Students’ Experiences of Peer Observed Teaching: A Qualitative Interview Study

Abstract

Phenomenon Development of teaching skills is an important aspect of medical student training. One method of developing teaching skills is participation in peer teaching with observation and feedback from peers. This study aims to explore student teachers’ experiences of peer observation of teaching and how they intend to utilize this feedback. Approach We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with peer tutors who had experienced peer observation of their small group teaching and subsequent feedback. The interviews were conducted by a medical student peer not involved in the peer observation of teaching scheme. They were audio recorded and transcribed. The pseudonymised transcripts were coded independently by two researchers using thematic analysis. Findings Nine students participated in interviews lasting a mean of 42 minutes. We identified three main themes: motivations for observation, experiences of observation, and responses to feedback. Students were motivated to have their teaching observed by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors: to develop their skills and competence as a teacher, in recognition of the important role this plays in their career, to provide reassurance that they are providing good quality teaching, to ensure the content of their teaching is appropriate and accurate, and to provide evidence of engagement in, and development of, teaching. Students described feeling nervous before the observations and preparing more for their teaching than they might normally, however, during the observations they felt more comfortable which they attributed to the peer-peer relationship. Students described finding the narrative feedback more useful than the quantitative elements as it provided more detail as to how they might improve. Several students described how they have used the feedback they have received on their teaching to improve subsequent sessions. Insights Peer observation of teaching is a useful and acceptable method of providing feedback on student teaching and recipients intend to use this feedback to improve their teaching.