Influence of Pedagogical Expertise and Feedback on Assessing Student Comprehension From Nonverbal Behavior

Abstract

Abstract In 3 related studies, expert and nonexpert teachers were tested for their ability to judge student comprehension of instruction from visual, nonverbal behavior. When sufficient background and contextual information was present, expert teachers were more accurate in their judgments, especially when feedback about their performance was combined with discussion of judgments before the second test occasion. The experts were also more confident of their judgments after receiving feedback. Nonexpert teachers seemed to benefit from feedback only when they were not being influenced by more experienced teachers. Expert teachers were more likely to use objective information, prior knowledge, and classroom context when interpreting nonverbal cues, whereas nonexpert teachers relied upon other subjective experiences to interpret classroom behavior. Results are discussed in terms of the cognitive differences between the expert and nonexpert pedagogue, in which the experts demonstrate a more complex, well-integrated informational schemata about teaching and the classroom setting.