Determinants of effective feedback on educational performance of faculty members based on their own experiences: a content analysis study

Providing faculty members with feedback, as the last stage of the evaluation of their educational performance is of particular importance. Offering helpful information about strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats of their performance, feedback provision empowers both faculty members and education officials to improve the existing situation. The present study aimed to identify the determinants of effective feedback on educational performance of faculty members based on their own experiences. This study employed conventional qualitative content analysis, with data gathered through semi-structured interviews featuring open-ended questions. The research focused on 16 faculty members from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, who were purposefully selected to ensure maximum diversity. The data was analyzed using the Graneheim and Lundman content analysis method, and the quality of the results was confirmed by following Guba and Lincoln’s criteria. The results of this study yielded 10 categories and 2 themes including barriers to and facilitators of effective feedback. Categories related to the theme of barriers to effective feedback included Imbalance of the power of feedback giver and feedback receiver, unstructured feedback, Feedback without the appropriate content, Recipient-related barriers to accepting feedback, and, Conflict and differences between feedback giver and feedback receiver. Categories related to the theme of effective feedback facilitators were ethical feedback, Communication-based feedback, Personality traits of the feedback giver, Psychological readiness of the feedback receiver, and Structured nature of the feedback. Effective feedback is a vital component of instructional strategies that support individual skill development and learning. The findings of this study may inform feedback providers about potential obstacles and highlight facilitators that could enhance feedback practices. These insights contribute to scientific understanding by emphasizing context-specific determinants of effective feedback in academic settings.