Feedback for teaching development: moving from a fixed to growth mindset

Abstract

Feedback is an expected and essential part of academic work; however, giving and receiving feedback often causes angst and distress, an aspect not often addressed. To foster conversations about feedback for teaching development, we developed an interactive event designed to explore and practice giving and receiving feedback. A mixed-methods pre-post-test design was implemented to examine and measure levels of distress when thinking about receiving feedback on teaching using (1) a distress thermometer, and (2) open-ended questions. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, means analysis, and thematic analysis of open text responses. Findings include an overall decrease in mean distress scores following the event and a shift in mindset between pre- and post-tests from fearing feedback to seeing feedback as an opportunity for growth and development. Higher education institutions are encouraged to provide opportunities to foster conversations about feedback and how it can be embraced to inform future teaching growth and development.