Journal for Educational Research Online (JERO): Issue The Role of Learning Management Systems in School and Classroom Development:

As basic infrastructure of a school, digital learning management systems (LMS) have been used in universities and schools since around the turn of the millennium. However, their usage in schools has rapidly increased in the course of the COVID-19-pandemic, opening the desideratum on the role that these platforms can play in school and classroom development. This study aims at investigating the role of LMS for school and classroom development in information and communication technologies (ICT)-related school contexts from the perspective of German school teachers. The study follows a mixed-methods approach consisting of an exploratory interview study (study 1) and a questionnaire-based survey (study 2). For the qualitative approach we analyzed three rounds of interviews with Berlin teachers (N = 44), using the results to design a questionnaire for the quantitative study (N = 223) on LMS’ potentials and challenges. While the qualitative data suggest a broad variety of possible means for school and classroom development, the preliminary quantitative results do not confirm these findings. Still, they point at teachers using LMS for individual and cooperative development among students and teachers and a possible starting point for digital transformation through LMS, while keeping a critical perspective on the topic.

Keywords
Learning Management Systems (LMS), School and Classroom Development, Mixed Methods, Digital Transformation