Five Forms of Written Feedback to Homework in a Mathematics Course for Elementary Teachers

Abstract

The form of teacher feedback to students' written work has been an independent variable in previous research. The value of written feedback to student errors on test papers and homework has been established in several studies (Hedl, 1969; Karabinus, 1966; Page, 1958). In one investigation, written feedback specific to student errors on test papers was found to be superior to general feedback as measured by a subsequent achievement test (Page, 1958). On the contrary, in a study by one of the investigators, achievement scores favored general feedback over specific feedback in a CAI unit (Schoen, 1972). Attitude toward the CAI unit in the same study strongly favored groups whose feedback contained first names over the absence of the name.