How do students of German perceive feedback practices at university? A motivational exploration

Abstract

This article investigates first year students’ perceptions of feedback practices in higher education from a motivational angle by drawing on the qualitative data derived from a mixed-methods longitudinal study involving first-year students enrolled in German degree courses at two major UK universities. Findings suggest that first year students with a strong desire to gain writing proficiency but low self-efficacy beliefs for writing perceived feedback as highly important for their motivation, not least because it serves as an indicator of progress and as a source of influence on self-efficacy beliefs. When feedback was absent, students displayed a growing sense of insecurity and less willingness to put effort into writing assignments. Nevertheless, feedback was often perceived as detrimental to motivation because of four reasons: Firstly, students were unfamiliar with the marking system. Secondly, feedback was not sufficiently specific to be helpful. Thirdly, error correction was comprehensive rather than selective. Fourthly, there was too little positive reinforcement in teachers’ comments. The article highlights the need for future investigations to take the interactive relationship between motivation, feedback, and the educational environment into account and outlines pedagogical suggestions for how to gear feedback practices towards the specific needs of first year students.