Changing teacher behavior through the use of feedback

The study was designed to compare the effectiveness of a training plus feedback treatment and a training plus no feedback treatment in changing teacher behavior towards students whom the teachers identified as potential special education, slow learners, and average. The teacher behaviors targeted during the treatments were missed opportunities, positive feedback, process feedback, clear rules, metacommunication, and opinion questions. This study also examined the effect of changing teacher behavior through feedback on the on-task behavior of (a) the potential special education and slow learner students who were targeted during the teacher feedback and (b) the average students not targeted during the teacher feedback. Furthermore, the study addressed the issue of how changes in teacher behavior toward targeted students have an effect on the behavior of the teacher towards students not targeted during the teacher feedback. Twelve teachers participated in the study. Six participated in the training plus feedback group and six in the training plus no feedback group. The teachers in the training plus feedback group received a total of three feedback sessions. A total of 72 students were identified by the teachers. The sample of students consisted of 24 potential special education, 24 slow learners, and 24 average students. Pre-treatment and post-treatment classroom observations were conducted in each classroom. Two-way analyses of variance with repeated measures were used to analyze the data. The repeated measures were the pre-treatment and post-treatment rates of each of the dependent variables. The results indicated that regardless of treatment or student grouping, the rate of the teacher dependent variables decreased following the treatments. There was no change in the rate of student on-task behavior. Effect sizes and power analyses procedures indicated a low effect size and low power size for this study. Results are discussed in terms of the methodological weaknesses of the study, the consistency of the results with previous findings, and the barriers in implementing change in teacher behavior. Recommendations are made for further research