Definition
Feedback that identifies exactly what the learner did, what was correct or incorrect about it, and what to change, rather than offering a general judgment of overall performance. In deliberate practice, specific feedback targets a single observable action or skill element so the learner knows precisely what to adjust on the next attempt.
Plain English
Telling a student exactly what they did and exactly what to fix, instead of just saying 'good job' or 'that needs work.'
Context Anchor
Used during flight instruction, ground instruction, practice sessions, and debriefs after a maneuver, landing, radio call, or decision.
Derivation
From Latin specificus, 'of a particular kind,' built on species, 'a particular sort.' The word signals that the comment points to one identifiable thing rather than the whole performance.
Why Pilots Care
Allows a student pilot to correct errors immediately on the next attempt, accelerating skill acquisition and reducing repeated mistakes.
Intuition Check
Specific feedback does not mean simply giving more comments. It means giving comments that name the exact action, result, and next improvement.
Example Sentence 1
Instead of saying the steep turn was sloppy, the instructor gave specific feedback: the student had lost 80 feet during the rollout because back-pressure was released too early.
Example Sentence 2
The CFI used specific feedback to correct the student's altitude deviation on the base leg before the next pattern.