Investigating the Impact of Feedback Instruction: Partnering Preservice Teachers with Middle School Students to Provide Digital, Scaffolded Feedback

This article investigates the impact of scaffolded feedback instruction provided through an undergraduate methods course. Because of a desire for preservice teachers to have online teaching experience and due to low performance scores in assessment on the edTPA, a project was created which partnered preservice teachers with middle-grades students. Preservice teachers provided digital feedback, as students worked on a research project, while receiving scaffolded instruction about feedback in their methods course. Our study utilizes a mixed-methods intrinsic case study design. Participants included 82 rural middle school students and 16 preservice teachers from a large public university in the Midwest. As a result of participating in the methods course, preservice teachers’ abilities, confidence, and beliefs about giving feedback improved. Middle-grades students reported feeling positive about receiving feedback and felt it was helpful. Implications for preservice teacher training, middle-grades student learning, and issues related to studying teacher education are discussed.