Royce Sadler famously described feedback that is given but not used as “dangling data” (Sadler, 1989: 121). The information may be provided, but for it to function as feedback, it needs to be used and have an impact on what students do next. Margaret Price and her colleagues argued for the importance of focusing not just on providing feedback, but also on how students engage with it.
Taking steps to help students develop the skills that underpin effective use of feedback is essential, especially in light of research indicating that both educators and students believe the purpose of feedback is to facilitate learning and improvement (Dawson et al., 2019; Mulliner & Tucker, 2017).
We know that there are barriers to students’ use of feedback (Jonsson, 2013; Winstone et al., 2017a), and by understanding these barriers, we can develop ways to overcome them. Furthermore, by knowing the skills that are important in using feedback, we can think of ways to help develop these skills. In a systematic review of the literature, Winstone et al. (2017b) uncovered four “recipience skills” that underpin effective use of feedback: self-appraisal, assessment literacy, goal-setting and self-regulation, and engagement and motivation.
With growing recognition of the importance of skills underpinning the use of feedback comes a greater appreciation for helping students develop these skills. Carless and Boud (2018) describe these as “feedback literacy skills,” which encompass the ability to appreciate the importance of feedback, make judgements about the quality of work, manage emotional responses to feedback, and take action in response to feedback. These skills and capacities are framed as essential for lifelong learning (Molloy et al., 2019).
References:
Carless, D. & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8).
Jonsson, A. (2013) Facilitating productive use of feedback in higher education. Active Learning in Higher Education, 14(1), 63-76.
Dawson, P., Henderson, M., Mahoney, P., Michael 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.
Molloy, E., Boud, D. & Henderson, M. (2020). Developing a learning-centred framework for feedback literacy. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 45(4), 527-540.
Mulliner, E. & Tucker, M. (2017). Feedback on feedback practice: perceptions of students and academics. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(2), 266-288.
Price, M., Handley, K. & Millar, J. (2011). Feedback: focusing attention on engagement. Studies in Higher Education, 36(8), 879-896.
Sadler, D.R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instr Sci 18,119-144.
Winstone, N. E., Nash, R. A., Rowntree, J., & Parker, M. (2017a). 'It'd be useful, but I wouldn't use it': barriers to university students' feedback seeking and recipience. Studies in Higher Education 42(11), 2026-2041.
Winstone, N. E., Nash, R. A., Parker, M. & Rowntree, J. (2017b). Supporting Learners' Agentic Engagement With Feedback: A Systematic Review and a Taxonomy of Recipience Processes. Educational Psychologist, 52(1), 17-37.
Discussions
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