Spotlights

[Research News] Conversation Analysis Reveals How Teacher Educators Shape Reflection Through Feedback

Associate Professor Mika Ishino from the Faculty of Global and Regional Studies and Associate Professor Eunseok Ro from Pusan National University, South Korea, explored how feedback becomes “reflect-able” moments that guide student teachers’ learning in language education. 

Feedback is central to teacher education, yet little is known about how it can be delivered in real-time. A new study of language teacher education in Japan and South Korea shows how educators transform feedback into “reflect-ables”: concrete moments from microteaching that prompt reflection and guide professional growth. The researchers, using conversation analysis, demonstrate how feedback practices not only help assess teaching but also create opportunities for developing classroom interactional competence.

Reference
Ro, Eunseok and Ishino, Mika, Creating “Reflect-ables”: A Conversation Analytic Study of Feedback Practices in Language Teacher Education, TESOL Quaterly, October 2025. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.70035

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University. 
https://research.doshisha.ac.jp/news/news-detail82/

This achievement has also been featured in the “EurekAlert!.”

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1101931

Image Title: Turning Feedback into “Reflect-Ables”: Conversation Analysis of Teacher Education in Japan and South Korea
Caption: Teacher educators guide student reflection by transforming specific microteaching moments into “reflect-ables,” using gestures, notes, and interactive discussion to co-construct professional learning opportunities. This approach highlights how feedback functions as a collaborative, reflective practice rather than a simple evaluation.
Credits: Eunseok Ro from Pusan National University, South Korea, and Mika Ishino from Doshisha University, Japan 
Image License: Original content
Usage restrictions: Credit must be given to the creator.