Fostering student teachers’ research-based knowledge of effective feedback

Properly designed feedback can be highly conducive to students' learning. Therefore, teacher education needs to equip future teachers with research-based knowledge of how to provide effective feedback. The present study reports the implementation and quasi-experimental evaluation (a pre-post control group design; N = 141) of a four-week intervention programme that aimed to enhance student teachers' knowledge of effective feedback and their ability to provide it to students. As a secondary objective, we also tested whether the experience of applying research-based knowledge about feedback improved participants' attitudes towards educational research. The results showed a substantial increase in knowledge about effective feedback. Moreover, in-depth analysis of written feedback indicated an improvement in participants' ability to provide high-quality feedback. However, there was no additional effect on their attitudes towards the usability of knowledge from educational research. We discuss the implications for teacher education and teaching about effective feedback.