Work

Unpacking the content of teacher feedback: How student performance and teacher professional background shape feedback

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Despite substantial research on teacher feedback, limited work has explored whether and how the content of teacher feedback varies in response to student performance level and how it relates to teachers’ professional backgrounds. Using data from a national sample of 510 U.S. elementary and secondary teachers who were asked to provide feedback on the same student solutions as they naturally would, we examined the content of teacher feedback across multiple dimensions (analysis of student work, diagnosis of performance, suggestions for improvement, and focus level). Results showed that incorrect solutions elicited more task-level feedback, whereas partially correct solutions elicited more process-level feedback. Feedback on incorrect solutions focused on weaknesses in student strategies and included more explicit suggestions for improvement. In contrast, feedback on partially correct solutions focused more on the strengths and included general or no guidance for improvement. Furthermore, teachers holding single-subject teaching credentials provided more specific feedback.

Source: Teaching and Teacher Education

DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2026.105529

Authors: Yasemin Copur-Gencturk, Jinhyo Cho

Institution: University of Southern California

Language: English

Topic: Student Assessment and Feedback

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,380