Investigating Singapore secondary science teachers' understanding and practices of written feedback

Abstract

When orchestrated well, teachers’ written feedback has the potential to have a substantial effect on student learning (Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2004). In science teaching and learning contexts, written feedback has also been identified as an essential practice that supports students in the construction and development of scientific literacy (Geithner & Pollastro, 2016). Despite the provision of feedback being made explicit in the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) model (MOE, 2018b), minimal research exists in regard to Singapore teachers’ views about and experiences using written feedback. An interpretive qualitative case study approach was used to explore how six secondary science teachers in Singapore understood and practiced written feedback within their respective science classroom contexts. Data was gathered through the use of semi-structured focus group discussions, semi-structured individual interviews, and the collection of science teachers’ feedback on students’ written work. Findings indicated that teachers’ written feedback understandings and practices were influenced by an examination-oriented culture. Given the content-focused structure of national high-stakes examinations, teachers gravitated towards a teacher-centred written feedback approach. They found that it was more effective in strengthening students’ content in their written answers, such as their explanatory ideas, theories, or scientific language. Finally, behaviourist ideas also influenced the teachers’ written feedback understandings and practices. It was concluded that science teachers in this study had an inadequate understanding of the nature and types of written feedback that will support students’ learning of science. Their written feedback practices were mainly teacher-dominated, focused on shaping students’ behaviour and ensuring that students attained robust scientific content knowledge. It was also concluded that science teachers’ written feedback emphasis on content acquisition and student behaviour were influenced by the need to quickly augment students’ ability to answer questions in high-stakes examinations. Yet, in doing so, it consequentially narrowed the learning of science and inhibited students’ development of scientific literacy.