The Effectiveness and Impact of Post-observation Feedback Sessions in an In-service Training Program

Oct 15, 2026

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Post-observation feedback sessions are widely used in teacher education and professional development to improve teaching practice through observation-linked dialogue. This study examines how observed instructors perceive the effectiveness of these sessions, which factors contribute to effective feedback, and whether feedback changes instructors’ teaching practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with instructors and Professional Development Unit members. Results indicate the feedback was viewed as effective, positively shaping teaching practices and supporting adaptation to a new institution.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

Teacher professional development and reflection

Observation purposes and feedback approaches

The Effectiveness and Impact of Post-observation Feedback Sessions in an In-service Training Program Derya Ilgın Yaşar Nurdan Gürbüz Middle East Technical University, Türkiye Abstract: An essential component of any training activity is observations, and in almost any teacher education or professional development context, observations are followed by feedback sessions aimed at improving teaching practices. Nevertheless, whether these sessions accomplish this aim is an issue of concern as it is highly related to how effective it is perceived to be. This study aims to explore how effective post-observation feedback sessions are perceived by the observed instructors, what factors make feedback effective, and whether feedback has any impact on their practices. Data were collected qualitatively by conducting semi-structured interviews with the instructors and Professional Development Unit (PDU) members. The results showed that the feedback was considered effective by the instructors, and it impacted their teaching practices positively, while helping them with their adaptation to their new institution. The results also shed light on the factors that made feedback effective from the instructors’ and the PDU members ’ perspectives. Keywords: post-observation feedback sessions; in-service teacher education; teacher training; professional development Introduction Post-observation feedback sessions (POFSs), commonly held in teacher education courses, institutional evaluations, and continuous professional development programs, provide opportunities for teachers “to talk about themselves and their teaching”(Donaghue, 2020a, p. 402). These meetings are both informative and engaging, and they enable the teacher who has been observed to have a better understanding of “why their teaching appears to be successful (or not) in different contexts”(Copland & Donaghue, 2019, p. 405) . Therefore, they may lead to the changes that will improve the teachers’ teaching practices, which is one of the major goals of professional development programs (Guskey, 2002) . Atthe institution where this current study was conducted, POFSs are an essential component of the in-service training program as the instructors who take part in the program are observed by the Professional Development Unit (PDU) members several times a year throughout the program, and during these POFSs, the instructors 1 reflect on their lessons together with the PDU member who observed them and engage in a dialogue during which they share their [1] In this study, instructors refer to full-time teachers of English who teach at an intensive language program of a university. ideas, concerns or questions related to their teaching. The POFSs are aimed to be developmental and to contribute to the instructor’s teaching practices as well as to their adaptation to the teaching context as the instructors in this program are in their first year at this institution, though they may had teaching experience somewhere else previously. The current study was conducted in this in-service education context, where the program was designed and started to be implemented in 2020. Although this study was not aimed to be an evaluation of this in-service program, the researchers aimed to investigate an essential component of this then recently-established program, the post-observation feedback sessions, in order to better understand their effectiveness. Specifically, the feedback sessions were explored in terms of their effectiveness from the observed instructors’ and the PDU members’ perspectives and the impact these sessions had on the instructors’ teaching practices. Literature Review Teacher professional development is considered “a promising intervention”(Liu & Phelps, 2020, p. 537), which teachers engage in due to their belief that they will increase their knowledge, improve their skills, grow themselves as well as their effectiveness with their students (Guskey,

FAQs

What is the purpose of post-observation feedback sessions in teacher development programs?

They follow classroom observations and provide structured opportunities for observed teachers to discuss teaching and understand factors behind teaching success in different contexts.

How did the study collect data on feedback effectiveness?

The study used qualitative semi-structured interviews with observed instructors and Professional Development Unit (PDU) members.

What impact did feedback have according to the results?

Instructors perceived the feedback sessions as effective, reported positive influence on their teaching practices, and noted support for adaptation to their new institution.

Oct 15, 2026

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