Modifying the Clarity Behaviours of Experienced Teachers Through Structured Feedback

Abstract

This paper briefly describes the methodology and results of research which aimed to determine whether or not the clarity behaviours of experienced teachers in regular classrooms were stable over time and whether or not they could be significantly altered through a process of self‐analysis based on feedback of students’ perceptions of their teacher's clarity. The research is an extension of a series of studies of teacher clarity which commenced at The Ohio State University in 1975. It utilised instruments which the author developed for the measurement of teacher clarify and which allowed comparisons to be made between student perceptions of teacher clarify and teachers’ self‐ratings of their clarity. The major finding of the research was that experienced teachers were able to make significant improvements in their clarity when provided with structured feedback about their lessons. The implications of this finding for teachers and for teacher education are discussed.