The feedback I want versus the feedback I need: Investigating students' perceptions of feedback

Abstract

Getting feedback on assignments is a ubiquitous educational experience. Researchers have typically described the feedback process in one of two ways—feedback as transmission of information from a more knowledgeable other to the learner or feedback as a student-centered dialogue. The present study highlights a gap between theory and practice by comparing undergraduate students' perceptions of the purpose and preferred content of feedback to the views of academics. To measure students' perceptions and preferences about feedback, we administered a survey to 80 undergraduate students from a large research university in the United States. We also analyzed the content of genuine feedback a subset of those students received as part of one of their authentic classroom assignments. Overall, results suggest a shared understanding of the purpose of feedback between students and academics. However, students do not necessarily want to receive feedback that reflects those purposes. Theoretical and practical implications of this misalignment between students' views on the purpose of feedback and their actual experiences with feedback are discussed.