Attending to emotion in feedback

Abstract

The feedback literature has a habit of treating emotion as a form of interference. Therefore many guidelines for improving practice are geared towards reducing learners’ emotions so that messages can “get through” and take root. In this chapter, we present a case for a re-orientation of how we conceive the role of emotion in feedback. We use a social cognitive theory of emotional regulation, to help illuminate the affective dimensions of feedback processes. The theory focusses on students’ perceptions of control over themselves and their circumstances and the values that underpin their appraisal of their situation. Drawing on a case study, we illustrate how we may help learners to acknowledge the primacy of relationships in feedback and to recognise and work with emotions.