A systematic review and single-case meta-analysis of performance feedback as teacher professional development

Given the importance of effective teaching to student achievement and teacher retention, teachers require sustained and efficient training in evidence-based practices. Performance feedback is one such practice explored extensively in the school psychology, applied behavior analysis, and special education literatures. Performance feedback interventions generally consist of multiple components such as classroom observation and delivery of contingent feedback, but also didactic training, modeling, and role plays. Single-case experimental design (SCED) is a rigorous methodology that is amenable to investigating effects of multicomponent training packages and their isolated characteristics. Although many SCED studies have been conducted investigating the effects of teacher performance feedback, it is unclear the extent to which specific intervention components are effective, for whom, and under what circumstances. To answer these questions, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of SCED research on teacher performance feedback. In the 52 included SCED studies, characteristic and quality variables were coded, and Log Response Ratio (LRR) effect sizes were estimated. Effect sizes were meta-analyzed using random effects multilevel modeling. The average effect of teacher performance feedback was found to be significant, with LRR = 1.15 (95 % CI = 0.68-1.62), corresponding to a 215 % change in teacher behavior (95 % CI = 97-406), indicating that performance feedback is an evidence-based professional development strategy for teachers. Our findings are contextualized for practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.