Teacher feedback literacy as an emerging field: a scoping review

Effective feedback is central to student learning, yet its impact depends heavily on teachers’ ability to design, deliver and sustain meaningful feedback practices. Teacher feedback literacy (TFL) has recently been highlighted as a key driver of student feedback literacy, but research in this area remains fragmented and underdeveloped. Existing studies vary widely in how they conceptualise and measure TFL, creating uncertainty about what it entails and how it can best be supported. To address this gap, this scoping review maps the current state of TFL research in higher education, with particular attention to how it has been conceptualised, assessed and developed. Findings indicate that TFL is mainly recognised as a multi-faceted, improvable, relational and situated capacity. It has been assessed in diverse ways, including scales, yet mainly through qualitative methods, such as using established frameworks to structure and interpret findings. TFL can potentially be developed through ongoing, contextually situated, reflective practices and targeted training. However, empirical research shows limited disciplinary and geographical scope, largely concentrated on micro-level practices. Advancing TFL scholarship will require clearer conceptualisations, more varied study designs, and exploration of broader contexts in higher education.