If you have any accessibility requirements or would like to request the course content in a different format, please contact amy.johnson@educationscotland.gov.scot and hannah.brown@educationscotland.gov.scot 

In this module we will explore how: 

  • Our interactions with the learner are a key aspect of the learning environment. 
  • The assumptions we unwittingly make about gender can influence the way we interact with, talk to and provide feedback to learners, leading to differences in the type of feedback  received. 
  • Individual interaction and feedback can have either a positive or a negative effect on a child’s learning. 
  • The type of feedback and how feedback is delivered is closely linked to the development of self-confidence.

The module will reflect on how careful planning of interaction and feedback can help develop confidence by: 

  • How we talk to individuals – exploring 1:1 feedback and checking for patterns by gender
  • Being aware of the ways in which we might unconsciously differ in the way we talk to, and provide feedback to, learners of different genders. 
  • Careful planning and design of activities, tasks, questions and deployment of feedback. 
  • Considering the type of feedback, and providing the reason for giving feedback. 

Note that the term ‘feedback’ here, is used to cover all forms of individual interaction within a learning environment.  This includes formal feedback about a piece of work, informal comment, and the ongoing interactions that are central and key to successful play pedagogy. 

  • Patterns in how we talk to individuals can be observed when the type of feedback is examined by gender. Dweck et al. (1978) suggest that girls tend to receive less negative feedback in general, but the majority of this feedback tends to focus on the quality of their work  at a ‘task level’ (described below). 
  • Boys tend to receive more negative feedback but it tends to be focused on aspects unrelated to their work (e.g. behaviour and therefore relating to ‘self’). 
  • Most of the positive feedback boys receive is work focused whereas for girls the positive feedback can be based on non-intellectual aspects of their work (e.g.  neatness, effort, behaviour). Often for boys, the feedback they receive either does not affect their self-efficacy or increases it.  Often for girls,  the type of feedback they receive can decrease their self-efficacy and lead them to believe ability is innate and can’t be changed (Dweck, 1978). 
  • A factor impacting and determining how well pupils receive and understand feedback, motivate themselves and persevere in the face of difficulty, is self-efficacy. There are gender differences in self-efficacy with girls tending to have lower self-efficacy even when their actual performance does not differ from that of boys (Fredericks & Eccles, 2002; Herbert & Stipek, 2005; OECD, 2015). 
  • Feedback can encompass comments, clarification, criticism, confirmation, content development, constructive reflection, correction, cons and pros, commentary and criterion (Hattie and Clarke, 2019). Click here for an expansion of these terms. 
  • According to Hattie and Timperley (2007) feedback can be given at task level, process level, self-regulation level and self-level (Self-level is the least effective for deep processing and mastery of tasks and process/self-regulation level has the most impact). Below is a diagram that exemplifies this followed by some examples of what these types of feedback would look like in practice. You may recognise aspects of self-regulatory feedback from Module 1 and Austin’s Butterfly.

Adapted from Hattie and Clarke (2019) Visible learning – feedback
  • The design of tasks and questions ultimately determines what type of feedback can be provided.
  • Being conscious of the tendency for unintentional patterns in interactions and feedback and being able to plan questions in advance can circumvent the issue.  
  • Planning the type of feedback in advance, and providing the reason for giving feedback i.e. emphasising high standards followed by reassurance you think the pupil can achieve them (Yeager et al., 2014; William, 2017; Bartlett, 2015), can help to mitigate the tendency for gendered feedback. 
  • Structuring the initial task in a way that has a broad appeal to a wide range of audiences, elicits thinking and makes thinking visible (Rosenshine, 2012; Ritchhart and Perkins, 2008) can also help mitigate these effects. 
  • Trust is needed for feedback to be effective in the first place,  and to lead to increased effort, motivation or engagement. 
  • Gender differences in self-efficacy should be acknowledged when striving to improve learners’ motivation to seek improvement. Likewise when endeavouring to improve learners’ ability to persevere in the face of critical feedback.