The effects of peer teaching on the development of verbal feedback behaviors by preservice physical education teachers.

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the development of verbal feedback behaviors of five preservice physical education teachers using a teach-reteach format in presenting peer teaching lessons. The implementation of these separate general and specific skill feedback behaviors by the preservice teachers during their secondary student teaching assignment was also examined.

To determine the incidence of verbal feedback behaviors elicited by the preservice teachers, two peer teaching and four student teaching lessons were videotaped and then coded by the researcher. An observational coding system developed by George Graham (1989) was selected for recording the verbal feedback behaviors elicited by the preservice teachers. Event recording techniques were utilized in coding the six specific skill (individual/group positive, negative, or neutral) and four general feedback behaviors (individual/group positive or negative). The congruency of the specific skill feedback statements relative to the identifiable task foci was also recorded. The rate per minute of each feedback behavior was calculated and ratios of total feedback statements in separate categories were computed. Reliability was ascertained by calculating intraobserver agreement above 90% for all lessons and interobserver agreement above 85% for six lessons.

Descriptive analyses of the observational data collected were completed for the preservice teachers. Graphic displays of the data were utilized to determine patterns and trends in the verbal feedback behaviors as demonstrated by the preservice teachers in both the peer teaching and student teaching lessons.

The findings indicated that the utilization of the teach-reteach format categorically influenced the development of the preservice teachers' verbal feedback behaviors. Additionally, the preservice teachers demonstrated considerable improvement in the ratio of congruent to incongruent specific skill feedback from the first peer teaching lesson to the second lesson presentation; however, the congruency of these statements was cogently affected by the selection of the task foci during the student teaching lessons. Levels of verbal feedback behaviors comparable to the second peer teaching lesson were not consistently achieved by the preservice teachers during their student teaching lessons.