A Qualitative Study into How Non-English Major Students Emotionally Respond to Teacher-Written Feedback

Abstract

Despite extant literature on the interplay between pedagogical practices and emotional impact, the emotional responses of non-English major undergraduates to teacher-written feedback in L2 writing classrooms remain underexplored. This research, employing semi-structured interviews and document analysis as primary data collection tools, aims to explore how different functions of feedback, including praise, criticism, and suggestions, evoke students’ emotions in higher education settings. The study, conducted in the context of a single university's L2 writing courses, involved 88 undergraduates for document analysis and 5 for semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal that personalized feedback significantly impacts students' self-perception, learning motivation, and engagement, underscoring the importance of empathy and clarity in feedback delivery. This paper highlights tailored feedback's crucial role in enhancing academic growth and emotional well-being, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of feedback dynamics in language education.