Semester of Graduation
Summer 2026
Degree Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Degree Name
Secondary and Middle Grades Education
Department
English
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Darren Crovitz
Second Advisor
Dr. Beth Marks
Third Advisor
Dr. Michelle Devereaux
Abstract
Writing instruction in schools remains a significant area of concern even after decades of awareness that students are not performing at proficient levels upon high-school graduation. This phenomenographic case study investigated teacher feedback literacy at the secondary level through interviews with teachers of writing-intensive International Baccalaureate Diploma Program courses and document analysis. Areas of feedback literacy strength included teacher awareness of designing positive class environments, attending to the socio-emotional needs of their learners, extensive use of both rubrics and exemplars, and frequent provision of verbal feedback. Document analysis revealed the presence of explicit instruction in written feedback, rubric use, and attention to students’ socio-emotional needs. Areas of tension identified in teacher feedback literacy were specific knowledge of feedback reception and use, peer feedback, sequencing of feedback events, prompting students to identify needed feedback, and the prevalence of summative versus formative feedback. Finally, workload constraints resulting from large class sizes were heavily implicated in the findings. Possible recommendations for teachers suggest professional development focused on teacher feedback literacy competencies. Possible recommendations for policy makers or administrators include addressing the workload constraints of high student numbers and time pressures by reducing or removing those constraints to better support teachers in designing feedback-rich tasks and delivering rich feedback more frequently. Although this study was not designed to analyze verbal feedback, teachers described its use throughout as a crucial affordance; analysis of verbal feedback literacy may be of interest to a future study.
Comments
The defense outcome form is included here.