Enhancing physics learning through feedback: insights from secondary and high school teachers

Abstract

Numerous studies in the educational field show the importance of feedback in the teaching process and students' motivation for learning. Although researchers agree that feedback is essential for improved performance, learners often dismiss it, and its effectiveness is diminished because of specific characteristics of feedback itself, teacher, and learner. By employing a non-experimental transversal research design, the present study aimed to assess the implications of feedback on the achievement of middle and high school students, as perceived by the teachers, in the subject of physics. To this end, we first conducted a narrative review of the existing literature with a focus on the types of feedback, the ways of giving it, and its effectiveness, and a qualitative analysis of how feedback is implemented in the classroom and its implications for student achievement, we created an evidence-based interview grid. Afterward, we realized and gathered valuable information from 11 Romanian secondary and high school teachers. According to the results, feedback improves student achievement and can streamline teaching to meet the student's needs and channel them toward improved performance. Our paper tries to fill the gap between the existing knowledge about feedback and the actual process of teaching and learning Physics in secondary and highschool. Even if our endeavour has limitations (e.g., a small number of interview participants), it provides a clearer picture of how to make the most of the feedback according to teachers. The main contribution of this paper is identifying physics teachers' perceptions of feedback and suggesting improvement proposals, by analysing current research. Also, our work offers some straightforward avenues for using feedback in physics disciplines in the Romanian context. We also advanced concrete proposals for optimizing the feedback offered to secondary and high school students in the physical discipline to help them optimize their performance.

Keywords

• feedback
• teaching physics
• secondary school
• high-school
• interviews