A feedback journey: employing a constructivist approach to the development of feedback literacy among health professional learners

Abstract

Background Feedback, if effectively provided by the teacher and utilised by the learner, enables improvement in academic performance. It is clear from current literature that the provision of feedback by teachers is not sufficient on its own to guarantee improvements as early university entrants may not be sufficiently equipped to effectively engage with feedback. Nonetheless, it is critical for health professional students to develop feedback literacy early, in order to prepare them for a professional career of lifelong learning and critical thinking. The overarching aim of this study was to identify a feasible, sustainable approach to improve feedback literacy among students on pre-qualifying health professional programmes. Methods The study was divided into two phases. A mixed-methods approach grounded in constructivism was employed. Participants included teachers and learners from the School of Allied Health at X University, and two internationally acclaimed educationalists. In phase 1, first year students were encouraged to use an established online platform to upload modular feedback and develop personal learning action plans aimed at improving academic performance. A follow-up survey highlighted poor engagement with this method. Thus, the second phase focused on the co-construction of a suite of modules to develop these skills, supported by academic staff. Interviews were conducted with participants to review and refine this initiative. Results Learners’ engagement with the first phase of the study was poor. Thus, the second phase provided all stakeholders with the opportunity to feed into the development of a suite of modules, designed to encourage teachers and learners to work in partnership to nurture these skills. All stakeholder groups reported short- and long-term benefits with this approach, but also highlighted challenges towards its implementation. Conclusion The development of feedback literacy among health professional learners is essential. The transferability of such skills has been highlighted in the literature and by all stakeholder groups involved in this study. Finding a balance between introducing these skills at a time early enough to highlight their importance among university entrants is challenging. Further balance must be achieved between the workload required to achieve these skills and current programme demands for both teachers and learners.

Developing feedback literacy in physiotherapy students: a pilot study

“…Yet, despite the expectation mismatch and insigni cant change in feedback literacy score with the workshop, participants projected some positive changes regarding their feedback process as illustrated in Theme 4 of the ndings. This result is comparable to the three previously-mentioned studies on training on feedback literacy (11,12,13) where there were perceived usefulness and bene ts of structured feedback literacy training. Beyond projection, participants in this study actually demonstrated feedback-seeking behaviour; one participant actively asked the workshop facilitator for feedback on their workshop behaviours, and later on another participant asked how to give feedback to a lecturer on her teaching.…”

“…Therefore, no reallife feedback practice was available. This pragmatic constraint concurs with O'Connor and McCurtin's ndings of where feedback literacy training should be located within the curriculum to bene t the learning outcomes of students (13).…”

“…Yet, traditional feedback culture and habits, such as relying on feedback from experienced practitioners especially in a complex healthcare environment, place challenges on students' feedback experience. (13) studied the effects of using an online platform for healthcare students to upload their received feedback and develop action plans on it. They found that the engagement rate of such platform was poor and they then moved on to study a feedback literacy module co-created by various stakeholders.…”

Impact of role conflicts and self‐efficacy on academic performance of graduate‐entry healthcare students: A lagged study

“…Internationally, a number of health professional programs have attempted to address factors related to burnout, stress, and resilience in their curricula through the inclusion of educational workshops early in students' academic programs (Bird et al, 2020; Johnson et al, 2020; Kreitzer & Klatt, 2017; Wu & Oprescu, 2021). Some studies recommend a broader perspective, claiming that all aspects of teaching and learning need to be considered; for example, the manner in which educators provide feedback and communicate with students can help to improve self‐efficacy, and also peer support can be utilized within teaching and learning initiatives and induction material in order to facilitate coping strategies (Gibbons, 2010; O'Connor & McCurtin, 2021). While these educational supports and strategies have been reported as useful by students, it may also be worth considering the strategic timing of these supports, in order to maximize their impact.…”

Systematic review of feedback literacy instruments for health professions students

“…Considering that feedback literacy contributes to learning, its measurement is needed as an objective way for educators to evaluate the students' capacities to participate in the feedback process [ 14 , 15 ]. Several tools have been developed to measure feedback literacy for health professions students [ 16 , 17 ].…”