Emphasis of University Supervisor Feedback to Teacher Candidates

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the emphasis of the feedback that university supervisors give to teacher candidates.  Specifically, we seek to understand the relation of praise versus area of growth and how the emphasis relates to the focus of feedback. Data included coded observation reports from eight university supervisors. The three main findings were: praise feedback had a significantly higher amount than area of growth feedback, feedback emphasized certain skills over others, and a significant portion of feedback was neutral in nature. These findings have implications for teacher preparation and the process for providing written feedback to teacher candidates. They include thoughtful consideration of the nature of constructive and comprehensive feedback in teacher preparation and the importance of candidates receiving a variety of feedback across the pedagogical skills necessary to be an effective teacher.