Boosting Classroom Practices Through Principal Feedback: The Mediating Roles of Teacher Professional Learning and Teacher Self‐Efficacy

This study conceptualised principal feedback as a motivational and informational cue that shapes teachers' beliefs about their capabilities and their engagement in ongoing learning. The aim was to develop a more integrated understanding of how principal feedback influences teachers' instructional practices by examining the mediating roles of teacher self‐efficacy and teacher professional learning. Data were collected from 408 K‐12 teachers in Türkiye, and the proposed model was tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings indicate that principal feedback is positively associated with teacher self‐efficacy and teacher professional learning, both of which are in turn directly linked to teachers' instructional practices. Furthermore, the analyses revealed partial mediation effects, suggesting that teacher self‐efficacy and teacher professional learning act as key psychological and behavioural mechanisms through which principal feedback influences instructional practices. These results suggest that by fostering feedback‐rich school environments, policymakers and school leaders can promote both teacher development and instructional improvement.