Feedback practice in lower secondary school: Exploring development of perceptions of feedback practice among students and teachers

Abstract

This article reports on a qualitative study investigating how perceptions of feedback and feedback practice developed over the course of a seven-month development project with students and teachers in ten lower secondary schools. The aim of the study was to contribute to the knowledge about how a development project with teachers can contribute to changes in perceptions and in the practice of formative feedback. The data are based on interviews with students and teachers before and after the development project, and the project builds on Hattie and Timperley’s feedback model (2007). The findings reveal changes in perceptions and in the use of feedback in learning processes. It is less evident whether clarifying aims and criteria together with the students, provided opportunities for the students to use feedback as a basis for further learning. Formative assessment practice has been implemented to some extent in the schools, and it is essential to strengthen teachers’ feedback practice to enhance student learning.