Receiving Peer Evaluation in Team-Based Learning: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study of Preclinical Medical Students

Abstract

Learning from feedback depends not only on the feedback provided but also on how learners interpret, evaluate, and respond to it. This descriptive phenomenological study explored how preclinical medical students experienced receiving peer evaluation in a team-based learning (TBL) course. Forty-one reflective journals written by first-year medical students (27 men, 14 women) after receiving anonymous peer feedback were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step descriptive phenomenological method. Five interrelated themes emerged: preparing to contribute, encountering oneself through peers’ eyes, making sense of emotional responses, transforming feedback into future practice, and becoming a responsible evaluator. Students described peer feedback as a social mirror that revealed differences between their self-perceptions and those of their peers. They reported a range of emotional responses and also reflected on the credibility and relevance of the feedback they received. Many students expressed intentions for future participation, and some reflected on their own responsibilities as evaluators. Taken together, the accounts described self-reflection, emotional appraisal, and intentions for future participation after peer evaluation. The findings suggest that peer evaluation accompanied by open-ended reflection may provide a useful context for examining how students experience and make sense of feedback. Whether such reflection contributes to subsequent changes in behavior, feedback literacy, self-regulated learning, or professionalism requires further study.