Building Trust Through Feedback: A Conceptual Framework for Educators

Breana Bayraktar; Kiruthika Ragupathi; Katherine A. Troyer

doi:10.20343/teachlearninqu.13.7

Authors

Breana Bayraktar George Mason University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8557-086X
Kiruthika Ragupathi National University of Singapore https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4293-8166
Katherine A. Troyer Trinity University https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0762-1349

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.13.7

Keywords:

trust, instructor feedback, relationship-building, agency-developing

Abstract

Trust is fundamental for effective student engagement with feedback in higher education. This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework delineating the specific instructor practices and learning environment conditions that facilitate trustful feedback processes. Open-ended survey responses from higher education instructors (n=147) were analysed using a qualitative methodology. Analysis revealed three key environmental conditions for building trust-based relationships: positive non-judgment; inclusion, community, and constructive interdependence; and dialogue and discussion. Three instructor feedback practices were found to promote student agency: showing empathy and sensitivity to student identities, communicating high expectations, and promoting student self-evaluation. These relationship- building conditions and agency-promoting practices operate synergistically, as represented by our framework of Building Trust Through Feedback. By continuously cultivating this interplay of environmental and relational factors, instructors can engender greater reciprocity, vulnerability, and growth during the feedback process. The proposed framework provides guidance on trust-building pedagogies that enhance student engagement and learning. Further research should explore student perspectives on practices that build trusting instructor-student relationships.

Author Biographies

Breana Bayraktar, George Mason University

Dr. Breana Bayraktar (USA) is an educational developer with the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning and affiliate faculty with the Higher Education Program at George Mason University, where she specializes in blended learning/hybrid pedagogy and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).

Kiruthika Ragupathi, National University of Singapore

Dr. Kiruthika Ragupathi (SGP) is a senior associate director at the National University of Singapore, leading professional development initiatives at the Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. Her work focuses on supporting individual professional/personal growth and fostering collaborative opportunities that address strategic university needs.

Katherine A. Troyer, Trinity University

Katherine A. Troyer, PhD, (USA) is the director of The Collaborative for Learning and Teaching at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Her work in faculty development focuses heavily on how to support faculty during key liminal periods, and her horror scholarship explores how the genre breaks identities, bodies, and the places we inhabit.

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