Teacher reflection has been an integral part of teacher induction programs for the past twenty years. Similarly, student-generated feedback, particularly at the conclusion of post-secondary courses, has generated information for teachers on improving their practice. This commonly used approach, however, offers no opportunity for changes to instruction of benefit to those students who had just completed the course. This study examines the effect of a field test of a student-generated feedback instrument on teacher reflection and practice at a suburban, public elementary school. The standardized, teacher-created instrument was given to the students of the eleven teacher-participants twice during the school year, providing information that teachers could use to alter instruction for the same students that provided feedback.

The findings identify four themes arising from the data: teacher evaluation, student voice, teacher reflection, and changes in practice. Participants identified teacher evaluation by students as a major concern. The findings provided anecdotal stories by the study participants of vindictive, personal comments written on end-of-year feedback questionnaires. That stated, all participants said that student voice was an important outcome of the study, improving the relationship between teachers and their students, particularly when an acknowledgement by teachers of student feedback was either discussed openly or resulted in identifiable changes in the classroom.

Reflection on the student-generated feedback, as identified in the findings, provided mixed results. Study participants all viewed themselves as reflective, but most teachers identified this action as 'thinking' about their practice, usually during their daily commute. The level and focus of their reflections let to limited changes in their instructional practice, primarily as technical adjustments such as alteration of homework policies and assessment strategies.