Teacher and student teacher views of agency in feedback

Abstract

The present study compares the feedback themes that groups of teachers (n = 5) and student teachers (n = 15) discussed in a professional development programme concerning teachers’ classroom interaction and formative assessment, and the agents they assigned the feedback to. The results of the thematic analysis show little variation with the conversation themes between the groups, but they did show more with the appointed agents of feedback themes. The teachers assigned feedback themes to the teacher and the students, as student teachers assigned them to the teacher and the learning environment. By referring to feedback as the shared responsibility of the teacher and students, the teachers demonstrated more modern views of feedback than the student teachers. Ignoring students’ part limits the understanding of feedback as a shared process between teacher and student. Teacher education should ensure that attention is also paid to students’ role in the feedback process.