Peer feedback in early childhood education: Educational role and implications for teaching practices [Research Data Unipd Data set].

Feedback is a construct extensively investigated in pedagogical and assessing literature, particularly within the context of higher education, where it is recognised as an effective tool for supporting and enhancing learning. From a socio-constructivist perspective, feedback assumes a relational and social significance, functioning as a crucial learning resource and the development of reflective and self-regulatory processes. Despite its importance, a recent literature review highlighted that feedback, especially peer feedback, remains underexplored in early childhood educational contexts. Building on this gap, the present study aims to examine the presence and characteristics of peer feedback in interactions among preschool children (aged 3–6 years), adopting Hattie and Timperley’s (2007) feedback level model as a theoretical reference. The study further aims to design and pilot an observational tool specifically tailored to the preschool context, capable of supporting the observation and analysis of peer feedback dynamics while fostering awareness and professional competencies among educators. The research employs a qualitative approach within a socio-constructivist paradigm, using an ethnographic case study methodology. Data were collected through participant observations, video recordings, and semi-structured interviews across five selected preschools, four in Veneto and one in the United Kingdom. Questionnaires were administered to a broader sample of early childhood educators in the provinces of Padua, Venice, and Vicenza. Expected outputs include the development of a codebook for peer feedback forms, the formulation of an appropriate definition for the preschool age, the preparation of a report identifying educators’ knowledge, practices, and professional development needs regarding peer feedback, and the production of key principles to support teaching practices. This dataset contains: The long abstract of the project; A table systematising data on the number of sessions, timing, and modifications made during the creation of the observational protocol; An Excel file reporting intercoder agreement for eight observational protocols representative of the coding process; A table presenting the overall agreement among researchers for 23 observational protocols. All data has been processed in compliance with current personal data protection regulations, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR). The research project received ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of the Department at the University of Padova.