaptability).

Rather than an empirical test of causality, this study provides a theoretical exploration of SDM governance, aligning with interpretive social science traditions. While informed by empirical findings, its goal is not to prove direct cause-effect relationships but to explore why SDM remains compliance-driven rather than participatory. Instead of isolating variables for causal testing, it examines governance structures, policy translation, and institutional agency to identify enabling conditions for SDM effectiveness.

This study advocates for a new way of thinking about the role of technology and human agency in SDM. Techno-enablement offers a cohesive approach for leveraging data technologies in tandem with human capacities to enhance educational outcomes. The findings and the proposed Techno-Enablement Framework not only aim to improve educational delivery and outcomes within Malaysia but also offer a model for other countries with similar centralised-decentralised educational structures, potentially transforming how data-driven decision-making is approached in global educational contexts. Future research should empirically test the Techno-Enabler Framework through a longitudinal study, assessing how SDM governance evolves over time and whether governance conditions adapt to institutional needs.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Sponsored by the Ministry of Education Malaysia.
• Subjects: L Education > L Education (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Funder's Name: Ministry of Education Malaysia
• Supervisor's Name: Conroy, Professor James and Chapman, Professor Christopher
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85201
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 29 May 2025 13:09
• Last Modified: 29 May 2025 13:12
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85201
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85201

Related URLs

• Conference proceeding