Examining Students’ Responses to Teacher Translation Feedback: Insights From the Perspective of Student Engagement

Abstract

This case study investigated students’ response to feedback in the lens of student engagement with teacher feedback on their translation work. Drawing upon data from multiple sources, including students’ translation assignments, classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, stimulated recalls, and other documents, it explored how three Chinese undergraduates engaged with the feedback affectively, behaviorally, and cognitively. The findings reveal that (a) the students went through varying mood swings, and their expectations and teacher-related beliefs impacted their judgments of the feedback; (b) their failure to undertake self-editing upon receiving feedback was attributable to both student individual factors and teacher practices; and (c) extensive cognitive and behavioral operations could contribute to students’ deeper understanding of the feedback. These indicate the complex and interrelated relationship among the three dimensions of student engagement and contribute to our limited knowledge on the interplay between teacher translation feedback and student responses. Pedagogical implications are put forward for translation teachers to provide feedback and improve translation students’ engagement.