THE REFLECTIVE TEACHER ADVANTAGE: CRITICAL THINKING ATTRIBUTES AND FEEDBACK PREFERENCES AMONG IELTS SPEAKING INSTRUCTORS

Abstract This study investigated feedback preferences and critical thinking (CT) attributes among 200 IELTS Speaking teachers cross-nationally. Participants completed electronic questionnaires assessing four feedback strategy types and cognitive attributes related to reflective skepticism and critical openness. Data were analyzed using SPSS (exploratory factor analysis, reliability testing, correlation, and hierarchical regression). Teachers most preferred Formative and Personalized Feedback (M = 4.22), followed by Elicitation and Metalinguistic Feedback (M = 3.92). CT attributes significantly predicted learner-centered feedback preferences (β = .586, p < .001), uniquely accounting for 29.4% of variance beyond teaching experience; the full model explained 47.2% of variance (F(2, 197) = 88.05, p < .001, f² = 0.89). Experienced teachers showed significantly higher learner-centered feedback preferences than less-experienced peers (t(198) = 4.26, p < .001, d = 0.63). Findings suggest that cultivating reflective CT attributes in teacher professional development programs can enhance feedback quality in IELTS speaking instruction.