Academic feedback as a space for reflection among prospective teachers

Introduction. The validity of academic feedback obtained from students remains a controversial issue in modern higher education. Although a correlation between student evaluations and expert opinion has been demonstrated, the impact of such feedback on course content and teaching methods often remains unclear. Furthermore, a gap persists in the existing literature between the concepts of academic feedback (the evaluation of teaching quality) and pedagogical reflection (the analysis of one’s own teaching practice). Aim. The present study aims to identify the educational potential of academic feedback as a tool for fostering professionally oriented reflection and agency among prospective teachers. Methodology and research methods. The study was conducted in several stages. In the first stage, a ten-year period (2016–2025) of transforming feedback questionnaires at Lomonosov Moscow State University was analysed. In the second stage (2024–2025), the unified questionnaire was validated on an extended sample comprising students from three additional institutions – MGIMO University, BSU, and the Taganrog Institute named after A. P. Chekhov – to test the universality of the results obtained. The total sample consisted of 355 questionnaires. Responses to closed-ended questions were analysed using quantitative methods, while responses to open-ended questions underwent inductive thematic content analysis, including the calculation of inter-coder agreement. The stages overlapped, as transformation and validation proceeded simultaneously in 2025. Results and scientific novelty. The article demonstrates how the evolution of feedback collection instruments drives the transformation of teaching methods. Analysis of the responses revealed a conflation of the concepts of reflection and academic evaluation: students use feedback not only to critique the course but also to understand their own progress. It was established that academic feedback is regarded by the majority of respondents as a space for expressing professional subjectivity and agency. Practical significance. Based on the study’s findings, it is recommended that reflective questions be incorporated into feedback questionnaires. Including such open-ended questions transforms the administrative process of collecting feedback into a fully integrated component of the professional training of future teachers.

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