Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

First Advisor

Linda Samek, EdD

Second Advisor

Cari Sloan, EdD

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore how public elementary school teachers experience and interpret principal feedback in relation to their sense of self-efficacy, including how their lived experiences align with Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) ratings. Understanding how feedback shapes teacher confidence may help school leaders design evaluation systems that better support professional growth and retention. In this study, feedback was most influential when it was grounded in direct observation, specific, and delivered within trusting professional relationships, while formal evaluation feedback was often perceived as compliance-oriented and less impactful on teacher confidence. Findings indicated that self-efficacy was shaped by a broader feedback ecosystem that included principals, peers, instructional coaches, and, in some cases, parents, with feedback influencing instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. The credibility of the feedback provider and the presence of relational trust played a key role in how feedback was interpreted and applied. These results suggest that ongoing, relational, and contextually grounded feedback may be more effective than isolated evaluation events and support the need to reexamine current feedback practices to better align with how teachers experience and internalize feedback, ultimately strengthening self-efficacy and supporting instructional practice and retention.

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