Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of An Effective Feedback Program for School Principals to Improve In-class Teaching

Abstract

This study aims to develop a program on giving effective feedback (GEFP) which is designed to improve principals’ feedback capacities that support teachers’ in-class teaching and to examine the impact of this program. The program covers leadership, supervision, classroom observation, trust, active listening, feedback and statistical analysis topics. Experimental mixed method design was used in this research. The study group and sample of the research consist of 16 school principals and 602 teachers working in the experimental (N=8) and control (N=8) group schools in the province of Hatay in the 2018-2019 academic year. The "school principal feedback scale" was used as the quantitative data collection tool, and a semi-structured interview form was used as the qualitative data collection tool. It was concluded that GEFP contributed significantly to both the process and function factors of the feedback and increased the capacity of school principals to give effective feedback within the scope of improving teaching. The calculated effect size revealed that the contribution of GEFP to the function factor is higher than the process factor. Qualitative findings revealed that school principals realize the importance of supervision and feedback, improve themselves professionally, change their managerial behaviors positively, and show instructional leadership behaviors. As a result, it was determined that school principals started to give effective feedback by demonstrating behaviors related to the feedback process literature after GEFP. Considering the contribution of giving effective feedback to teachers to improve their teaching, it is recommended that GEFP should be provided for all school principals as in-service training.