Effects of Feedback Types and Opportunities to Change Answers on Achievement and Ability to Solve Physics Problems

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of feedback types and opportunities to change answers on the learners’ achievement and their ability to solve physics problems. We compared three feedback types, namely (1) static feedback with hints, (2) reducing feedback with hints, and (3) knowledge of response, and two types of opportunities to change answers, namely (a) no answer changing allowed and (b) answer changing allowed. Each participant was randomly assigned to take one of the six experimental conditions. It was found that participants provided with static feedback with hints and those provided with reducing feedback with hints had significantly higher achievement and ability to solve physics problems than those provided with knowledge of response feedback. Moreover, participants who were allowed to change the answers had significantly higher achievement and ability to solve physics problems than those who were not allowed to change the answers. Additionally, there was no interaction between feedback types and opportunities to change answers on achievement and ability to solve physics problems.