Said and Unsaid: Feedback to under-performing pre-service teachers

Abstract

When a pre-service teacher is performing poorly on practicum and at risk of failing, associate teachers are responsible for identifying what needs to improve, and providing advice to support the change. However, many associate teachers find difficulty in disclosing their concerns, while also checking their perceptions of shortcomings and inquiring into possible remedies, leading to frustration and continued poor performance. If no one addresses a pre-service teacher’s poor performance, problematic teaching practices can continue throughout their practicum and into their teaching career, with a long-lasting impact on numerous students. This research investigates what is said - and left unsaid - in associate teachers’ feedback, as well as how pre-service teachers respond to associate teachers’ feedback. Seven associate teachers were interviewed about how they gave feedback to an under-performing pre-service teacher. Data from the interviews was used to construct theories-of-action that both describe and explain the approaches to and consequences of associate teachers’ feedback to pre-service teachers. A central finding of the study was that while associate teachers believed they gave effective feedback by disclosing their concerns about the pre-service teacher’s teaching, their feedback was more accurately defined as an imposition of their views, and a series of directives and threats to correct the pre-service teacher’s shortcomings. As the true cause of the perceived under-performance had not been identified, pre-service teachers were subsequently perceived to be unable to implement the changes suggested by associate teachers which resulted in associate teachers escalating their feedback with a more hard-nosed approach. To explore the problem from oppositional perspectives, three pre-service teachers who had been assessed as below expectations on their first practicum were also interviewed. Data from the interview was used to construct theories-of-action that both describe and explain pre-service teachers’ actions in response to associate teacher feedback, and the consequence of their response. The findings indicated a pattern of pre-service teacher responsiveness to feedback they perceived to be practical, helpful and framed in a respectful way. Pre-service teachers typically resisted or ignored feedback that disconfirmed their self-perceptions or conflicted with their idealised notions of teaching. This study argues that associate teachers need opportunities to develop their capability to give feedback to poorly performing pre-service teachers, and the skills in Open-to-Learning approaches are likely to assist associate teachers to give feedback that pre-service teachers will perceive as valid and helpful. This study also advocates for associate teachers to inquire into pre-service teachers’ theory-of-action and their beliefs about teaching, so that feedback conversations are based on a shared understanding of the underlying attitudes, beliefs, values and assumptions that explain the pre-service teachers’ actions.