The characteristics of expert feedback in vocational teachers’ professional learning

Authors: Xinglin Jin, Dineke Tigelaar, Anna van der Want and Wilfred Admiraal
Jiangsu Normal University, China, Leiden University, Netherlands, University of Applied Sciences Leiden, Netherlands, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway

Edition: Volume 65, Number 2, July 2025

Introduction: In the Chinese vocational education context, expert feedback plays an important role in many teacher professional development programs, such as mentoring, lesson observation, teaching evaluation, and expert-teacher workshops. Previous research examined the general setting and effectiveness of these programs and did not go into depth about the characteristics of expert feedback. In this study, the characteristics of expert feedback have been explored through a teacher development program, in which expert teachers were invited to provide feedback to novice teachers based on their teaching videos. In general, the analysis of the feedback from expert teachers represented a positive and constructive way of providing feedback. In addition, expert teachers of vocational subjects demonstrated a more problem-oriented, straightforward and structured approach to providing feedback than expert teachers of Chinese language and moral education. Finally, when novice and expert teachers taught the same subject, the feedback provided was more informative and profound than feedback from expert teachers who teach a different subject to their novice peers. Suggestions for future research and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords: feedback, teacher learning, mentoring, novice-expert interaction, vocational education

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 65:2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.