Teachers’ Evaluative Feedback and Its Relationship with Students’ Perception of Ability and Effort: An Analysis of the Effects of Culture and Context on Students’ Perceptions

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of teachers’ evaluative feedback on students’ perceptions of ability and effort among the Chinese students in Hong Kong. Study 1 replicated Meyer et al.‘s (1979) and Barker & Graham's (1987) study using a modified procedure. These studies reported that in the West praise for success were perceived by students as an indication of low ability, whereas blame after failure was considered an indication of high ability. One hundred and fifty one male and female students aged 18‐25 responded to scenarios in which they were asked to judge their own ability and effort following teachers’ feedback on an imaginary math test. Study 2 was a replication of Meyer et al.’s (1979) study. Two hundred and forty male and female students aged 18‐25 were asked to judge their own and a friend's effort and ability. Both received similar grades but had different feedback from the teacher. Study 3 was conducted in real classroom setting. Participants were 364 Grade 2‐10 male and female students. Following a mathematics class test, students received feedback from the teacher and were then interviewed by the experimenter who asked about their perception of ability and effort. The results of these experiments supported those of Western findings with regard to effort but not ability. Contrary to previous findings, there was a significant correlation between ability and effort. The results were discussed in terms of cultural and contextual factors. Descriptors: Culture; context; feedback; ability Perception.