The effect of feedback on pre-service teachers' teaching practice and lesson plan preparing skills along with self- efficacy levels during the process of teaching experience

In the current study, the effect of feedback on pre-service teachers' teaching practice and lesson plan preparing skills along with self- efficacy levels during the process of teaching experience were investigated. In this research method an experimental design including pre-test and post-test with control group, which is one of the real experimental models, was used. The study group which consisted of 22 pre-service teachers (experimental group: n=11, control group: n=11) who were the fourth graders at the department of primary teaching at the faculty of education at a large university located in the North of Turkey. Prior to the experimental process of the study, their academic achievement, cognitive behaviors, self-efficacy beliefs and affective initial behaviors were investigated in order to find out whether or not there were differences in terms of cognitive and affective initial behavior of pre-service teachers in the both experimental and control group. In order to determine academic achievement of pre-service teachers, their grade point average (GPA) scores were used; in order to determine their initial cognitive behaviors, a cognitive behavior test developed by the researcher and a rubric were used. Moreover, in order to determine their self-efficacy, a scale developed by Çakır, Erkuş and Kılıç (2004) called 'Pre-service Teacher's Self-efficacy Scale' was used. Finally, as for the determination of a pre-service teachers' initial affective behavior, a semi-structured form called 'Affective Interview Form (AIF)' was used. Following the determination of both groups, experimental process started. During the experimental process, pre-service teachers demonstrated their teaching plans and teaching practice skills at the school where the study took place. The supervisor scored pre-service teachers' teaching plans (lesson plans) through 'Teaching Plans Rubric (TPR)' as well as grading their teaching practice skills, which were all recorded, through 'Teaching Practice Rubric (TPrR)' on weekly basis. After that, the supervisor gave feedbacks to each pre-service teacher individually through their teaching plans and video records. At the end of the experimental process, a form called 'Interview Form regarding Experimental Process (IFEP)' was used to determine the pre-service teachers' opinions about the process in which they were involved. When it comes to the quantitative analysis, Mann Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed through SPSS; as for the qualitative analysis of the data, MaxQda 12 was used. At the end of the study, it was determined that the pre-service teachers' in the experimental group, their teaching practice skills were at a much higher level when compared with those who were in the control group. Moreover, although self-efficacy scores of pre-service teachers in the experimental group did not differ, self-efficacy scores of pre-service teachers in the control group decreased significantly. The pre-service teachers in the experimental group stated that the methodology used had both theoretical and practical contributions to teaching practice and thus it was effective and fruitful, helping to determine the negative sides of the teaching practice. In addition, the pre-service teachers in the experimental group also mentioned that the process of the teaching practice provided them with indirect experiences and self-confidence related to the profession they would be engaged in; the supervisor had a positive communication, their developmental process was supported by explicable, effectively and consolidating feedbacks. Finally, the pre-service teachers in the experimental group also stated that the feedbacks given by the supervisor helped them improve their lesson plan preparing skills, teaching principles, test preparation and classroom management skills.