Examining the feedback used by social studies teachers in lesson stages

This study aimed to examine secondary school social studies teachers' use of effective feedback types during lesson stages. This research was conducted with the case study design, one of the method types of qualitative research. The course processes of the participants were followed in the first and second semesters of the 2023-2024 academic year. This study was conducted with eight social studies teachers working in public schools in Bingöl city center. Three of the participants were non-specialist teachers, three were expert teachers, and two were teachers at the head teacher career stage. The observation form of Tunstall and Gipps (1996), which was translated into Turkish by Köğçe (2012), the lesson observations with audio recordings of the lesson processes, and the findings obtained through the semi-structured interview form, were used as data collection tools of the research. In the research, the findings obtained from the audio recordings of a total of 64 lesson hours of eight social studies teachers and the semi-structured interview form and the interviews with eight teachers were created as a data set. The voice recordings of each participant from eight lesson hours were examined and nine questions asked to the participants through a semi-structured interview form were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. As a result of the research, social studies teachers gave a positive meaning to the concept of feedback they used in the course processes, some of the teachers focused on the function of feedback and stated that the feedback given to the student is the most important aspect of the education process, getting to know the student, attracting attention, being used to improve the learning process, increasing motivation, and being effective. They evaluated it as a tool that provides learning, provides teacher-student interaction and is used to detect missing learning. When the types of feedback used by VII the participants during the course processes are examined, they are generally evaluative and It was observed that they used descriptive feedback at a certain level during the course processes. It is seen that the type of feedback that the participants frequently use are positive feedback, which is among the evaluative feedback types, and development-related feedback, which is among the descriptive feedback. It is seen that the participants use the affirmation type the most, while they do not use the punishment type at all, among the types of evaluative feedback. It was observed that the type of descriptive feedback that the participants used most was stating the development and establishing the path of development. In the context of the findings obtained from the interviews with the participants, the importance of professional collaboration on feedback was emphasized and the inadequacy of training on feedback in university education was mentioned. Views that see teachers' feedback as an important tool for evaluating learning in general, increasing motivation, measuring before and during lesson preparation, and supporting student development and helping students improve themselves have come to the fore. Regarding the effects of feedback on the student, emphasis was placed on positive approach and motivation, noticing and correcting deficiencies, and strengthening communication. It cannot be said that teachers' use of feedback during lessons varies significantly depending on their career stage, but it can be said that as professional experience increases, feedback is given more deeply. Developing and using these skills effectively will contribute to teachers' professional development and career advancement.