The contribution of a decision support system to educational decision making processes

In the light of reports of bias, the present study investigated the hypothesis that
administrative educational decisions assisted by Decision Support Systems
(DSS) are characterized by different pedagogical and organizational orientation
than decisions made without computer assistance. One hundred and ten
high school teachers were asked to suggest solutions to problems that arose in
two school incidents. After reaching decisions, respondents were asked to
rank, in order of importance, the considerations that guided them. The data
were processed by DSS software, which calculated the highest-scoring option
for each incident. This option was compared with the one chosen by the
respondents, taking into account variables of seniority, educational level,
specialization, and self-efficacy. DSS-aided decisions promoted greater
moderation and enhanced cooperation among interested parties in comparison
to decisions made without computer aid. The implications of these findings
for future division of decision-making tasks between people and computers
is discussed.