Indicators of Effective Use of Assessment Feedback in Undergraduate Writing Courses
Keywords:
assessment feedback, undergraduate writing, feedback utilization, qualitative research, higher education, feedback literacy, student engagement, instructor practicesAbstract
This study aims to identify the key indicators that characterize the effective use of assessment feedback in undergraduate writing courses, as perceived by students and instructors. A qualitative research design was employed, utilizing semi-structured interviews with 21 participants (students and instructors) from undergraduate writing courses in Tehran. Participants were selected through purposive sampling to capture a range of experiences with assessment feedback. Interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation was achieved, and each was audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. NVivo software was used to support systematic coding and the identification of main themes and subthemes. Analysis revealed three major themes with several subcategories as indicators of effective feedback use: (1) feedback reception and understanding, including clarity, timeliness, engagement, emotional response, accessibility, and growth orientation; (2) feedback utilization and application, such as integration into revisions, self-regulation skills, feedback-seeking behaviors, transferability across tasks, and barriers to utilization; and (3) instructor practices and institutional support, encompassing consistency, alignment with learning outcomes, feedback dialogue, professional development, supportive policies, recognition, and access to resources. Illustrative quotations highlighted the importance of clear, timely, actionable, and dialogic feedback, as well as the necessity of institutional and instructor support to overcome barriers and foster meaningful engagement with feedback. Effective use of assessment feedback in undergraduate writing courses depends on a complex interplay of clear communication, emotional support, proactive student engagement, and robust institutional and instructor practices. The identified indicators provide a comprehensive framework for improving feedback processes, supporting student development, and informing professional development and policy at the course and institutional level.
Downloads
References
Ajjawi, R., & Boud, D. (2017). Researching feedback dialogue: An interactional analysis approach. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(2), 252-265. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1102863
Beaumont, C., O’Doherty, M., & Shannon, L. (2011). Reconceptualising assessment feedback: A key to improving student learning? Studies in Higher Education, 36(6), 671-687. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075071003731135
Boud, D., & Dawson, P. (2021). What feedback literate teachers do: An empirically-derived competency framework. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(2), 271-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1748568
Boud, D., & Molloy, E. (2013). Rethinking models of feedback for learning: The challenge of design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(6), 698-712. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2012.691462
Carless, D. (2006). Differing perceptions in the feedback process. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 219-233. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070600572132
Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: Enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8), 1315-1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354
Dawson, P., Henderson, M., Mahoney, P., Phillips, M., Ryan, T., Boud, D., & Molloy, E. (2019). What makes for effective feedback: Staff and student perspectives. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(1), 25-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1467877
Evans, C. (2013). Making sense of assessment feedback in higher education. Review of Educational Research, 83(1), 70-120. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654312474350
Gibbs, G., & Simpson, C. (2004). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1, 3-31.
Glover, C., & Brown, E. (2006). Written feedback for students: Too much, too detailed or too incomprehensible to be effective? Bioscience Education, 7(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3108/beej.2006.07000004
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112. https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298487
Hyland, F., & Hyland, K. (2019). Feedback in second language writing: Contexts and issues. Cambridge University Press.
Jonsson, A. (2013). Facilitating productive use of feedback in higher education. Active Learning in Higher Education, 14(1), 63-76. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787412467125
Jonsson, A., & Panadero, E. (2018). The influence of formative feedback on students’ self‐regulation: A review. Educational Research Review, 24, 205-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2018.05.002
Kim, Y., & Kim, J. (2021). Student engagement with written feedback in higher education: A scoping review. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(4), 576-595. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1805225
Mulliner, E., & Tucker, M. (2017). Feedback on feedback practice: Perceptions of students and academics. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(2), 266-288. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1103365
Nicol, D. (2010). From monologue to dialogue: Improving written feedback processes in mass higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(5), 501-517. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602931003786559
Nicol, D., Thomson, A., & Breslin, C. (2014). Rethinking feedback practices in higher education: A peer review perspective. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 39(1), 102-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2013.795518
Price, M., Handley, K., Millar, J., & O’Donovan, B. (2010). Feedback: All that effort, but what is the effect? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(3), 277-289. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930903541007
Ryan, T., & Henderson, M. (2018). Feeling feedback: Students’ emotional responses to educator feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(6), 880-892. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1416456
Sadler, D. R. (2010). Beyond feedback: Developing student capability in complex appraisal. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(5), 535-550. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602931003786559
Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus on formative feedback. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 153-189. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654307313795
Winstone, N. E., Nash, R. A., Parker, M., & Rowntree, J. (2017). Supporting learners’ agentic engagement with feedback: A systematic review and a taxonomy of recipience processes. Educational Psychologist, 52(1), 17-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2016.1207538
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
