Evaluating the Temporal Location of Feedback Provided in the Practicum Setting

Most researchers and teacher educators consider feedback to function as a consequence and advocate for its immediate delivery in the form of “on-the-spot” supervision or after-session conferencing. The literature suggests that when compared, on-the-spot supervision is found to be more effective than after-session conferencing. Despite these findings, most supervisors are still implementing after-session conferencing, probably due to the limited feasibility of performing “on-the-spot” supervision when supervening teachers are implementing whole class or small group instruction. One way to overcome the feasibility issue of “on-the-spot” supervision and still providing feedback effectively, is by providing feedback before the next opportunity to perform. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of feedback provided (a) after the teaching session, versus (b) before the following teaching session on (1) accuracy of the error correction procedure and (2) rate of specific praise of undergraduate students implementing Direct Instruction (DI) to a small group of children. An adapted alternating design was utilized to evaluate the effects of feedback in its two forms, on the preservice teachers’ performance. Results of the study suggest that feedback provided before the teaching session was more effective in improving teaching skills than feedback that was provided after the session. These findings suggest that feedback may function primarily as an antecedent to future performance and not necessarily as a reinforcer/punisher for past performance.