Abstract
In spite of much recent theorizing about teacher provision of feedback, relatively fewer studies look at the dynamic relationships between teacher feedback practices, student feedback experience, and their learning outcomes in higher education settings. To fill this gap, this study looked at 308 university students' perceived teacher feedback practices and their feedback experiences in an English Studies course context at a key and non-key university, and explored how teacher feedback, student feedback motivation and feedback behavior were associated with students' course satisfaction and course exam performance. Results showed that students from the key university reported a higher level of teacher feedback use as well as student feedback motivation and behavior. Structural equation modeling (SEM) suggested that in the case of the non-key university, student feedback behavior significantly predicted course satisfaction and course exam results; teacher feedback also indirectly influenced course satisfaction and course exam results. In the case of the key university, while teacher feedback and student feedback behavior each had significant influence on course satisfaction, student feedback behavior showed no direct significant effect on course exam results, and teacher feedback also showed no significant indirect influence on course exam results.
Highlights
It is recognized that learning is a matter of cognitive development and of shared social practices (Walqui, 2006). Vygotsky (1978) claims that learning is a process of apprenticeship and internalization whereby skills and knowledge are transformed from the social into the cognitive plane
The concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) which is generally considered the core of Vygotsky’s theory of learning is often interpreted as the distance between what a learner can do without help, and what they can do with support from someone with more knowledge or expertise
The participants were invited to complete three questionnaires related to teacher feedback practices, student feedback experience and English Studies course satisfaction
Summary
It is recognized that learning is a matter of cognitive development and of shared social practices (Walqui, 2006). Vygotsky (1978) claims that learning is a process of apprenticeship and internalization whereby skills and knowledge are transformed from the social into the cognitive plane. The concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) which is generally considered the core of Vygotsky’s theory of learning is often interpreted as the distance between what a learner can do without help, and what they can do with support from someone with more knowledge or expertise. Applying this constructivist theory of learning to higher education, Toohey (2000) proposed a model of the learning process involving feedback intervention that functions as a kind of facilitating process enabling learner to master the new knowledge and use it in different and “real” situations. When academics teach students without having much formal knowledge of how students learn (Fry et al, 1999), these challenges tend to be accentuated, which is likely to negatively impact their capability to provide meaningful feedback to students that makes a difference to their learning and facilitates improvement. Boud and Molloy (2013) observed feedback processes in higher education are commonly difficult to manage and carry out effectively and do not fulfill their aspiration of significantly influencing student learning
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